I have written about this issue before but the more I think
about the more I am compelled to write and encourage others to speak up about
it
Here is what they say are the reasons for Euthanasia
1. The Unbearable pain as the reason for euthanasia
Probably the major argument in favor of euthanasia is that the person involved
is in great pain. Today, advances are constantly being made in the treatment of
pain and, as they advance, the case for euthanasia/assisted-suicide is
proportionally weakened.
Euthanasia advocates stress the cases of unbearable pain as reasons for euthanasia, but then they soon include a "drugged"
state. I guess that is in case virtually no uncontrolled pain cases can be
found - then they can say those people are drugged into a no-pain state but
they need to be euthanized from such a state because it is not dignified.
You See the opening for the slippery slope? How do you measure "dignity"?
- it will be euthanasia "on demand".
The pro-euthanasia folks have already started down the slope. They are even now not stopping with "unbearable pain" - they are already including this "drugged
state" and other circumstances.
PAIN CAN BE MANAGED
Nearly all pain can be eliminated and - in those rare cases
where it can't be eliminated - it can still be reduced significantly if proper
treatment is provided. It is a national and international scandal that so many
people do not get adequate pain control. But killing is not the answer to that
scandal. The solution is to mandate better education of health care
professionals on these crucial issues, to expand access to health care, and to
inform patients about their rights as consumers. Everyone – be it a person with
a life-threatening illness or a chronic condition has the right to pain
relief Medication.
With modern advances medical technology pain can be controlled, no
patient should ever be in excruciating pain. However, most doctors have never
had a course in pain management so they're unaware of what to do. If a patient
who is under a doctor's care is in excruciating pain, there's definitely a need
to find a different doctor. But that doctor should be one who will control the
pain, not one who will kill the patient.
There are board certified specialists in pain management who will not only help alleviate physical pain but are skilled in providing necessary support to deal with emotional suffering and depression that often accompanies physical pain.
2. Demanding a "right to commit suicide"
Probably the second most common point pro-euthanasia people bring up is this
so-called "right." But why should we be talking about is not giving a
right to the person who is killed, but to the person who does the killing. In
other words, euthanasia is not about the right
to die. It's about the right to kill. Euthanasia is not about giving
rights to the person who dies but, instead, is about changing the law and
public policy so that doctors, relatives and others can directly and
intentionally end another person's life. People do have the power to commit
suicide. Suicide and attempted suicide are criminalized. Suicide is a
tragic, individual act.
Euthanasia is not about a private act. It's about letting one person facilitate the death of another. That is a matter of very public concern since it can lead to tremendous abuse, exploitation and erosion of care for the most vulnerable people among us.
3. Should people be forced to stay alive? Yes/No. And
neither the law nor medical ethics requires that "everything be done"
to keep a person alive. Insistence, against the patient's wishes, that death be
postponed by every means available is contrary to law and practice. It would
also be cruel and inhumane. There comes a time when continued attempts to cure
are not compassionate, wise, or medically sound. “But we are human beings and
we have desires to have a relative with us for a long time”. That is the time
when all efforts should be "PUT" in place to make sure that the patient's remaining time is comfortable. Then, all interventions should be directed to alleviating pain and other symptoms as well as the provision of emotional and spiritual support
for both the patient and the patient's loved ones.
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