Euthanasia: Freedom to Die with Dignity
Charletta R. Anderson
Strayer University
ENG 215
Dr. Aaron Miller
December 12, 2011

Euthanasia: Freedom to Die with Dignity
The word “Euthanasia” comes from a Greek phrase meaning “good death”. However, in today’s society it means killing a terminally ill person as a way to end that person’s pain and suffering (Cundiff, 1992 ). In the year 2007, my grandfather the Honorable Leon Davis was dying. This American war hero had made a request to die with dignity. He was dealing with a failed kidney, pneumonia, dementia, hypertension, MRSA foot infection, a broken hip, and terrible living conditions at a nursing home. All these problems left him weak and physically dependent on others. For terminally ill patients like my grandfather, where death was inevitable and would have been less painful than living, euthanasia should be a consideration or an option. Euthanasia is a way of relieving terminally or severely ill people's pain and save them from the agony of their illness. People claim that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that promise such rights as marriage, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment. This essay will discuss why or why not ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and merciful death by the means of Euthanasia.
Legalizing Euthanasia

In the 1970s , a movement that had tried to legalize some form of euthanasia, and it has been referred to as the “Right to Die” Movement (Yount, 2000, p. 12 ). They believe that competent adults with less those six months to live should be legally permitted not only to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment, but also to receive a physician’s help in ending their lives if they request it. They also believe that people with incurable degenerative or disabling conditions should also be allowed to ask for aid in dying, even if their illness is not terminal (Yount, 2000, p. 3 ). My grandfather like other severely ill people declared that he wanted to die because his pain was so severe. He often made the statement, “Whose life is it, anyway? Let me have the freedom to die with dignity” Euthanasia practices are considered another way of saying, "Right to Die”. Several associations lobbied for the right to end one's life in a dignified manner. I have been in this circumstance three times with family members who were in so much pain from deteriorating medical issues. For this reason, a person should have the right to take his or her own life, when they had incurable illnesses and in severe pain. My aunt and I had the legal responsibility of making the decision or respecting my grandfather’s desires in his last days, to die with dignity. My grandfather stated repeatedly, that he no longer wanted to live, because the pain was unbearable. Who knows one’s pain better than the person who is enduring it? However, if the person in pain makes the decision not to live anymore, refuses any medical treatment and requests a higher dosage of painkillers, then he or she has stated their option.

Emmanuel (1999) argues that legalizing Euthanasia is the solution to the problem of the families, government and insurance companies. That is also my reason to supporting euthanasia because it alleviates the costs of unnecessary medical bills that are piling up for the care of a terminally ill person. However, euthanasia is a good alternative, it offers relief of extreme pain, provides a change in the quality of life, and the freeing up of medical bills. The results of euthanasia, helps the patient, patient’s family and the economy.
Reason Not to Legalize Euthanasia
According to Tang (2008), there are committees that argue that wider social considerations make Euthanasia practice undesirable. There are those who see euthanasia as a sin and a choice that nobody should make regarding an unethical decision about death.
With today’s world of medicine, there are drugs to help relieve the pain so that one does not have to make a decision, whether to live, die or to save ones dignity. However, people are still unable to deal with these terminal illnesses with severe pain, along with the raising costs of medical care, poor insurance policies or none at all. Hospice should be focus on health care reform for knowledge and the skills to properly treat pain of terminal diseases; this will remove the reason for unethical decision about death (Cundiff, 1992). There is a lot of pressure on the family and the loved ones that are enduring all of the agony, pain and concerns dealing with the decision. Dr. Cundiff believes that patients can in fact live out their days in relative comfort, with love and support from family, friends and health care workers.
Religious conservatives are one the main groups opposing this act of euthanasia. Kirkland (2010) argues that religious conservatives believe that families and high cost medical bills are pressuring the government into allowing doctors and patients to determine when life should end. Other countries like Netherlands has a decline with the use of euthanasia, because of a substitute procedure, Continuous Deep Sedation (CDS), they are using at a fast growing pace (Brimelow, 2009).
Conclusion
After analyzing the reasoning for love ones right to die with dignity, the hypothesis can be accepted that Euthanasia should be legalized and openly practiced by our Government and medical insurance companies as an options. Hopefully, in the near future, Euthanasia is a choice that patients should be allowed to consider and one that the family should respect, regarding them. This also gives the patient an option to stop long-suffering, and the “Freedom to Die with Dignity.”

References
Brimelow, A. (2009). The alternative to Euthanasia? Retrieved October 17, 2011, from BBC News health http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8184108.stm
Cundiff, D. (1992). “Euthanasia is not the answer .” New Jersey Humana Emanuel, E. (1999). "What is the Great Benefit of legalizing Euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide ?" Ethics, Vol. 109, No. 3, The University of Chicago Press
Kirkland, M. (2010). The right to die vs. the value of life. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from UPI Top News (US) http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/03/21/US-Supreme-Court-The-right-to-die-vs-the-value-of-life/UPI-43371269156600/
Tang, A. (2008). The changing state of the Euthanasia debate . Retrieved October 21, 2011, from http://www.kairos2.com/euthanasia01.htm#_ftn9
Yount, L, (2000). “Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia .” New York Fact on File 4-12