QotD: Euthanasia
Posted May 2nd, 2004 @ 10:41am by Erik J. Barzeski
Question: Should euthanasia be legal?
My Answer: As I watched men beat themselves senseless in an "ultimate fighting" tournament last night, I reaffirmed my belief that euthanasia should be legal. If it's legal to sign a waiver and let yourself get beaten, then it should be legal to end a suffering that will simply end eventually anyway.
Of course, that isn't really a reason - just the thought that stuck in my head. There are any number of reasons to legalize euthanasia. I don't advocate the Jack Kevorkian types - I've heard that in Sweden or somewhere, your case is heard by a five-person board that tries to protect people from, among other things, relatives looking to cash in earlier on an inheritance than later. Such measures would be important. Knowing this country, however, we'd go overboard with the red tape.
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Posted 02 May 2004 at 12:01pm #
I find it interesting that when my dog was diagnosed with a fatal cancer, allowing him to go with some dignity before he was overcome with suffering was one of the things we discussed. But if I got the same cancer, I would be required to suffer through that massively painful time, until the cancer inevitably killed me.
Posted 02 May 2004 at 4:15pm #
I believe the country where euthanasia is if not legal, at least accepted, is the Netherlands. The way it works, is that a doctor files an application with some kind of board. If they allow the doctor to end a patient's life, he will not be punished for the crime.
I do hope that Sweden will be the next place to grant people the decision of when to end their own life...
Posted 02 May 2004 at 10:43pm #
I don't know if you can go overboard when we're talking about a person dying who might want to live.