Knowledge grown with a splendid almost unimpeded, advance. Day by day we are becoming more knowledgeable about basic concerns such as birth, health, and death. It is a mark of progress to discover new problems and to solve ancient problems. Questions about death and dying are now often asked in public. The possibility of birth control brought a range of new options to men and women. The present changes in death control, such as modern medicine, our enlarged powers of interference in the natural process of dying offer the possibility of new options such as Euthanasia. Today, euthanasia is one of the most controversial issues in society. It has become an emotional, ethical, social, and moral issues. Starting from history, this paper will discuss arguments for and against euthanasia.
History tells us that euthanasia was used for economic and demographic reasons. It was never looked upon as something cruel or violent. In ancient times euthanasia was used to as a birth control. It controlled factors such as environment and society. People ensured that they had a strong and a healthy family. Deformed infants and children were considered a threat to the society and family. Undesirable weak children were simply left out to die. In 1646, Common Wealth of Massachusetts legally accepted the death penalty for unruly children. Until 1973, the practice still went on but public was unaware of it until a group of doctors went public informing people about infanticide, killing infants.
Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle viewed suicide a cowardly way of avoiding hardships and duties of life. However, all 3 great philosophers were against prohibiting suicide in every situation. They allowed suicide if someone was in great pain or in an incurable disease. They believed in great pain a person has a right to choose an earlier death. If a dying person wanted to die, it was permitted for others to end his life. The Romans also shared Greek attitudes.
