Rose Rivera

Prof Altano
Due 12/05/2018
The Right to Die

Saving and extending lives have always been of high priority for Americans; however,

the maintaining of the planet we all live on has only recently been starting to gain attention.

When we were little, we may have played in the snow and attempted to make a snowball. First

the snowball accumulates snow very slowly, then the snowball grows bigger faster. This is

called the snowball effect and it can be seen in how quickly our population is multiplying. Soon,

perhaps even within our children’s lifespan, our current population will double and become 14

billion. This overwhelming number will affect the quality of life for our decedents. Owning land,

renting a place, affording the weekly grocery bill all will prove to be taxing and hard to

complete tasks when college and job competition in a highly populated earth makes it almost

impossible for the average human to succeed. With the population crisis at hand, why shouldn’t

we let people who want to die… die? Euthanasia is defined as “the act or practice of killing or

permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic

animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy” (“Euthanasia.” Merriam-Webster,

Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/euthanasia). However, there are

other individuals who feel they have the right to die, those who are not ‘hopelessly sick or

injured’, and whether America should let them is still up for debate in most states.

When individuals debate euthanasia, the population crisis is almost never brought up.

Some Christians argue that those who commit suicide end up in hell, and that euthanasia is
classified as self-murder. Other Christians argue that when they are terminally ill and decide to

undergo euthanasia, they are just speeding up the process in the most peaceful way. Either

way, most of the research regarding euthanasia is whether or not it is a humane act of kindness

or leading Americans to eternal damnation. No research or essays that I’ve read (or even

skimmed through) discussed how this would positively affect our environment and society.

Those who are terminally ill, those who are depressed, those who are homeless, those who

were born mentally incapable, and those who are in prison’s right to death all are viewed

differently by society. It is almost as if Americans feel they have the right to decide who has the

right to live and who has the right to mercy.

Some activists argue that although they believe the terminally ill should have the right

to a peaceful death, those who want to die when they are not currently in pain should not be

granted the right to die through euthanasia. In the Neverlands, a 24-year-old women with

depression was given the right to die through euthanasia and that sparked a lot of strong

feelings throughout the world. Should someone that young and impressionable be allowed to

make such a permanent decision? Well, I certainly don’t think so. Most depression can be cured

by implementing a ritual throughout the day, working out, meditation, avoiding alcohol, and

seeing a therapist. However, her choice to die is not ours to support or discourage. She would

have found a way to kill herself if not given the right to die with a physician’s assistance.

Euthanasia should be here to make that process less daunting and painful. It also allows her to

die with her family and friends by her side, giving them both the needed closure.

“How to lie to your physician to get fatal drugs, exactly which drugs to seek and how to

hoard them, how to avoid detection and police scrutiny” (Wolf, Susan M. "Final Exit: The End of
Argument "The Hastings Center Report, vol. 22, no. 1, 1992, pp. 30) are all what is discussed in

Derek Humphry’s controversially published novel, Final Exit. In this novel he describes in full

detail the most peaceful at-home ways to die. He said that he was inspired when his wife, who

was battling cancer, asked him to help ease her pain by helping her peacefully die. After her

passing he wrote a book to help others do the same, such as how to die from nitrogen

poisoning using a balloon pumper and a plastic bag, which drugs when mixed together are fatal

and result in the quickest death, and much more. If one really wanted to die, they would find a

way. Euthanasia might make the choice to die more appealing as it is seemingly painless, but

most of the people who seriously want to die will find a way to make that happen, peaceful or

not. When asked if this was his life purpose (helping people find ways to die) Humphry replied

that it is in fact not. He noted that his life purpose is trying to get people the right to die

through euthanasia, which is a decision the government is ultimately in charge of making, and

to also help people make that decision for themselves at home until the government has the

same perspective legally.

