Paper Topic:

Should euthenasia be legal?

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Controversy regarding euthanasia is not only over it appropriateness or inappropriateness , it extends to its proper definition and its conceptualization . There are those who see it as a form of murder while others see it as the practice of inducing death to help those faced by terminal illnesses . David Cundif (1992 ,

.1 ) defines it as killing a terminally ill person as a way to end that person 's pain and suffering ' John Keown (1995 ,

.1 ) also defines it as the intentional

killing of a patient by an act or omission , as part of his or her medical care ' To the conservatives , euthanasia is a euphemism for murder while to the liberals euthanasia is a form of mercy killing and an exercise of individual rights to self determination

The debate over whether euthanasia should be legalized by the different states has reigned in the public court for long with the protagonist being locked in an ending war of words . While the history of euthanasia dates back to the medieval times , the modern controversy dates back to the 19th century , raising heated debates across Europe with activists advocating for it legal prohibition . Legalization calls started intensifying in the 20th century starting with the state of Ohio . This would see the formation of euthanasia societies and organizations seeking to press for its legalization . The question of its legalization has remained sensitive in the eyes of the public and also to the policy makers who are caught in a dilemma doing a delicate balance between conservatives and liberalists . The position of this is that euthanasia should not be legalized as it is unethical and violates the sanctity of life

One of the reasons why euthanasia should not be legalized is because it is immoral and leads to the violation of the sanctity of life . An analysis of the views from the major religious groups is that life is a precious gift from God whose sanctity should be maintained . Human beings possess no authority over life , only God is qualified enough to decide who should live and who should die . Human beings should not make the decision regarding the importance of ones life over the other . To Christians , euthanasia is tantamount to murder and is the destruction of a very important gift to the mankind , a gift that should be respected Though the separation of the state and religion is a key ingredient to any modern progressive state , it is important to state that laws are supposed to be reflection of the society 's culture , beliefs and values The centrality of religion in influencing these values is recognized and hence its influence on the made laws . To majority of the religious groups , euthanasia is not permissible as it is contrary to the teachings in the holy books . Laws hence should be able to reflect such views (Scott B . Rae , 2000 ,

. 64

Another strong argument in favor of the prohibition of euthanasia emanates from its violation of...

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