In Greek, euthanasia roughly translates in English as the “good death.” Euthanasia is the act of intentionally taking the life of an individual for their “benefit.” However, euthanasia is a controversial subject in much of the world, due to the fact that it technically is suicide or homicide. Debate rages on whether assisted suicide, a form of euthanasia that is used to end the life of a patient to prevent prolonged suffering, should be legalized. Countries such as the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Japan, Albania, Columbia, and Luxembourg have legalized assisted suicide and in America, most famously Oregon, have also legalized it (Williams). However, in many parts of the world and in 46 states, physician-assisted suicide has been criminalized.
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According to a TIME online article, “a Mount Sinai School of Medicine study found that out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare recipients during the five years before their death averaged about $39,000 for individuals, $51,000 for couples, and up to $66,000 for people with long-term illnesses like Alzheimer’s” (Wang). When people die, they want to leave this world without having any regrets. A bill of 66,000 dollars to their loved ones is not something anyone wants to leave behind after they pass. Assisted suicide would let those who want to die on their own terms to also be able to die without having to leave their loved ones with such enormous debt. No one should be forced to be kept alive when there is no hope of recovery, when the price of keeping them alive will destroy their families financially, and most importantly, when they don’t want to continue living a painful existence. And while critics claim that making assisted suicide legal will devalue life, the reality could be further from the truth. For what value does a life if the person is only waiting to die a painful death? A terminally ill person should be the one to determine the way his life ends. The value of a life is something to be determined by the individual, not by others. If a person suffering from incurable, debilitating illness finds value in ending their life by their own means, then people should respect that decision. Dying with no regrets is something that legalizing assisted suicide offers to those who want the
According to a TIME online article, “a Mount Sinai School of Medicine study found that out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare recipients during the five years before their death averaged about $39,000 for individuals, $51,000 for couples, and up to $66,000 for people with long-term illnesses like Alzheimer’s” (Wang). When people die, they want to leave this world without having any regrets. A bill of 66,000 dollars to their loved ones is not something anyone wants to leave behind after they pass. Assisted suicide would let those who want to die on their own terms to also be able to die without having to leave their loved ones with such enormous debt. No one should be forced to be kept alive when there is no hope of recovery, when the price of keeping them alive will destroy their families financially, and most importantly, when they don’t want to continue living a painful existence. And while critics claim that making assisted suicide legal will devalue life, the reality could be further from the truth. For what value does a life if the person is only waiting to die a painful death? A terminally ill person should be the one to determine the way his life ends. The value of a life is something to be determined by the individual, not by others. If a person suffering from incurable, debilitating illness finds value in ending their life by their own means, then people should respect that decision. Dying with no regrets is something that legalizing assisted suicide offers to those who want the