Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 7

Euthanasia - Essay Example Voluntary euthanasia occurs when the patient requests to be killed while non-voluntary euthanasia occurs when the killed patient did not consent to the killing. Assisted suicide can also be classified as euthanasia when an individual provides information and guides the patient in committing suicide. Euthanasia by action occurs when individual actions like providing lethal injection leads to the patient’s death while Euthanasia by omission occurs when the care giver withholds important care such as provision of food, water and medication thus leading to the death of the patient (Tulloch, 1999 p 34). However, for an act or omission to qualify as euthanasia, the said act or omission should be intended to cause death to the terminally ill patient. The issue of euthanasia has attracted intensive debate with proponents asserting that euthanasia should be legalized since it eliminates patient’s sufferings. The opponents of euthanasia assert that euthanasia is a rejection of the value of human life (Tulloch, 1999 p 35). Proponents of euthanasia assert that allowing people to die with dignity and avoiding the terminal illness is good in eliminating human suffering. The Beneficence argument for euthanasia claims that terminally ill patients should be prevented from dying painfully and slowly by allowing euthanasia (Buse, 2008 p 7). Continued extraordinary care will stress the immediate loved ones since it just prolongs the death of the terminally ill patient. They assert that many terminally illness patients should have the right to choose when to die and avoid the terminal suffering. According to the argument of mercy, allowing the terminally ill patients to continue suffering is inhumane and cruel. The life of terminally ill patients should be ended through lethal injection in order to avoid suffering and pain associated with the extraordinary medication (Buse, 2008 p 8). Proponents also assert