On July 11, 2014 my friend Jacobo Luis Fuchs died, after being rendered unconscious then starved to death. He died alone, in a sterile, white-walled room at the Salvation Army's Grace Manor nursing home.
The people Mr. Fuchs trusted with his life, killed him. What am I doing about it? Well, I can only say that I hope to soon bring a charge of 'failing to provide the necessities of life' (Section 215.1.C.2 of the Criminal Code). Which brings me to the subject of euthanasia - it's illegal in Canada but quite OK in some European countries.
Below is part of the BBC's ethics guide on euthanasia. I am posting this in the hopes that it will lead to further discussion about euthanasia - a subject that everyone will have to face sooner or later.
You may also want to check out Globe columnist Margaret Wente's article on the subject.
Overview of anti-euthanasia arguments
Ethical arguments
- Euthanasia weakens society's respect for the sanctity of life
- Accepting euthanasia accepts that some lives (those of the disabled or sick) are worth less than others
- Voluntary euthanasia is the start of a slippery slope that leads to involuntary euthanasia and the killing of people who are thought undesirable
- Euthanasia might not be in a person's best interests
- Euthanasia affects other people's rights, not just those of the patient
Practical arguments
- Proper palliative care makes euthanasia unnecessary
- There's no way of properly regulating euthanasia
- Allowing euthanasia will lead to less good care for the terminally ill
- Allowing euthanasia undermines the committment of doctors and nurses to saving lives
- Euthanasia may become a cost-effective way to treat the terminally ill
- Allowing euthanasia will discourage the search for new cures and treatments for the terminally ill
- Euthanasia undermines the motivation to provide good care for the dying, and good pain relief
- Euthanasia gives too much power to doctors
- Euthanasia exposes vulnerable people to pressure to end their lives
- Moral pressure on elderly relatives by selfish families
- Moral pressure to free up medical resources
- Patients who are abandoned by their families may feel euthanasia is the only solution
Historical arguments
- Voluntary euthanasia is the start of a slippery slope that leads to involuntary euthanasia and the killing of people who are thought undesirable
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