What are the impacts of euthanasia?

1) TO THE FAMILY

a) PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FAMILIES WHO MAY HAVE ULTERIOR MOTIVES, TO NEGATIVELY ACQUIRE FINANCIAL GAIN:

In scenarios where the victim is rich and wealthy, some family members may take advantage of the patient’s condition and propose euthanasia so that they may inherit the victim’s wealth.

b) UNDERMINES FAMILY STABILITY BY TAKING AWAY HOPE

(Christian beliefs and values are undermined): Most Christians believe that the life of every individual is in God’s hand; hence, He alone has the permission to take our lives. Furthermore, He has the power to heal any disease. Therefore Euthanasia goes against this belief.

c) LEADS TO FAMILY CONFLICTS:

In scenarios where the decision regarding the patient’s fate is made without the participation of all family members, this may lead to family disputes and mistrust among family members.

d) LATER REGRETS:

In future, the family members may feel guilty that they made the wrong decision, that they should have considered giving the patient in question a second chance to live. Maybe a miracle could happen and they get healed from the condition

2) TO THE PATIENT

a) Loss of hope, self- worth and trust in the physician and family can lead to suicide: The fact that the doctor’s act as a symbol of hope and life, having no cure for the patient’s condition crushes both the patient’s hope and that of the close family members.

b) The so-called right to die quickly becomes duty to die because of subtle or direct pressure. The pressure may arise from family members in the sense that, they may be financially unstable hence, due to the high cost of treatment by the patient, this leaves the family struggling to survive. As a result, they propose euthanasia as an escape plan; this leaves the patient with a lot of pressure.

c) Euthanasia legislation has the potential to affect trust between the patients and doctors. Doctors role is to save lives, thus, proposing the option of mercy killing violates such a role. This in turn may lead the patients to doubt the doctor’s abilities.

3) ON THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY

a) Medical care-givers change from healers and comforters to killers (they play God): Most religions firmly holds that only God has the power to take away life, hence, doctors
performing mercy killing contradicts such beliefs. This therefore causes some people to have a negative attitude towards the doctors.

b) Physicians and hospitals lose the faith and the trust of the public: Proposing the performance of euthanasia by the doctors causes the public to mistrust the doctors, thus, seeking for alternative treatment for their diseases, such as herbal medicines.

c) Economic pressure may lead to discrimination in medical decision making against persons with disabilities or those who are poor or weak. Merely because some people are poor, many doctors don’t grant them quality services as compared to the rich in the society

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marto answered the question on May 7, 2019 at 09:01