Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Euthanasia - Essay Example This paper analyses, critically, the arguments for and against Euthanasia. In the conclusion, I have given a personal opinion on my view of Euthanasia. The following are the main pros and cons of Euthanasia. One of the main arguments advanced in support of Euthanasia is the argument that Euthanasia is a morally right action because human beings have a right to self-determination, and for that reason, they should be allowed to choose their own fate (ProCon.org, n.d.). The proponents of Euthanasia contend that since human beings have the right to self-determination, denying euthanasia to the terminally sick patients who need and request for it is immoral and a violation of their right to self-determination. In law the issue of self-determination in regard to Euthanasia is a controversial issue, especially in the United States. Various courts in the United States have interpreted this issue differently. The following case demonstrates how the issue of self-determination in the United States constitution is a controversial issue. Year 1975, the 21 year old Karen Ann Quinlan was admitted in a hospital in a comma. The doctors at the hospital later declared Quinlan to be in a persistent vegetative state. After spending five months on a ventilator, Quinlan’s parents requested that the ventilator be removed and that Quinlan be allowed to die peacefully. The doctors at the hospital, however, objected to Quinlan parents’ requests, and this made the parents to bring the matter to a New Jersey Superior Court. In the ruling, to the disappointment of Quinlan’s parents, the New Jersey Superior Court denied the request of Quinlan’s parents. When Quinlan’s parents, however, took the matter to the New Jersey Supreme court, the Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the Superior Court and ruled that Quinlan’s constitutional right to privacy included her right to be removed from the