euthanasia
i was watching a hong kong drama recently and the topic of euthanasia came up. it reminded me of the time when i just went into jc. the very 1st GP essay that i had to write was about euthanasia. did quite a lot of research just to write that essay.
euthanasia is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. i think voluntary euthanasia is the most talked about topic. it's actually when the person who is killed has requested to be killed. why do people request to be killed then? most of the time, it is because they are suffering from a terminal illness/disease.
a few reasons why these people have requested for euthanasia to be performed:
(1) they do not want to suffer anymore
(2) they do not want to be a burden to anyone, especially their family
(3) they are also suffering from clinical depression
so, should euthanasia be legalised? it's actually quite contradicting. we are always talking about human rights. we have the right to live and we have the right to decide if we want to die. is that really true? should this be the case? yes, we have the right to choose whatever we want but euthanasia is a rejection of the right to live. it will be a rejection of the importance and value of human life.
next question: should the person who performed euthanasia for another person be prosecuted then? will and should that person be charged with attempted murder or worse, murder? the person who helped the requestor to die.. can it be considered to be murder? In the Netherlands, a physician was convicted of the crime of euthanasia after she ended the life of her seriously ill mother. the court imposed a one week suspended sentence and a week's probation on her though the crime was punishable by imprisonment for a maximum of 12 years coz euthanasia is legalised in the country. what does this mean then? that we will still be charged even if euthanasia is legalised in the country? then why legalise euthanasia? the only 2 countries that have legalised euthanasia are Netherlands and Belgium.
however, in Switzerland, according to Swiss law, "whoever, from
selfish motives, induces another to commit suicide or assists him therein shall be punished, if the suicide was successful or attempted, by confinement in a penitentiary for not more than five years or by imprisonment." the key words are "from selfish motives." thus, in Switzerland, there is no prosecution if the person assisting a suicide successfully claims that he is acting unselfishly. while this results in de facto legalization, assisted suicide is not legal, only unpunishable, unless a selfish motive is proven.
and in the US, euthanasia and assisted-suicide advocates will continue to push their agenda throughout the world to make death-on-demand acceptable and legal. Some medical ethics expert from Britain actually said that it is better for elderly people to kill themselves than to be a burden on their families and society and "i don't see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance". according to her, only productive and independent people have value. all others are a "nuisance".
after i read the above paragraph on what the 'so-called' expert from Britain have to say, i feel like telling her to kill herself when she grows old coz she will definitely be a "nuisance" and she should not be a burden to her family and society. honestly, i feel that what she says is UTTER NONSENSE.
in my opinion, i agree that everyone has their own rights to decide what they want to do but spare a thought for others such as their loved ones. their loved ones will be heartbroken to know that someone close to them no longer wishes to live, to fight for their own lives. we only live once. nobody knows what happens after death. so why give up the right to live? no matter how much they are suffering, i'm sure there will be a reason to live be it for their loved ones, for an unfulfilled wish, for themselves. life is precious. treasure it. i'm sure people who died in terrorist attacks, the tsunami, hurricane katrina or any other natural disasters wanted to live. don't throw your life away.
i shall end with this quote that i find really meaningful. remember this, life is beautiful as long as u know how to let go of things and to be optimistic. treasure life and never give up!!
"We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival." - Winston Churchill
