It’s not a topic everyone is comfortable talking about. However, everyone has some kind of opinion on this social issue. Families, communities, and governments have argued relentlessly over the hot topic that stirs the opinions of many into spiralling debate. Is it ethical? Is it right? Is it human?
Euthanasia seems to be a topic you either have to be for, or against. In saying this, I believe in order to ‘pick a side’, you first have to understand what euthanasia really is, and finding a definition is not as easy as you may think.
The Oxford Dictionary (2012) defines euthanasia as “the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or an irreversible coma” (para.1). This definition seems simple enough, but defining euthanasia does not end there.
Stearman (2009) suggests that there are two types of euthanasia. The first, voluntary euthanasia, “is where the affected person makes their own decision to die” (p.6). An example of this could be a patient who has a terminal illness, and is in a great amount of pain. They may make the decision to carry out the act alone, however, often the patient is not able to do it without help. Therefore, they may request to be given a drug to end their pain. This is defined as assisted suicide.
The second type of euthanasia is involuntary euthanasia. This “is where another person...takes the decision to enable the affected person to die because he or she is incapable of making this decision personally” (Stearman, 2009, p. 7). An example of this type of euthanasia is when a person is in a permanent coma, when life support machines are the only thing keeping the person alive. As the person is unable to speak for themselves, the people they love are left to debate their fate. The many factors, opinions, beliefs and ‘what if’s’ that families and loved ones are forced to debate makes this type of euthanasia the most controversial.
As I travel down this murky road of conflict-ridden debate, I hope to gain an understanding of the many perspectives this issue involves. My aim is not to ‘pick a side’ but to see, reflect on, and understand why people make the choices they do, and how these choices affect the world around us.
References
Oxford Dictionary. (2012). Euthanasia. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/euthanasia).
Stearman, K. (2009). Euthanasia. London, UK: Hachette.
This is an interesting topic. I have never thought of looking into this social issue. Its interesting to read that the "fate" of people could be in the hands of other people. I knew of people that have had to turn off life support for a loved one and I have also seen the implications this has on their lives and the "what if's" in the aftermath. This has also affected their relationships with other family members and has sent one of the child who was affected into depression. I am looking forward to reading more :) thanks
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