Ethical Views On Euthanasia

As a whole, in our society we have a set list of views, values, and morals in our minds and even written into law or documented in some way that are generally accepted among the people. When we begin to tamper with these aspects of society, it is likely to bring a significant impact into play that we may or may not like the outcome of. With this being said, the idea of making euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide legal, especially when we do already have accepted ways of dealing with and helping the terminally ill, cuts into these core values that have been instilled in us and that define our society as we know it. One of the major views and values that this would undermine or go back on is the law that states that you cannot kill another …show more content…
If Jade would have lost hope and chosen euthanasia then she would have never even had the chance to be cured and living as she is today. Most people when told that they are terminally ill would become discouraged because not many people are flattered at the idea of their own death, however this is why it should be our task as citizens to offer them hope for a future, so that they do not make any rash decisions based off of medical evidence that is not full proof which may cause them to miss out on a cure for their disease or care that could ease their sufferings. By allowing euthanasia, we devalue human life and the concept of hope and fight by basically saying that when life gets hard, rather than having hope and fighting for better it is okay to simply give up which is essentially what the "solution" of euthanasia is, just giving up. The views and values that we hold and that are set into place exist for a reason and we compromise these when we mess with them and create gray areas between right and …show more content…
The fact that "legalization of voluntary euthanasia cannot be regulated and that it leads increasingly to involuntary euthanasia" is not a matter of opinion, but one of fact because there are many cases in places like the Netherlands, Australia, and Oregon in which euthanasia has been legalized and abused which is what Herbert Hendin, MD of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, says in his evaluation of John Keown 's book "An Argument Against Legalization". In a Dutch government-sanctioned study in 1995, it was found that there were between 900 and 1,000 involuntary deaths (Hendin). In Fneigsen 's "Other People’s Lives: Reflections on Medicine, Ethics, and Euthanasia", he mentions that in January, 1999 there were police investigations into at least 5 hospitals due to 60 cases of supposed involuntary euthanasia, that in Austria 4 nurse aids killed over 200 elderly people through involuntary euthanasia, that there are cases in Oregon of involuntary euthanasia being attempted, and many more cases like these where euthanasia has been abused. As proven here, by legalizing euthanasia it allows it to become more tolerated and normal which allows people, especially medical professionals, to use this as a cover up or an excuse