There are many different arguments against euthanasia. Some of the concerns held by those who do not support euthanasia are that it is a rejection of the importance and value of human life, it may not become only for people who are terminally ill, it can become a means of healthcare cost containment and that euthanasia could become non-voluntary.[1]
Many people are against euthanasia because it is a rejection of the importance of human life which is one of the ethical issues involved. It is viewed as being morally wrong for several reasons. From a physician standpoint “39% held that assisted suicide is never ethically justified.”[2] Not only physicians, but many others in health care, the family of a patient, or those in the community also feel this unethical justification. Those against euthanasia view it as a desensitizing to death and that life is no longer valuable. If euthanasia became legalized in the United States then there is the potential that people will be treated as objects and their human value will be forgotten. “Once euthanasia becomes legal, opponents contend, the potential for abuse at the hands of caregivers vastly increases. Closely related to this argument is the argument that those who enjoy the exercise of power over others might become intoxicated with it and actually come to enjoy killing.” [3] The risk that these scenarios could take place if euthanasia is legalized is what makes it unethical and immoral.
Another argument against euthanasia is that it would not only be for people who are terminally ill. One of the main concerns of those against euthanasia is what the definition of being terminally ill is. They fear that many different definitions will lead to vague understanding of when euthanasia is appropriate. For example “Jack Kevorkian said that a terminal was ‘any disease that curtails life even for a day.’ The co-founder of the Hemlock Society often refers to ‘terminal old age.’ Some laws define...