Voluntary Euthanasia Unlawful Act

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Voluntary euthanasia is illegal in Australia. It is currently defined as the act of killing a person, who otherwise might not die, to prevent some kind of pain or suffering – with their permission. The subject of permission is what classifies it as voluntary euthanasia, rather than simply the broad subject of euthanasia, which includes involuntary and non-voluntary.

It is my belief that voluntary euthanasia should no longer be considered an unlawful act, as it is done without force, allows the ending of suffering and saves both the money of that patient’s family and that of our health care system.

“The classical utilitarian claim [is] that since self-conscious beings are capable of fearing their own death, killing them has worse effects on others.” This is a point that Peter singer, a German philosopher addressed when justifying voluntary euthanasia. He explains that though the point negates murder, it supports voluntary euthanasia. As with voluntary euthanasia, the patient does not fear death as they instead wish it. Singers point was that patients gave their consent where someone who is fearful or does not wish to die, simply would not. Which means that refusing to grant it would be against their wishes entirely, and force them to live a life they see no future in. Thus legalising it would be much more humane than forcing away a person’s right to do with their life what they wish. Now the reason for the consent just mentioned, is to help relieve their suffering.
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Voluntary euthanasia’s only purpose is to help patients die a painless death when they wish to in order to avoid the pain they would feel otherwise, be it leading to death or a way of life seen as painful. There are thousands of cases, as with Jeffery Spector, a Swiss man suffering from an inoperable tumour, where patient’s have chosen this fate. Spector’s condition was slowly leading to full body paralysis and in order to save himself and his family from the suffering such a condition would cause them, he decided to end his life. This case is a prime example of how voluntary euthanasia can allow people to avoid being forced to live with great disabilities that will make them unable to take care of themselves. Furthermore, on the subject of saving patients from pain, the aspect of finance must be discussed. Because of the fact that voluntary euthanasia is illegal in the majority of the world, the patients with great disabilities – that want euthanasia - must instead be cared for by outside help or completely by their family. As a result of this situation, patients must pay lengthy bills for their care. According to the university of Alabama, in the first year in hospital for a person with …show more content…
This idea, as mentioned by Dr John Lorber, a professor of paediatrics, states that once euthanasia is legalised the importance of human life could come under question, euthanasia becoming more severe and leading to acts of genocide. Not only has such a thing never occurred in the Netherlands, a country in which voluntary euthanasia is legalised, but Peter Singer has addressed this issue in. Singer reasoned that, in the face of Nazi actions, of which Lorber refers to, euthanasia shouldn’t be connected to their enacting of genocide. Mentioning that “Their so-called euthanasia program was not motivated by concern for the suffering of those killed”, so with that stated it is impossible to, with logical reason, believe that through legalising voluntary euthanasia that said disaster had

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