There are many problems with today’s society. However, one of the greatest rising problems is Euthanasia. Euthanasia, also called ‘mercy killing’, or ‘assisted suicide’, is now supported by 57% of doctors, according to a 2016 Medicare Survey.
They argue that people have a right to die how and when they desire. They say that death is a private matter and that if there is no harm to others, the state and other people have no right to interfere. But are these good enough arguments to validate murder, even if the people who are killed want to end their lives? No, they are not. People who seek to commit suicide should be given guidance and counseling – not the ability to end their lives. Giving people who believe there is nothing else to live for a quick and easy way to end their lives is not the answer.
Not only does Euthanasia give suicidal people a way to end their lives, but it also encourages them to do so. In an article by David Benatar, titled ‘A legal right to die,’ it states that, “To suggest that people who manifest such depression should rather be provided with psychiatric help is to pathologize an entirely reasonable response to an appalling situation.” What he is saying then, is that committing suicide is a good thing. If someone believes their lives are no longer worth living, we should do our best to help them, but not at all in the way Benatar is suggesting. Of course, if we are all just lumps of matter, then there is nothing wrong with what he says. If we are all just going to die eventually, and we believe that our lives are worse than death, then it is perfectly reasonable to simply end our suffering. There is one major problem with this, though. We aren’t just lumps of matter. We have emotions, and we have the ability to make rational decisions. We are made in the image of God, and each and every one of us has worth. If Euthanasia becomes legal worldwide, all it will do is increase suicide rates, when we should be doing all that we can to decrease them.
If someone is depressed and feels that no one loves them or cares about them, they should be comforted and shown that people do care about them. However, Euthanasia does the exact opposite. It encourages people who don’t ‘contribute to society’ to end their lives. But the reality is it’s not up to us to decide whether or not someone should live or die. Every human life has value. And we have no right to take that value away.
Written by Marie Birkmann – Fortis Academy – 9th Grade