Let's put aside the religious aspect of this for a moment (murder / suicide debate) and consider the idea of what is "right" or "wrong"
The basic principles of the classic "Hippocratic Oath" followed by medical professionals are:
- Of solidarity with teachers and other physicians.
- To do good or avoid evil and to do no harm towards patients.
- Not to assist suicide or abortion.
- To leave surgery to surgeons.
- Not to harm, especially not to seduce patients.
- To maintain confidentiality and never to gossip.'
There are different versions of this but they all pretty much acknowledge these "guidelines".
We assume that we have the right to control our bodies and make decisions about it ourselves but we also have obligations - to friends, family, medical professionals. I think we should have a choice but it is not a "right" over everything and everyone else. That seems pretty selfish to me.
It must be an informed choice and one that is balanced against the consequences for those we leave behind and how our death will affect them - grief, guilt, anger, legal proceedings.
Sometimes family members can't bear to see a loved one in pain - but they are also suffering and they should be asking themselves am I supporting a decision for Euthanasia only for this loved one or is it also about the strain and sadness I have to bear each day and getting some relief from it?
Life is important - not just to ourselves but for those around us, those we interact with - our community - school / work place / social groups / neighbourhood - it's society.
I can't help have concerns that although I really believe that individual choice is very important, each time someone takes steps towards Euthanasia - even in informed, lucid situations there are repercussions - to society, to the "value" of life and I think there are small impacts on things like "involuntary" Euthanasia when someone is unable to make the decision for themselves.
I can't help feeling that it makes their existance less meaningful and I am not sure I have the right to start a ball rolling towards "normalising" something so immense.
It's such a tough call and I really don't have any firm opinion on it - just anxieties - and a sense that it has the danger of being a "selfish" decision based on the rights of one individual over everyone else. For me, this is one of the things that could make it "wrong" to euthanise a human being,