It Must Stop Now

            We must stop the spread of euthanasia and get rid of it where it is legal. My personal belief is that if someone wants to end their life they must do it themselves. If another person acts to end someone else’s life then it is an act of murder. Another act of murder is someone assisting or telling another exactly how to kill them. If people cannot act to kill themselves, then maybe they really are not ready to die. I think the idea of killing yourself is cowardly and it would be worse to include someone else in such an act.

            If the voters in the United States turn down any form of euthanasia laws, then this can set a tone for the rest of the world. Other countries view the United States as a leader and we should take the lead against euthanasia. When other countries see what we are doing to stop euthanasia they may realize that what they are doing is wrong. I hope that euthanasia will gradually become illegal in countries like the Netherlands. If euthanasia laws do not exist, then they can never get out of hand and go down a dark path like the one in Germany. Our society may not be perfect but we should be able to live without fear of losing our life because someone else thinks it is our time to die. Lives lost from euthanasia, genocide or murder is wrong. If euthanasia does not stop now, then we may be looking at a dark future. Our goal should be stopping all forms of euthanasia including the elimination of where euthanasia laws currently exist.

We Must Not Repeat History

Euthanasia can seem like one of the most logical things to do if you are given the right situation. However, in the hands of some individuals euthanasia could go down a road that leads to terror and mass murder if it uncontrolled. With the way the world is going right now it would be smart not to put your life in the hands of medical personnel who may think you are a burden because you cost too much money. They may kill you just to free up more money for those people that they think need it more. We don’t want to fall onto the path of genocide like Germany. The Nazis stressed that there comes a point where there is such a thing as a life not worthy to be lived. At first the Nazis only killed the sick and disabled. Eventually the Nazis went a little crazy and ended any life they considered imperfect. The ancient Greeks often killed infants and ill people because they thought their lives were not worth living. Who is the person that determines whether a life us not worth to continue on? The slippery slope debate will always fight euthanasia and protect us from unwanted death. (Singer.)

Since assisted suicide became legal in some parts of the United States, it is our duty as citizens of the greatest country in the world, to stop euthanasia. We need to not only stop the spread of euthanasia but get rid of it where it is legal. We must learn from history and not repeat it. Euthanasia can quickly turn into something dark and unwanted. (Euthanasia)

We Must Learn From Our Mistakes

Euthanasia is a rejection of the importance and value of a human life. Some people see euthanasia as an act of self defense. Those people who think that support euthanasia most of the time. When you kill for self defense you are saving an innocent life, either their own life or someone else’s. In this situation no one’s life is being saved but only lives are lost. (Euthanasia)

The human race looks back on history to avoid making the same mistakes twice. Slavery was one of the most cruel and brutal things ever to be done. There is no difference from slavery to euthanasia in how wrong it is. This is why for thousands of years almost all societies, even non-religious ones made euthanasia a crime. What makes people think they are smarter than the millions of people before who outlawed such a thing? 
 When you talk about euthanasia there are two specific groups. Active euthanasia is when you take specific steps to cause a person’s death. Also, there is passive euthanasia which is the withdrawing of medical treatment, deliberately causing death. The main difference is that active means something is being done to end the person’s life, and passive is when something is not done to help the person who is being killed. Active euthanasia is usually caused by lethal injection to kill. Passive euthanasia is mostly from withdrawing medicine and other forms of treatment meant to keep someone alive. The problem with this type of euthanasia is that the death is almost always directly caused by a physician. This puts medical care personnel in a lot of jeopardy. A simple euthanasia procedure soon becomes homicide (Singer).

Pros and Cons

                Euthanasia has many pros and cons. Arguments for euthanasia usually include that it is a way to relieve extreme pain. Also, this frees up medical funds to help other people and provides relief when a person’s quality of life is low. Arguments against euthanasia are that it devalues human life and can also become a means of health care cost containment. Another argument against euthanasia is physicians and other medical care personnel should not be involved in directly causing death. (Euthanasia)

The slippery slope debate also provides much controversy because some people do not believe that if a law of voluntary euthanasia is passed then involuntary and non-voluntary euthanasia will not follow. This is where the problem lies because many think that such a law will lead to involuntary and non-voluntary euthanasia. Most people have been voting against euthanasia laws but now that it has come to the United States it is likely to spread. Sometimes there are cases that are clearly do not fall into any category. For example, an elderly person in a nursing home who can barely understand how to read is asked to sign a form consenting to be killed. Once the elderly person signs away their life the law cannot protect them as well, and the person will likely be killed even if it is not wanted (Singer).

There are also people like Jack Kevorkian and Philip Nitschke who help others commit suicide. These men helped hundreds of people each year for only about 200 dollars. Some euthanasia laws allow this kind of merciless killing because sometimes the people they killed are trying to get help, but they kill them anyway “for their best interest.” Then there are the religious viewpoints of several Buddhist. What they do goes against their religion which violates freedom of choice and freedom of religion (Wikipedia).

Can We Stop It?

Euthanasia is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. If the death is not intended than it is not an act of euthanasia. Euthanasia is also known as mercy killing. Euthanasia is starting to be more popular around the world. There have already been euthanasia laws passed in Oregon, Washington, and some countries in Europe such as the Netherlands. In the Netherlands all types of euthanasia are permitted including non-voluntary euthanasia. Non-voluntary euthanasia is when the person who is killed made no consent.
Ever since about 400 B.C. people have been against euthanasia. The Greek physician Hippocrates, or as some called him the "Father of Medicine" said a quote which would soon been know as the Hippocratic Oath. Hippocrates said "I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel..." (Hippocrates). Adolf Hitler also had a Euthanasia program. He killed several thousand people without consent. People with disabilities and those who were terminally ill were euthanized by Hitler. Other countries that have euthanasia laws include Belgium, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Albania, Switzerland, and lastly Thailand (Euthanasia).

Another type of euthanasia is involuntary euthanasia.  Involuntary euthanasia is when the person who is killed made an expressed wish to the contrary. It is when the person being killed was thinking about using euthanasia but was not sure, and that person was killed because it met the minimal standards to legally kill someone. This becomes a very slippery slope debate. When laws permit voluntary euthanasia (when the person who is killed has requested it) this may lead to non-voluntary or involuntary euthanasia (Singer).