Should Euthanasia be legalized?
Should Euthanasia be legalized?
Euthanasia or Mercy killing is the gentle death of a patient who is suffering from an incurable disease and where there are no hopes of recovery. Euthanasia, that is why, is also known as “mercy killing”.
In India, the case for legalizing euthanasia was under the Supreme Court and recently the court formed a 5 seat constitutional bench to take a final call on the matter. But whether “mercy killing” should be allowed or not, let’s find out”-
In favor
1. Euthanasia must be allowed in India as under article 21 of the Indian constitution every citizen of the country has the right to live with dignity. This right also includes the right to die with dignity.
2. Euthanasia is a compassionate way of ending the pain that is suffered by the patient who is in a vegetative state as well as of his family.
3. The word euthanasia literally means “rightful death”. So, it can’t be illegal.
4. Passive euthanasia which is the only permissible act under “mercy killing” does not leave much scope for being misused. So, it allays the fear of the misuse of euthanasia.
5. A patient who has reached the “point of no return” is going to die anyway. There is no point of making him suffer the unbearable pain; especially in the case of paralysis and other such ailments.
6. A lot of times, the family of the patient is not financially sound enough to bear his expenses after knowing that it will reap no fruits. In such cases, it would be justified to use euthanasia.
7. The person who is in a vegetative state is anyhow dead. Just breathing in and out does not make anyone alive. Such patients must get the right to die with dignity.
Against
1. “Mercy killing”- the two words are themselves very contradictory. There should be no space for any killing however merciful it is.
2. Medical science has many a times seen a lot of miracles. How can we allow someone to die when there is even a slightest possibility of a miracle?
3. There can be a lot of discrepancies if euthanasia is legalized. Who is going to decide that the patient is in the point of no return? What if doctors misuse euthanasia to prevent themselves from the responsibility of a critical patient? What if a person who dies might not be willing to die but his family demands euthanasia?
4. Death and life both depend upon the almighty. So, he must decide about it not humans.
5. Legalizing euthanasia is like breaking a wall that will act as a trigger for more deaths. Someday, people would also demand the legalization of suicides.
Conclusion
Euthanasia can be legalized and implemented but only for patients who have absolutely no chance of recovery and are in a vegetative state.
But this can be implemented only if the medical fraternity of the nation is responsible enough and understands the risk and sensitivity which euthanasia carries along.
Discussion
- RE: Should Euthanasia be legalized? -Deepa Kaushik (04/20/14)
- There is no harm in legalising Euthanasia. We call killing a human being as illegal before law. In the same manner, we also label the suicide as illegal. But thinking wisely, how far is it justified to save a person committing suicide and punishing for the same calling it to be offense.
Any person, who desires death, is just because he had had enough in this wide world. He must have lost the scope to fight his situation and circumstances. The agony has gone far beyond the limit of tolerance. To keep such a person living forcibly is the height of cruelty. It is easy to sit at our respective seats and speak virtues of optimism and value of life, but it is equally difficult to see a person tormenting in agony and much intolerable is to bear that pain with the lack of physical and mental strength.
Euthanasia should be legalised, though with some clause. The mercy killing could be granted to the person who himself/ herself wants to die and communicates in any way to the official in-charge. Though, nobody have the right to seek the mercy killing for any other person, who is not in a position to communicate his opinion.
There is yet another section of people who are mentally deranged, who lack the ability to take decisions. Such a person in a poor family is no more than a liability for them. Such people should have reform homes to take care of them, rather than killing them without their consent.
- RE: Should Euthanasia be legalized? -mayur kakad (03/02/14)
- Yes. Euthanasia should be legalized... Bcoz there is no meaning to keep the person alive who's chances to being cure is very less. And why one will invest his money to save this person. I agree that there is a few chances of happening miracle over there. Bt for a few chances, why that patient bear unbearable pain... Is that justice qith that patient. No we know that , that person is sure going to die and no chances of cure at that time only euthanasia will help him.
