Euthanasia - Keep It Illegal

Euthanasia is defined as "a painless killing, especially to end a painful and incurable disease; mercy killing". It is one of society's most widely and hotly debated moral issues. This topic has pained and exhausted the courts in several countries throughout the world, for too long, questioning the ethics and morality of the issue. Euthanasia must not be legalized in Canada for many moral and medical reasons.

Firstly, the legalization of euthanasia has proved to lead to involuntary killing. In 1990, physicians in the Netherlands were involved in 11,800 deaths or 9% of all deaths in the country. Of these, half were labeled "active involuntary euthanasia", that is, the patients were killed without their consent. Furthermore, by the late 80's it had become routine to euthanize babies born with handicaps, like Down syndrome and spina bifida. Also, three nurses in Amsterdam killed several comatose patients without any consent. They were convicted, not of homicide, but of failing to consult a physician.

Secondly, legalized euthanasia will make the depressed consider being euthanized. Assisted suicide is most commonly contemplated by the terminally ill. Terminally ill patients do suffer greatly, but is it the physical pain they suffer from? It has been proven that it is depression that leads these patients to desire suicide. USA Today has reported that among older people suffering from terminal illnesses who attempt suicide, the number suffering from depression reaches almost 90%. Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a supporter of euthanasia who built the “suicide machine”, believes that any person with a disabling disease who doesn't suffer from depression is "abnormal." What is hard for these people to understand who are pro-euthanasia is that depression is treatable