Most are familiar with the concept of 'putting an animal out of its misery' when it gets hurt, but what happens when a human life is struck with such tragic misfortune that the only way to find relief is putting that person out of his or her misery? Euthanasia has sparked quite the controversy, involving a broad scope of people affected such as patients, physicians, health care practitioners, lawyers, ethicists, and the general public. How does society learn to accept death as a viable option for patients in extreme pain? How does an institution of health justify a gentle procedure inducing death when being accused of murder? In this paper, the concepts of the right to die, death with dignity, and euthanasia vs. assisted suicide will be explored and dissected to show the dignity euthanasia can provide patients and the ethical justification of it.
The core of euthanasia that scares society is death. Death is an inevitable fate that waits for all life at the end of its road. Mankind reveres and respects life; precious and frail, not to be played with. So when a person reaches a place in life where his or her health has prematurely dwindled, their body is weak in pain, and they know death is inevitably waiting at door, how does an ethical physician respond when all options to heal have been exhausted? Brittany Maynard was a 29 year old female who was diagnosed with stage 4 Glioblastoma multiform, a malignant brain tumor that could not be operated and inevitably would have resulted in a pain, gruesome, tragic death for her. She was interviewed by People magazine, which was following her story, and this is what she had to say: "I've discussed with many experts how I would die from it, and it's a terrible, terrible way to die. Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying. Right now it's a choice that's only available to some Americans, which is really unethical.
