Physician Assisted Suicide - Free Essay Example

Of all the controversial things in the world today, some are just completely absurd. There’s one that seems the most controversial though. It’s not gay marriage, nor is it the war on terror. It’s euthanasia, also known as physician-assisted suicide. There are many parts of Euthanasia that are debated over, such as the role of the physician as the patient approaches death, social groups at risk of abuse if euthanasia is legalized, and if euthanasia was legalized, would it be considered a form of legalized murder. By the time people finish reading this report, they will hopefully learn why euthanasia should not be legal, and what could happen if it was legalized. One question that should be considered when people wonder if euthanasia should be legalized is, â€Å"Would this be considered a legalized form of murder? † To put it simply, it could, and probably would, be considered legalized murder. If legalized, people could kill someone and get away with it just by forging a suicide note and saying that the victim asked to be killed. In places where euthanasia is legal, many people die from a form of euthanasia known as â€Å"involuntary euthanasia†. Nat Hentoff reported that in the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal, over a thousand people die each year from involuntary euthanasia, and that â€Å"Their physicians were so consumed with compassion that they decided not to disturb their patients by asking their opinion on the matter† (Euthanasia 1. ) Some believe euthanization would help the economy because instead of having to spend money trying to treat a patient, the patient could be euthanized. Many also believe that physician-assisted suicide would save money for insurance companies. Because of this, there is a fear that insurance companies would begin to encourage euthanization if such a thing was legalized. In a hypothetical situation in which economic conditions are similar to what they have been for the past few years, and in which euthanization is legal, more than hundreds of patients could be killed daily just to save insurance companies money. That money could be used in giving the same patients treatments that could save their lives. Many believe that physicians have the role of â€Å"healers† in society. If this is true, then physicians should be preventing suicide, and not assisting a patient with a suicide attempt. Assisting in the suicide of a patient is almost like giving up on the patient completely. Physicians shouldn’t give up on their patients, and instead should try anything within their power to help that person live life as long as nature allows. If euthanasia was legalized, the image of a physician in society would transform from a person that helps and heals people to a cold, heartless murderer. If this was to happen, people would be terrified of physicians, and patients with curable viruses would not get the treatment they need, and these viru ses could possibly become pandemics if not controlled. In conclusion, not only is euthanasia unethical, it is a threat to all of society. It corrupts the very image of those who do everything in their power to prevent death. It â€Å"would replace the equality-of-human-life ethic with a utilitarian and nihilistic death culture that views the intentional ending of certain human lives as an appropriate and necessary answer to lifes most difficult challenges† (Euthanasia 1. ) It would deny the patients good medical treatments and instead put them down like animals. Euthanasia cannot and must not be legalized in any part of the United States what-so-ever because it could become the very thing that causes a society that tries so hard to prevent death to fall into chaos and disorder.