Murder as we all know is a serious crime and takes away the civil rights of that person. It is not a federal crime but all 50 states have their own laws against murder. Assisted suicide or euthanasia is a form of murder and is contrary to Utah’s laws. Those that are religious can even tell you that it is one of the Ten Commandments, in the bible that was given to Moses, Thou shalt not kill. Assisted suicide or euthanasia which is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or given the means to do so. They are both considered murder which contradicts religious and state laws. Assisted suicide or euthanasia laws should not be passed; we need to kill the pain not the patient.
Medical researchers, found that those who received pain killers or sedatives to lessen the pain lived longer than those who did not receive any. The drugs given to these terminally ill patients were to help them cope through the pain and suffering. Another name for helping those with their pain and to give comfort is called palliative care. There is a difference between euthanasia and palliative care. Palliative care done by a nurse, helps the patient and the family through their illness and suffering whatever it may be to comfort them until their time comes, whereas euthanasia ends immediately. Death affects everyone around them regardless how they go and they will yearn for that needed comfort from the death of a loved one. Why not try to prepare for it through palliative care then to let them go when they want to?
Upon graduation all new physicians and physicians' assistants take on the Hippocratic Oath. This is a world wide oath but varies from one country to another with the same meaning. An oath were they swear to live by and in that oath it states, With regard to healing the sick, I will devise and order for them the best diet, according to my judgment and means; and I will take care that they suffer no hurt or damage. Nor shall any man's entreaty prevail upon me to administer poison to anyone; neither will I counsel any man to do so. Moreover, I will get no sort of medicine to any pregnant woman, with a view to destroy the child. This means that those who promise to this will never do any harm or kill any patient. Doctors work to help their patients and to give them life, not to take it away.
However there are some countries that have laws that allow them to perform euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (PAS). The Netherlands started their debate on euthanasia or PAS in the 1980's whether it was legal or not. Later in 2001 it became legal to perform such acts on patients as long as they followed the guideline criteria. Even though it became into effect it just legalized a practice that they have already been doing. Just as it was legalized a study was done collecting the statistics of euthanasia and PAS in September of 2001. 2,300 died from doctors by request (euthanasia), 400 died as a result of PAS, 1,040 died of involuntary euthanasia (meaning they didn't request nor gave consent to die). Even though there is a guideline to following through on a patients request to die, there have been many issues in the Netherlands to their Euthanasia Act. They have misinterpreted the meaning of the guideline justifying their decision and acting on the terminally ill. It has become so common there that they accept in their country. The doctors there can even falsify death certificates claiming the patient died of natural causes. It is obvious that it is not working and therefore we cannot pass these laws in our own country.
There are many worries and concerns if euthanasia/assisted suicide laws are passed. It can be any easy escape goat to get out of financial struggle if the patient is incapacitated. Another suspected problem would be going after the poor and disabled. People would abuse the system and start going after the elderly possibly for an inheritance or even handicapped people so they are not a nuisance to society. Insurance companies can see it as a way out to save money on their part. Patients would lose their trust in doctors and would not have the confidentiality of doctor-patient relationship. It would ruin the public's view of their doctors, which they have built for centuries, to gain our trust. Passing euthanasia would then create a fear in doctors and physicians causing patients not want to go to a hospice or be in palliative care. It is also said that euthanasia gives too much power to the doctors and makes them less accountable. They can misinterpret the symptoms or diagnosis and not be up to date in the field of medicine. Easily persuading the patient to consider the only option would be to die. Who is to make the decision that your life is not worth living?
With how far we have come in medicine and better understanding how the human body functions, why is it now that we are opting out to the option of death? Why are we giving up on life when we have become so well educated and even learning the science of creating new drugs to help with our pains or symptoms? There are other ways of treating patients with their illnesses or problems. If this passed we are giving our doctors the option to be a healer or a killer, that is, with a license to kill.
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