The Right to Die
A difficult problem facing society is euthanasia, another word for doctor-assisted suicide. Thousands of people are terminally ill because of incurable diseases or horrific accidents. They are all kept alive in artificial ways. They have no chance to recover completely, but most of the legal systems do not allow doctors to end their lives. However, terminally ill patients should be allowed the right to die.
One reason why euthanasia should be allowed under the law is that medical costs are too high. With the current improvements in medical technology, terminally ill patients can be kept alive for long periods of time. However, the cost of a hospital room can be as much as two hundred dollars per day and even more, not to mention the outrageous costs of medicine and medical tests. The family of a terminally ill patient is responsible for these expenses. Imagine the costs involved over an extended period of time just to keep a terminally ill patient alive. The family of this patient would suffer a terrible financial burden for a long time. Therefore, euthanasia should be legalized.
A second reason is that the families of terminally ill patients suffer tremendously. Hospitals and nurses can only provide the terminally ill patient minimum care. The family must spend time to care for the special needs of their loved one. They should talk, touch, and hold the patient even though he or she may be in a coma. Family members often visit their loved one every day even though the patient is unable to speak or to see. It is very difficult to watch their loved one in a coma knowing that his or her condition will not improve. Due to the fact that euthanasia can reduce the suffering of the families of terminally ill patients, euthanasia should be legalized.
The third and most important reason is that the terminally ill patients have no chance of recovery. They can never lead normal lives and must be kept alive by life – support machines. They may need a machine to breathe and a feeding tube to take in food. They are more dead than alive and will never get better. Imagine being kept alive by machines. By legalizing euthanasia, terminally ill patients would be allowed to die with dignity. They wouldn’t be forced to be kept alive on machines. Consequently, euthanasia must be not considered an illegal act.
In conclusion, because terminally ill patients have no chance to live normal lives, they should be allowed to die with dignity. Therefore, the family should have the right to ask to turn off the life-support machines or to stop further medical treatment. Keeping terminally ill patients alive just because “the law” says so, hides the fact that the patients and families involved suffer emotionally, financially and physically. Allowing euthanasia would spare the families and terminally ill patients from experiencing more suffering from what they already have had to.