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Eric Bang

AP English Literature 12

Mr. Gango

11/6/17

Euthanasia: The Right to Death

Mercy killing. Aid in dying. Death with dignity. All of these terms all are classified as

euthanasia and are often used interchangeably. Euthanasia is the act of a physician assisting in

the death of a patient with an incurable disease. This practice is banned throughout most of the

United States, for a variety of moral and legal rationales. Despite these obstacles, euthanasia is

legal in several states, such as California and Oregon. Euthanasia has several benefits, ranging

from affirming the right to die, to the economic savings related to terminal illnesses. As

euthanasia provides practical benefits to those affected, it should be legalized throughout the

United States.

Euthanasia allows a patient suffering from a terminal illness to end their pain. Cancer, for

example, is a common terminal illness; according to cancer.gov, in 2016 “595,690 people will

die from the disease [cancer]” (Cancer Statistics). Among these statistics, approximately “half of

the people dying from cancer have severe pain” (Eldridge). Euthanasia is used in this situation to

minimize the amount of time a patient has to suffer. It is used as an end of life option when a

terminal illness has reduced a patient’s quality of life past a threshold deemed unacceptable

(FAQs). However, if suffering is what euthanasia wants to relieve, why not use palliative care?

Palliative care, defined as care for a person with serious illnesses, can minimize suffering and

keep the patient alive (WHO). Because of this reason, opponents argue that euthanasia is worse

than palliative care. While palliative care is a viable option for individuals facing death, it is not
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always the solution. A patient referenced in an article remarked on how palliative care did not

work for her, and how she wished to have the option of euthanasia (Awamer). This patient was

in pain throughout the journey and expressed explicit desire for euthanasia; in this situation,

euthanasia could have relieved the patient of their suffering. However, just as palliative care is

not the solution for all terminally ill patients, euthanasia is not for every case. Having the option

of euthanasia available, however, can shorten the suffering of an individual with a terminal

illness.

Euthanasia allows a person to exercise their right to die when faced with impending loss

of function. The right to die “refers to various issues of whether an individual should be allowed

to die” (Legal, Inc). The patient has the right to refuse treatment. If refusing treatment leads to

death, this exercises their right to die; this is classified as passive euthanasia (Passive

Euthanasia). Euthanasia gives a patient an alternative to refusing treatment; consequently, it

gives them the right to die in a dignified manner. Not all patients wish to have intravenous

feeding or respiration machines connected to them. Some of the more cited factors for requesting

euthanasia is “loss of autonomy, loss of dignity, and dependence” (Awamer). Patients can choose

when they wish to die with dignity (euthanized), and the procedure is non-binding; people can

choose to rescind their request at any time (Faqs). By legalizing euthanasia, this give people who

are suffering from terminal illnesses a choice; that upholds their right to die.

However, opponents may argue otherwise, stating that people have a right to life, and

thus, is not something people can waive. Conversely though, euthanasia honors the right to life

by allowing someone to pass on with dignity. A notable case is that of Brittany Maynard, who

chose euthanasia because she did not want to be incapacitated with a deadly form of brain cancer

(Drum). Euthanasia recognized her right to life by allowing her to choose to die with dignity.
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People who choose euthanasia may potentially fill another person’s right to life. In an article by

Math and Chaturvedi, euthanasia “in terminally ill patients provides an opportunity to advocate

for organ donation” (Chaturvedi). A terminally ill patient could donate their organs before

euthanasia, providing other people a chance at life. This upholds the right to life for the parties

involved. Ultimately, euthanasia gives a person their right to death while honoring their right to

life.

Euthanasia can lower costs for the care of the terminally ill. According to an article

published by Anne Scitovsky, “medical costs at the end of life are indeed high”, citing various

studies on the costs of end-of-life care (Scitovsky). These costs could be brought down with

euthanasia. The benefits to individuals and families can be large. According to an article from

the New England Journal of Medicine, while the savings “to the United States and most managed

care plans are likely to be small”, there are the benefits of “savings to specifically terminally ill

patients and their families” (Emanuel). The benefits to the United States as a whole may seem

insufficient to justify such a cost, but there are families who cannot afford to pay for palliative

care. The potential costs of end-of-life care can be devastating to families, especially those

without health insurance, as out-of-pocket expenses are likely to be high. However, it is

important to note the dangers of using cost as a justification. Euthanasia for economic savings is

a dangerous slope; people with life-changing medical issues may be pushed towards euthanasia

instead of being treated (Drum). Given proper regulations and procedures, euthanasia can assist

and bring about a peaceful death, while simultaneously allowing families to not suffer financial

burdens from the death of a family member with a terminal illness.

