License to Kill

I’m taking a philosophy class this semester, and I’m loving how much it encourages us to stretch our minds.  I think it’s important for us to be educated enough to know why we believe the things that we believe.  “Because my mom said so” isn’t a strong enough argument to win a debate.  With that being said, I am not taking a stance on this topic.

For many people, life is nothing but a wonderful adventure.  Unfortunately, though, that isn’t always the case. Bad things inevitably happen, and life isn’t always grand. We would all like to believe that our world is just full of laughter, puppies, and rainbows, but that’s not true.  Our world is also full of terminal illnesses, which is something that we tend to ignore unless we are directly affected.

Physician-assisted death, or euthanasia, is a controversial topic that isn’t generally discussed.  In fact, it’s so taboo that it’s only legal in five states right now: Oregon, Washington, California, Vermont, and Montana.  Many questions come to mind when the topic of physician-assisted death arises: is it the same thing as suicide? How will it affect other people? Is it moral? Is the patient “playing God” by ending his or her life early?

It’s easy for us to shy away from topics that make us uncomfortable, but living in ignorance isn’t always bliss. It’s been pointed out that people who are supportive of physician-assisted death are not necessarily pro-suicide; there are conditions that must be met in order for the process to be legal.  For example, the patient must be terminally ill to be considered as a candidate.  If that is the case, the patient only has a short amount of time left to live. Should it be legal for these patients to call the shots? Should they be able to decide when they die? It has been said that many patients feel as though physician-assisted death allows them to die with dignity.

Whether or not physician-assisted death is the right thing to do is a matter of opinion. It’s not something that a lot of us regularly think about, which is precisely the reason I wanted to write about it.  You can take this post however you would like; maybe it’ll spark some interest for someone.  Remember: it’s healthy to stretch your mind every now and then. 😊