Euthanasia Essay - Doctor Assisted Dying-

Having been diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer, Alexandra a 21 year old girl decides that the pain is all too much. After two unsuccessful years of chemotherapy, she has had enough. Enough of drips, enough of counselling, enough of “get well soon” cards, enough of pain- both mentally and physically. She wants to leave this world as peacefully as she came, but at a time like this, she wants it on her own terms. The laws of her country however, stipulate that she must endure all this pain, all this suffering and surgeries, of tubes and injections until she – without a doctor’s assistance (euthanasia)-passes away. Imagine being subjected to unbearable pain your entire life and have man-made laws stipulate that this must remain so. This is distressing!
The article published in The Economist on June 27th entitled “Doctor-assisted dying- The Right to Die: Doctors should be allowed to help the suffering and terminally ill to die when they choose” emphasizes the positions that many people hold about Euthanasia today but it is limiting in its discussion in regards to the level of opposition that the issue of Euthanasia has come to face. The author fails to effectively capture the degree to which euthanasia is frowned upon and or tolerated in various parts of the world. Nevertheless, his arguments demonstrate that if we examine thoroughly the rights of an individual it would become clear that the right to choose doctor assistance death is, and should in fact be – a right.…