Euthanasia is supported by nearly 70% of the American population, but those who have been asked to take a stand have failed to consider the issues that will follow. Legalizing euthanasia will affect the values that society has over time and is unable to provide protections. It has been legalized in several states including Washington DC, California, Colorado, Oregon, but each of them faces serious problems in their healthcare due to the use of euthanasia. Modern medicine has developed enormously in recent decades, but with the legalization of euthanasia these advances have slowed and will reduce today's medical care in favor of a cheaper alternative: suicide. There is virtually no difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide other than the argument that euthanasia is ethical because it is not assisted suicide (CNA). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayBy definition, “euthanasia is the intentional killing, by act or omission, of a dependent human being for his or her perceived advantage.” The most important word in this sentence is “intentional”. If death is not wanted it is not an act of euthanasia. However, when comparing the definitions of euthanasia and assisted suicide, the only difference is that euthanasia occurs when someone else takes the life of another person during assisted suicide: “Someone provides them with the information and guidance with l intention that they be used for this purpose.” Along with this, there is a specific type of euthanasia known as "involuntary euthanasia" where the person is unable to make their own decision due to age, mental stability or comatose state. Many will argue that voluntary euthanasia, when the person killed has asked to be killed, will not lead to involuntary euthanasia. Unfortunately, legalized euthanasia would most likely progress to the stage where people would be expected to volunteer to be killed. Think about this: If ten years from now a doctor told you that your mother's "quality of life" was not worth living and asked you, as the closest family member, to approve a "quick and painless end to her his life” and you rejected the way doctors, nurses and others, conditioned to accept euthanasia as normal and right, would treat you and your family. Another issue that many people frown upon is the financial issue that would arise if euthanasia were legalized. In the United States, 44 million people do not have health insurance and another 38 million do not have adequate health insurance. Studies have shown that poor people and minorities generally lack access to available pain control. Along with this, managed care facilities are said to offer doctors cash bonuses if they do not provide care to these patients “pro bono” (Cathleen). As shown in the cartoon below, the nation's weak healthcare system will become even more deprived once the legalization of euthanasia is passed. By legalizing euthanasia, it increases the potential for a deeply dangerous situation in which doctors find themselves financially better off if a terminally ill or disabled person "chooses" to die rather than receive long-term care. Public savings could also become a consideration if governments cut costs for treatment and care and replaced them with the “treatment” of death. This was seen in Oregon when the state legalized euthanasia. Immediately following the passage of Measure 16, the Oregon law that allows.
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