Euthanasia Is a Difficult Topic for Many Essay

Euthanasia is a difficult topic for many people, and opinions about it are often very strong. These opinions generally fall into two distinct categories: those who think everyone should have the right to choose, and those who think the practice should be completely illegal. There are several reasons why people have these deep-seated views regarding the issue, and it is important to address those in order to facilitate a better understanding of ideas and opinions on both sides. It is also important to be aware that some of the opinions regarding euthanasia are misguided in that they are formed without having enough knowledge about the issue. When people are not sure of the entirety of the issue, they can end up believing something negative (or positive) about an issue. Their views might be very different if they had all the information they needed to make a truly informed decision.

Those who believe euthanasia should not be allowed often cite religious reasons (Rachels, 1986). In other words, they see euthanasia as suicide, and they believe that suicide is a sin for which the person will not be forgiven.If that person is to make it into heaven, he or she must ask for forgiveness after committing a sin, which cannot be done with suicide. There is no "after" in which forgiveness can be asked. This is not the only reason people are against euthanasia, however, another reason many people do not feel it is the right thing to do is because they believe it opens the door to allowing doctors to make a euthanasia decision for patients who are not longer "valuable" from a societal standpoint (Harris, 2001). This could include the handicapped, the very sick, and the elderly. If these people are not able to be productive members of society in a financial sense, there are fears that they will be euthanized because of this (Torr, 2000). While this is unlikely to be the case, the fears are serious and important to many people.

For people who think euthanasia is something that should be legal, there are equally persuasive arguments. The most prevalent of those is the belief that a human life belongs to that human, and….....