Should Euthanasia Be Legalised in the UK?

by Phoebe Clark

Euthanasia is the deliberate administering of life-ending medicine by a third party. There are two types, voluntary and non-voluntary, voluntary is when a person, incapable of ending their own life, wishes to have their life ended, painlessly and with dignity because they might be so unhappy with their current situation. Non-voluntary is when a person is unable to communicate that they wish for their life to be ended, but they are in extreme pain and it is unlikely they will survive anyway, for example in someone is in a coma and is on a life-support machine, which would be using valuable resources and is causing emotional wreckage for the family involved. Euthanasia is illegal in the UK, much like other countries such as the US, Australia and Spain because it is recognised as murder or manslaughter, regardless of the context. Except if a medical professional withdraws medication or treatment because there is no feasible improvement, this is called passive euthanasia or a Non-treatment decision.

Muslim and Christians have extremely similar views on Euthanasia, because a main point for both religions is the belief that life is a test and you must remain strong in your faith. Also, it is solely God’s right to give and take life and no-one should try and meddle with that. Both religions have a strong belief in the sanctity of life and therefore human life is holy. Christians believe that God made humans in his image and therefore we are the only ones able to have a relationship with God, and we should respect that. Another Muslim reason against it is that some patients might feel pressured to have their life ended because of the strain or burden on their family, which is not a good enough reason to die.

However, some patients and their families would rather die painlessly and with dignity, when they can say goodbye and be ready to die in a way of their choosing than die in pain and have to have your family watch you fall into a state of disrepair and helplessness, causing them so much pain, and it is no quality of life for anyone. Otherwise, some people would resort to trying to kill themselves the only way they are physically able to, by starvation, a painful solution which causes emotional torment for people that have to stand by and witness the person in so much pain and unhappiness. Also, it can save medical costs, especially for families in other countries that cannot afford medical bills, or have to sacrifice another element of their life. The NHS can spend the money they would save, helping someone else have a better quality of life or using the funding elsewhere. The emotional and financial burden that a terminally ill person, or someone incapacitated, causes to the families involved can be huge, meaning the patient might feel guilty and unworthy. This can also cause family bonds to be tense and strenuous, leading to broken families and unhappy marriages.

Furthermore, situation ethics is the Christian philosophy that the application moral laws can be flexible according to circumstances, meaning that whatever action is taken, doesn’t have to abide by any laws as long as it is the most loving thing to do, because no law is always the most loving thing to do, except situation ethics. Therefore, if a terminally ill person wants to die, because they are severely unhappy, then they should be allowed to as they have no quality of life.

A perfect case study is Tony Nicklinson, a man who had locked-in syndrome and was paralysed from the neck down after a stroke, and fought for the right to end his life in 2012. He described his life as a ‘living nightmare’ and after the high court won against him, he refused food, meaning that he was unhappy, in pain and undignified in his death.

In conclusion, I think that euthanasia should be legalised to give anyone who has significant reasoning to have a dignified and pain-free death. Even though religions like Islam and Christianity disagree with euthanasia, I would argue that God would not want people to suffer, when they could be much happier in another way.