I have no hope for the future, no hope for survival, no hope for happiness. I wish to die and I am incapable due to my disability to end my own life. I am in indescribable paid and torment all day long and my only wish is to end this misery. Should I have the option of euthanasia existent to me?.
Put under such broad and pitiful circumstances, most Americans would say yes to the previous question. Indeed, statistics continually show, dating back to 1978, the two thirds of Americans support euthanasia when asked a question that has been phrased similarly to the one I have given here. This misleading statistic shows only half the story. When the statistics are further scrutinized we find that in fact America is split into thirds on the issue, as shown in an article that appeared in Atlantic Monthly by Ezekiel Emanuel. This showed that when the statistics are further examined, a third of America support euthanasia under numerous circumstances, a third oppose it under any circumstance, and a third approve of it in few cases but oppose it in most. This can be further explained by this quote, appearing in the same article:.
Other, more carefully designed questions can elicit majority support for physician assisted suicide and euthanasia, but only when patients are described as terminally ill AND experiencing unremitting physical pain. Support dwindles when the public is asked about physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in virtually any other situation. Two thirds of Americans oppose physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia when a terminally ill patient has no pain but wants to die because of concern about being a burden to his or her family, or because he or she finds a drawn-out dying process meaningless. The most accurate characterization of the survey data is that a significant majority of Americans oppose physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia EXCEPT in the limited case of a terminally ill patient with uncontrollable pain.