Euthanasia is a safe procedure; it has protections against abuse. However, opponents

refute that euthanasia is safe. They point to depressed terminally ill patients, who have a higher
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chance of committing suicide, and thus, likely to choose euthanasia (Fine). The process of

requesting euthanasia, however, begins with a screening to check for any cognitive impairment

(Faqs). This prevents people from requesting euthanasia for the sole reason of dying. A patient

must make two oral requests separated by a timeframe of 15 days (Faqs). This, consequently,

also protects the patients from themselves; they are provided opportunity to reconsider, in the

event of a brash decision to euthanize themselves. Physicians are required to discuss with the

patient viable alternatives to euthanasia, and two physicians must affirm that the patient meets

requirements (Oregon). These are some of the various guidelines, and they are very strict; this

prevents people who are attempting to use euthanasia to commit suicide. These unrelenting laws

safeguard euthanasia, ensuring patients are protected during the most important choice of their

lives.

Euthanasia is not a favorable concept. However, it provides an opportunity for patients to

pass away peacefully, eliminating the prolonged battle against an illness with an unfavorable

prognosis. It allows families an opportunity to offer solace to a person incapacitated by terminal

illness. It affirms the right for people to die. In the case of debilitating diseases, such as ALS and

Alzheimer’s, it allows a patient to die with dignity, before they are crippled in function for the

remainder of their life. Euthanasia is not without its faults, but these are notable boons to both

patients and families. These boons are significant enough to outweigh the cons of euthanasia;

thus, euthanasia should be legalized throughout the United States.

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Works Cited

Awamer, Ahmed. "Physician-Assisted Suicide Is Not A Failure Of Palliative Care." National

Center For Biotechnology Information, 2017,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4677933/.

“Cancer Statistics.” National Cancer Institute, 22 March 2017,

www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics.

Chaturvedi, Santosh, and Suresh Math. "Euthanasia: Right To Life Vs Right To Die." Pubmed

Central (PMC), 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612319/.

Accessed 28 November 2017.

Drum, Kevin. "My Right To Die." Mother Jones, 2017,

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/01/assisted-suicide-legalization-california-

kevin-drum/.

Eldridge, Lynne. "Will Dying Be Painful?." Verywell, 2017,

https://www.verywell.com/is-death-painful-managing-end-of-life-pain-2249014.

Accessed 28 November 2017.

Emanuel, Ezekiel, and Margaret Battin. "What Are The Potential Cost Savings From Legalizing

Physician-Assisted Suicide?" New England Journal Of Medicine, 2017,

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199807163390306. Accessed 28 November

2017.

"Faqs - Physician-Hastened Death." Death With Dignity, 2017,

https://www.deathwithdignity.org/faqs/. Accessed 27 November 2017.

Fine, Robert. "Depression, Anxiety And Delirium In The Terminally Ill Patient." National Center

For Biotechnology Information, 2017,

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1291326/. Accessed 28 November 2017.

"Right To Die – An Uslegal Topic Area." Righttodie.Uslegal.Com, 2017,

https://righttodie.uslegal.com/. Accessed 28 November 2017.

"Oregon Health Authority : Oregon Revised Statute : Death With Dignity Act : State Of

Oregon." Oregon.Gov, 2017,

http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PROVIDERPARTNERRESOURCES/EVALUATIONR

ESEARCH/DEATHWITHDIGNITYACT/Pages/ors.aspx. Accessed 28 November 2017.

"Palliative Care Vs. Euthanasia - CAPCMSSM." Capcmssm.Org, 2017,

http://www.capcmssm.org/Palliative-Care-vs-Euthanasia.html. Accessed 28 November

2017.

"Passive Euthanasia." Thefreedictionary.Com, 2017,

https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/passive+euthanasia. Accessed 28

November 2017.

Scitovsky, Anne. "“The High Cost Of Dying”: What Do The Data Show?." National Center For

Biotechnology Information, 2017,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690284/. Accessed 28 November 2017.

"WHO | WHO Definition Of Palliative Care." Who.Int, 2017,

http://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/. Accessed 28 November 2017.