IS EUTHANASIA MORAL? Euthanasia, or mercy killing, is a highly controversial topic today. Whether or not it is moral is a question that most likely will never be truly answered, because everyone has his or her own opinions and views. In my opinion and through my family's encounters, I believe euthanasia is very moral and sometimes the most humane choice left.
I have had the unfortunate experience of seeing a family member deal with this choice for about two months. This has given me very detailed views, all of which lead to one conclusion "ÃÂ If a person is in the right state of mind to make the decision to "pull the plug"ÃÂ, their wishes need to be respected and carried out. Who are we to choose for them between life and death? Then again, if they are not in the right state of mind to choose or cannot speak for themselves for some reason, a decision must be made for them.
Death version cover
English: Photo of baby with hydrocephalus (spina b...
Life or Death (C-Murder album)Therefore, we need to look at it from their angle. We cannot simply pass it off as "well I don't want them to die so I will drag it out and let nature run its course"ÃÂ. This would be a communitarian way of viewing it. We need to put ourselves in their place. If our quality of life is such that it is either no different or worse than death, then death is a very good choice.
In the case of Karen Ann Quinlan, death was obviously the only choice. She was in a total vegetative state, which is the worst state of living to ever exist in. You live in a world of a functioning mind and a dead body. You are a slab of meat that can think but cant move. Sometimes you aren't even that lucky. Some people are in such a state that the only part of them that is alive is the part of the brain controlling the basic functions of life. Either way, nothing else can be done with your life (if it can be considered a life) other than sitting/laying there just existing. It is an utter torture, and is no way to live. We have to ask ourselves, what would be worse: total paralysis and only possibly being able to think, or death. At least in death, there is the possibility of an afterlife.
Many people choose to be against euthanasia because they see death as something horrible, gruesome, and wrong. Most of the time, people who see death like this are scared of it themselves. To go even deeper, this stems back into our primitive fear of the unknown. You could say as a play on words that one cannot experience death and live to tell about it. Therefore, the only thing we know about death is why it happens, and not what its like to experience it. We are so afraid of what it might be like that some people don't even consider it as an alternative to any kind of life. What they need to realize is that death will eventually hit us all, and sometimes it is a blessing.
In conclusion, someone who can make the conscious decision to be killed should have their wishes respected. If they cannot make such a choice in a right state of mind, then we need to decide whether or not death would be a better alternitive to the life they would live.
Death: The Time of Your Life
Death for Life
Karen Ann Quinlan