"If I could choose between a death of torture and one that is simple and easy, why should I not have the right to select the latter?" These are the lines of famous Euthanasia critic, Seneca.
If you had to choose between a death of torture and one of peace and ease, wouldn't you rather select the more pleasant death? Shouldn't you be entitled to picking your own death? Shouldn't you be in control of yourself? Isn't that what living in a democratic society is all about?.
Today I want to talk to you about Physician Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia and why it should be made legal.
The word Euthanasia literally means a good death or one of dignity. So Physician Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia is when a competent, informed person asks a physician's assistance in ending their life and is not coerced into doing so. It should not be confused with suicide, where the mental pain can be eradicated through counselling etc. From now on, I"ll refer to Physician Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia as Euthanasia for ease.
There are three main factors that are concerned with euthanasia, and these will be my three main arguments. They are; Individual rights, medical ethics and religious ethics. I will persuade you as to why euthanasia should be made legal and why we should ignore these ethics.
I"d like to start on Individual rights, but before that, let's discuss fate. Fate is when an individual has no control over unforeseen happenings where it is possible, that is future is already decided for you. I don't know if this is true or not, but I know I don't want it that way. I don't like the idea of someone else being in control of my life, deciding what's best for me and what's not. Shouldn't we have that power? Shouldn't we be in charge of ourselves, take our destinies into our own hands?.
We should be trusted with making decisions about our own lives. We didn't choose to be born, but it should be our privilege in a democratic society to decide how we enjoy it and have the right to end it peacefully under physically painful circumstances where even doctors fail.