A Peaceful Parting Active Euthanasia Essay - 842 Words

A Peaceful Parting: Active Euthanasia Many of us have had family members that we have watched suffer during the end stages of their lives. Though it hurts us as a close relative to see someone we love suffer, the person suffering themselves probably feels much more sorrow than us. My grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer several years ago. We had home health come in to help care for him and my family was good to help as well. Though he was well cared for, I could not help but feel deep sorrow for him when I would look at him and see him suffering on the inside. I remember him falling out of bed in the middle of the nights and I would be called in the bedroom to help put him back in bed. I was happy to have my grandfather still there†¦show more content†¦Cancer is very painful and is a prolonged illness that can take away everything from a person’s normal lifestyle. AIDS also changes an entire lifestyle of a person and is not only terminal to the person that carries the disease, but could also be eas ily contracted by another and become terminal to them as well. With the option of active euthanasia, the pain and prolonged suffering from terminal illness could be brought to a complete halt by the person experiencing it. Every morning we all wake up and take a shower, get dressed in the privacy of our own home, eat breakfast, pack a lunch, and drive to work or school to begin our day. For some people, they are woken up at 5 am, showered in a public bathroom, dressed in whatever clothes are picked out for them whether they match or not, spoon fed breakfast, served whatever lunch is on the menu for the day, and sit for hours, and do nothing. When they need to use the restroom they ask for help and may need the helper to physically put them on the toilet and even wipe them. To us this is a major loss of dignity. We take for granted the things we get to do for ourselves on a daily basis. Many people may develop even bigger problems than they already have when their dignity lowers to a point that cannot be retained again. People don’t want to live a life where they are mentally competent and aware of their surroundings but are unable to help themselves and rely on others to do everything for them.