Euthanasia is the act of killing or giving death to people or pets that are extremely sick and show no signs of recovery, or reviving. Euthanasia is administered out of mercy. Euthanasia remains a highly debated and contentious topic. It has been frequently debated regarding the rights of the incurably ill people to kill themselves and end their pain and suffering by a fast and painless death. There are different methods of administering Euthanasia which are assisted suicide, voluntary euthanasia, or non-voluntary euthanasia. Assisted suicide is the method of purposely helping or encouraging another to kill himself (Griffiths, 1995). Voluntary euthanasia is the act wherein the patient himself permits another to perform euthanasia on themselves, ending the pain/suffering they are going through. Involuntary euthanasia is when euthanasia is performed on a person without his approval. ("Euthanasia suicide mercy-killing right-to-die physician-assisted suicide living wills research", 2017)
The causes of euthanasia can be said to be prolonged illness and the wish of the patient to end his life, putting an end to his suffering and pain as well. No one likes to go through prolonged illness, with no hopes of revival. They should not be made to suffer long-term terminal pain and suffering, against their will. The unbearable pain of patients or family members has always been cited as the cause of euthanasia. Relieving one's pain and suffering are the major points for justifying euthanasia.
Another cause for euthanasia can be said to be suicidal thoughts. People might feel hopeless, and think that no one cares for them or love them. They might even start doubting God for the same. All these thoughts make one decide to end their life by administering killing drugs. However, suicide is a very tragic and private affair. However, letting someone else kill you can have repercussions of exploitation, abuse as well loss of care for people who need support the most.
The euthanasia effect could be far-fetched and very deep. Euthanasia could lead to people having less tolerance for patients suffering from incurable diseases. It is one "slippery slope" from euthanasia to murder and would work against the poor and disabled and, on the other hand, induce insurance companies to terminate lives with the motive of saving money (Benatar, 2011). However, as always there is also a positive side to this cause. This would also mean that the patient is relieved of their pain and suffering. The family members of the patient are also free from seeing their relatives endure the unbearable pain endlessly. They get their share of peace of mind as well. Hence, to some extent, the miseries of the society are taken care of.
Another effect of euthanasia is that it makes suicide and murder acceptable. It can also lead to people fulfilling their hidden agendas under the cover of assisting someone else with euthanasia. People will also get an easy escape from suicide. People get more easy access to ending their life. However, these factors leave the family members of the person opting for euthanasia, miserable and suffering from their loss. They lose hope and are scared for life with the memories of the loved ones they lost.
To conclude, there can be many reasons and causes of euthanasia. However, the major ones are the unbearable pain and suffering of someone with incurable disease. Further, suicides and the hopelessness one feels over their existence can also be termed as the reason why someone opts for euthanasia. The impact of euthanasia is equally grave and far-fetched. The medical world can become used to killing patients who are terminally ill and have no scope for recovery. Suicide can also become a common thing in society, and people might also resort to it to fulfill their vindictiveness to others.
References
· Benatar, D. (2011). A legal right to die: responding to slippery slope and abuse arguments. Current Oncology, 18(5).
· Euthanasia suicide mercy-killing right-to-die physician assisted suicide living wills research. (2017).
· Griffiths, J. (1995). Assisted Suicide in the Netherlands: The Chabot Case. The Modern Law Review, 58(2), 232-248.
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