Euthanasia

The Oxford Dictionary defines euthanasia as “The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or is in an incurable coma.” Acknowledge these words; “suffering”, “painful”, “irreversible” and “incurable”. This is what describes thousands of people’s conditions and prospects worldwide. Commonly referred as “mercy killing” – and for good reason, euthanasia is the most rational, moral and dignifying alternative to prolonging a patient’s suffering with no hope of a cure. Would you rather lie in a hospital bed, slowly dying and experience immense pain or choose a painless and quick death with your loved ones surrounding you saying their last goodbyes in a glorified and dignified matter? The fact that the legalisation of euthanasia has not been made in these present times really displays the lack of ethical reason and compassion throughout the governments in the rest of the world.
    Imagine a scenario; you’re a happily married, healthy and a fit adult who is avidly enjoying life but one day you experience a stroke which leaves you with a severe disability known as locked in syndrome – there is no cure. Your motor ability has gone, you cannot speak instead you communicate through eye blinks in response to letters, you have to be fed and worst of all you are completely aware of your state yet you physically cannot do anything. This is the unfortunate case of Tony Nicklinson who at age 51 was diagnosed with locked-in syndrome. For seven years he fought the high court of justice fighting for his right to die along with his wife and the majority of the public’s support. On the 16th of August 2012 the high court ruled he cannot ask any doctor to end his life which he responded with in tears and that he had been condemned by law to “a life of increasing of indignity and misery”. The following week he refused to eat, contracted pneumonia and died eight days after his hearing. So the high court of “justice” ruled he could not die painlessly...