Should euthanasia be legalized?
The right to life also encompasses the right to a dignified existence. Is there, nevertheless, dignity when there is pain?
The debate over euthanasia serves as a backdrop for a broader discussion in our culture about the essence of human existence and meaning. Human beings do not have dominion over life because it has its genesis in God. Instead, they are stewards of life. I don't believe we're prepared for this. In several European Union countries, including Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium, euthanasia is legal. Euthanasia is permitted in Belgium for terminally ill children. It is only permitted in Switzerland in cases of severe cancer or persistent pain and suffering. Even there, euthanasia is clearly not an option.
Every civilization faces a complicated issue, and the odds of it being mishandled are considerable. As a result, it is not widely acknowledged as a method of ending the lives of mentally alert and otherwise healthy people. Euthanasia in that form cannot be allowed or legalized since there is a considerable risk of it being misused, whether for the sake of property, money, or familial hostility. Such killings are usually categorized as homicides, and if the culprits are apprehended, they are prosecuted. Consider the ramifications of legalizing this. Its abuse in India and abroad would know no bounds. When a person is mentally alert, deciding in favor of euthanasia is significantly more difficult. The core ethical concept expresses the potent combination of holiness and stewardship. This concept states that no one has the right to take another person's life without their consent and that there is a positive obligation to nurture and defend life. There is a need to build a "natural" metaphysic of sacredness in our secular culture. A metaphysic like this can be used to build a foundational principle that can subsequently be applied to actual moral rules. It can demonstrate how life adds to a person's entire dignity. This sense of urgency is necessary for this approach to be effective in combating the campaign to legalize euthanasia.
We need to arrive at "concrete norms," as ethicists term them, that guide individual choices. When faced with the potential of death, the question is how we translate our core principle—do not attack innocent human life directly—into a specific rule. Some people wonder if the concrete prohibition on euthanasia could be considered a matter of public morality. We must return to our fundamental concept to address this question. As a culture, we must consider how "sacred" life is. Will legalizing euthanasia increase or harm that inherent sense of amazement about life, that innate desire not to be vulnerable?
