The practice of euthanasia has been a controversial issue since decades. It has faced opposition from social, religious and political school of thoughts. There are ethical dilemmas associated with Active Voluntary Euthanasia or Assisted suicide practice. The practice of euthanasia is supported with the view of a person’s autonomy. The person should have the autonomy to decide about his life and how to fulfill it. According to Emanuel (1994), the society knows the person’s autonomy to refuse medication and end life when medication has failed to treat an illness. If this ideology is right then assisted suicide is ethical, and it is different from withholding medical treatment to sustain life. The supporters of euthanasia argue that it is more painful for chronically ill patients to continue living a low quality of life than it is for them to die. Death is the only relief for them. Euthanasia provides a way for them to be permanently saved from unbearable pain that the illnesses put them through (Kamisar, 1993).

However, the state recommends that euthanasia should be the last option when treating a patient. All forms of available treatment should be considered, and euthanasia only used as a last resort. Most chronically ill patients are taken to a hospice. The subject of euthanasia is such a big deal that it is not possible to distance it from the family members. It should never be done in secret. The people who know the patient well should be made aware of the decision to take euthanasia. If the doctors decide to give euthanasia to a patient without informing the family, then they could even be charged with murder. Furthermore, if the law allows doctors to carry out euthanasia without the permission from close family members, the practice could soon be abused (Kamisar, 1993).Although some religious people may claim that giving euthanasia is wrong and that God is the only giver of life, they should understand that euthanasia falls within the work of doctors and physicians. One important duty of doctors is to relieve patients from pain resulting from various illnesses. From this point of view, euthanasia is encouraged as it relieves patients from pain. Callahan (1992) has supported euthanasia on personal right and autonomy grounds. Every person has the right to choose the kind of life that they want to live. If they feel that they cannot bear the pain anymore, they can choose to end it with the help of doctors.

References

Callahan, D. 1992. When Self-Determination Runs Amok.Hastings Center Report, 22(2), pp. 52-55.

Emanuel, E. J. (1994). Euthanasia: Historical, Ethical and Empiric Perspectives. Archives of Internal Medicine, 154(5), pp. 1890-1901.

Kamisar, Y. (1993). Are Laws Against Suicide Unconstitutional? Hastings Center Report, 23 (3), pp. 32-41.