The resource of the word “Euthanasia” comes from Greek, which means “a well or good death.” According to the House of Lords Select Committee on Medical Ethics, the precise definition of euthanasia is "a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life, to relieve intractable suffering.
Euthanasia is categorized in four different ways,
1. Voluntary and passive euthanasia: Natural death with permit. The patients who have serious ill decide to leave peacefully without any medical help.
2. Voluntary and active euthanasia: Closer to suicide, the patients kill themselves with third person’s help through drugs or injections.
3. Non-voluntary and passive euthanasia: The decision is made by doctors or family. They stop to provide the medical treatment, food or other medical equipment. Let patients die naturally.
4. Non-voluntary and active euthanasia: The medical person or any third people end patients’ life by poison, injection or any ways.
Euthanasia is always the controversial topic in the world. Everyone uses their aspect to say something about Euthanasia. I believe everything has both sides, one is good, and another side is bad. In Taiwan, euthanasia is prohibited. However, I support that we need euthanasia to be legal. The right of life or die is controlled by people themselves because we are responsible the life we want. No matter the way is voluntary or non-voluntary, I think the one who has the right to decide whether live or die is the one who must to be responsible the patient’s life. Doctors have the duty to protect patients’ lives, but they can’t take care of them for 24hrs. Who take care of the patients? Their families or relatives. No one wants to let their family leave them, but sometimes they have no alternative. Living cost, medical cost, spiritual loss, etc. It will be a heavy loading to the family. If the family can afford to keep somebody’s life, it’s fine. However, there are many families that can’t afford these great cost. “Put yourself into others’ shoes,” that’s my way to treat people and things. Euthanasia is a way not only to release the patients’ pain, but also let their family get a spiritual freedom. Crime would be the most worried thing for people if euthanasia was legal. “None system can prevent a deliberate attempt.” Any systems can only be effective on gentlemen but not villains. So we should not only depend on the system but more important we should go on patrol more often. Therefore, crime cannot be avoided. In my aspect, euthanasia should be legal for those people who really need to be released and free.
