• Question: do you think Euthanasia should be legal in the U.K.? and if someone is terminally ill should they  be granted Euthanasia ?

    Asked by sacido to Betul, Bridget, Ceri-Wyn, Laurel, Maria on 14 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Maria Pawlowska

      Maria Pawlowska answered on 13 Jun 2010:

      I think if somebody is terminally ill and constantly in pain and wishes to not have to suffer any longer we, healthy people who have no idea what that person is going through, have no right to make decisions for them.

    • Photo: Betul Arslan

      Betul Arslan answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      This is a great question, but it is also rough to answer. Moral relativism, right, every situation is different. It might be hard to see someone you love suffer in pain but on the other hand we should not be the one who decides whether or not to end someone’s life.

    • Photo: Bridget Waller

      Bridget Waller answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      I think this is a very difficult question, and there are plenty of people more qualified than me to weigh up the issues. My personal opinion is that it should be legal, but I understand that this could come with more problems. Very difficult.

    • Photo: Ceri-Wyn Thomas

      Ceri-Wyn Thomas answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Wow- this is a deep question and an incredibly important one to ask. As someone interested in evolutionary biology I see death as being a necessary and a very natural part of life. It’s not something I feel afraid of- but then it’s not that simple is it!

      It is my belief that human beings should be able to choose the manner of their death if they are emotionally and mentally able to do so when they have been told that their own death is imminent because of disease or severe injury. I think there are worse things in life than death- suffering, pain, humiliation and a complete lack of the ability to enjoy life.

      However, where a human being is not able to sensibly make a decision about their death themselves- if they are too badly injured or suffer from dementia etc. then who gets to decide? If someone I loved was suffering I would want to end their suffering. But what If I only cared about the money left to me in my dying relative’s will? What If I wanted a person dead for awful reasons and was able to make a decision about their euthanasia? The law in this country HAS TO protect us all when we are vulnerable and I think proper sanctions need to be in place to ensure that if we want to take control over then manner of our death if we feel we have no other options- we should be able to do it in a safe environment where people behave with honesty and integrity. It’s a tricky one! But ultimately I feel that if a human being does not want to spend their final days in pain or in humiliation then they should be able to end their life. It’s THEIR life after all. The UK law should take that into account.

    • Photo: Laurel Fogarty

      Laurel Fogarty answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Eeek! This is a moral minefield of a question. I think that there are circumstances in which terminally ill people should be able to die without pain and in circumstances they control. I think that is only fair.

      I am not religious but I do also believe that there is an inherent value and worth in human life (and life in general) and that for that reason assisted suicide cannot be taken lightly or advocated in the strong terms that people do often discuss these things.

      This is a question that I think needs to be answered on a case by case basis, with due consideration of the worth of human life and the respect and compassion we should have for those in extreme pain and the people they will leave behind.

      It is hard to talk about something so difficult in a short answer box, I don’t think it is possible to do the question justice. If you have any other questions about this issue, either the moral side or the medical side, leave more questions and I will be happy to get back to you.

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