Evaluation of the article Euthanasia: Right to life vs. Right to die

Evaluation of the article Euthanasia: Right to life vs. Right to die

The article was written by Suresh Bada Math and Santosh K. Chaturvedi and

was published in 2012 in the Indian Journal of Medical Research. It reflects upon how the

practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering has become a

highly controversial issue in the contemporary health care. The article lists both the pros

and cons of euthanasia.

One of the argument against euthanasia focuses on the constitution of India,

according to which "Right to life" is considered as a natural right, which means that

suicide is an unnatural termination of human life. The main weak point of this argument is

the usage of word "suicide". Euthanasia can not be entirely interpreted as such, since it is

about terminally ill people whose life is more of suffering than real life and this practise

can help them to end their pain. This statement can be true for real suicide, that is true,

but in this sense, the case of euthanasia makes some kind of a difference.

An other argument against euthanasia is related to the possible presence of a mental

illness, suggesting that terminally ill people often suffer from depression or other mental

disorders which may be a highly determinative factor in their decision to opt for

euthanasia. As a consequence, the assessment of the mental contition of the individuals

who chose euthanasia should be necessary. This is a highly convincing argument, mental

illnesses can play an essential part in the individual's intention to choose euthanasia, this

is why it is important to make sure that the individual seeking for euthanasia does not

suffer from mental problems.

An argument for euthanasia is connected to the idea that people having incurable,

disabling or debiliating illnesses should be allowed to die in dignity. On one hand, it is an

understandable point considering the fact that due to the suffering, their life is not

complete, on the other hand, it is still a life, for which everyone should be grateful for,

regardless of the health condition. Even terminally ill people should live in dignity rather

than die in dignity, not to mention the feelings of relatives after losing their family member

who chose to die, basicallly. This kind of experience can be hard to get over.

An other argument for euthanasia is related to organ transplantation, suggesting that

euthanasia provides a chance to support organ donation. This is a strong argument

reflecting on the fact that it could provide help for those people who are waiting for organ

transplantation. It would be an a great opportunity for saving the life of people with organ

problems. Generally, the waiting lists for any organ transplant are reasonably long, and

euthanasia could be an effective way of accelerating the transplantation process.

In conclusion, the article lists several arguments, taking into consideration

different perspectives. Some of them are quite convincing, but some of them are not not

too strong, which can be put down to the fact that it is hard to decide whether euthanasia

is right or wrong, since it depends on a lot of aspects given by different situations of the

people seeking for euthanasia. There are quite a lot of issues to consider in order to form

an opinion either for or against it.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612319/