Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, is a complex matter that requires thorough consideration by professionals in medicine and sociology. There is a wide array of subjects to consider when deciding whether or not euthanasia should be legalized. The example of a plethora of countries (Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and the US) shows that the inclusion of assisted suicide is not detrimental to the broad society. However, the debate on ethical issues that surround this topic continues on, making it crucial for further investigation and discussion. I my opinion, euthanasia should be legal since it provides a relief of pain.
The arguments pro euthanasia often takes into consideration the state of the patient and their loved ones. It is unjust to allow prolonged suffering if it is known that medical treatment would not be efficient in their case. Seeing the patient suffer damages the patient’s relatives’ and friends’ mental state (Schuurmans et al., 2021). In addition, being unable to help a patient causes various levels of distress among nurses, whose primary goal is to provide support and relieve pain (Pesut et al., 2020). These factors have led to the legalization of euthanasia in many countries.
On the contrary side, there is the question of who could be eligible for the procedure. Various countries have different thresholds, which creates a sense of disbalance and unfairness to the nature of the matter. This damages the patient’s ability to look forward to a cure or find hope. In addition, there could be a disbalance within the borders of a country or a state, such as the example of psychiatric patients that need to undergo a more careful examination (Calati et al., 2021). Such aspects contribute to the population’s uncertainty regarding this issue.
In conclusion, it is difficult to make a concrete decision about whether euthanasia or assisted suicide should be universally accepted. The differences in the procedure across the world create a sense of inequality and uncertainty among patients, muddying their perception of the procedure. On the other hand, access to euthanasia provides relief to the patients, their loved ones, and medical professionals that need to stay focused and in good spirits.
References
Calati, R., Olie, E., Dassa, D., Gramaglia, C., Guillaume, S., Madeddu, F., & Courtet, P. (2021). Euthanasia and assisted suicide in psychiatric patients: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 135, 153–173.
Pesut, B., Greig, M., Thorne, S., Storch, J., Burgess, M., Tishelman, C., & Janke, R. (2020). Nursing and euthanasia: A narrative review of the nursing ethics literature. Nursing Ethics, 27(1), 152–167.
Schuurmans, J., Crol, C., Rikkert, M. O., & Engels, Y. (2021). Dutch GPs’ experience of burden by euthanasia requests from people with dementia: A quantitative survey. BJGP open, 5(1).