Although Americans have no right to decide which lives are more valuable than others

and which souls are more deserving of mercy than others, no one can deny that giving the right

to die to those in prison, who have been homeless for decades, or those who are mentally

incapable of taking care of themselves would benefit society. It was recorded that “a vastly

greater number of Americans — 1 in 31 according to 2009 Pew figures — are under U.S.

corrections custody either through parole, probation, or incarceration”( “The United States Has

The Largest Prison Population In The World - And It's Growing.” ThinkProgress, ThinkProgress,

2014). It was also surveyed that 15% of Americans are living in poverty and at risk of
homelessness and 200K-500K Americans are officially homeless. Lastly, 15% of Americans have

some type of disability. Of this 15%, all of them have either been suspended, expelled, or

dropped out of school between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. A good portion of them can

hold a minimum wage job or overcome their disability, but in way too many cases they live a

below average life, work harder than they should, and are at risk of poverty and homelessness.

They also run the risk of passing their disabilities onto their future generations if they have

children. Euthanasia, in my opinion, should be available to anyone over 18; however, it should

be noted that if restrictions should be place, that the individuals that fit into the categories

above should be fully allowed to make that decision for themselves, as their current quality of

life is so close to miserable that it would be more inhumane to not let them die than it would

be fight for their life.

“Data from 40 states depict how much government money is spent per year to educate an

elementary/secondary school student compared to the cost of keeping an inmate imprisoned”

(US Census Data. “Education vs Prison Costs.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 2017) and the

results were shocking. The average cost to support a child’s education is $10,000 per year,

while the average cost to incarcerate only one inmate is $30,000-40,000 per yer. This cost may

be distributed throughout seven billion Americans, but 1 in 31 Americans are in jail themselves.

If you pay taxes, you should know that we also spend over 12% of our total tax dollar onto

welfare programs. This program is implemented to help the 15% of Americans that are at risk of

homelessness and are living in poverty. And although our taxes aren’t going directly to the

mentally incapable, they are usually a part of the 15% of Americans that are already or at risk of

being homeless. As you can see, a lot of American resources are going towards improving the
poverty’s quality of life, saving their life, and extending it as well. If any of them were miserable

and wanting to die, why would we prevent them from doing so when it will greatly benefit

society? Their life is just as important as anyone else’s, but it must be their own personal choice

to continue their journey called life. Euthanasia practices on those who are miserable, behind

bars, or homeless will be an act of mercy, is practical, and will benefit society.

“The legal system used by the Catholic church is known as canon law. Many of its provisions

are of little interest, arguably, to people outside the church” ("A Loose Canon?" The Economist

(Online), Feb 06, 2014) and such is why the majority of Americans argue the need for a

separation of church and state. Euthanasia is viewed in the same light as abortion, at least to

most religious people. In the bible, God noted that all life is valuable no matter what stage of

life one is at (I’m paraphrasing, but essentially that was the message). This resulted in a vast

population of people who argue that abortion and euthanasia is an abomination to Christ.

However, whether or not someone’s religious beliefs agree with what their country legalizes

should not be a concern. Euthanasia, like abortion, must be a personal choice. We can advise an

individual not to, we can point them towards the bible if need be, but we also must offer them

the choice to choose for themselves. In fact, Deuteronomy 30:15-20 notes that although we can

readily choose a life of sin or a life in His kingdom, God finds it important to give us that choice.

In an HBO episode, called Right to Die, they explored real life examples of individuals who

wanted to pass away peacefully through euthanasia. One woman had been saying she wanted

to die for years but was only recently given the chance to die via euthanasia. She had no
terminal illness nor was she in any pain, but the phrase she kept using was “It’s just my time.

My life has been lived and now I’m just done.” Her kids (both in their early thirties) were upset

with her and didn’t agree with her choice at first. Her son said that the psychiatrist granted his

mom the right to die after only three ‘conversations’ and that there’s no way she looked deep

enough to make a thorough decision. However, when the psychiatrist showed up to the

woman’s planned death day, she repeated several times to the woman “You can change your

mind at any time. You can choose to continue living. You can postpone the date if you want as

well. We all support whatever decision you make. You are well loved and supported no matter

what.” And right before she injected the sedative, she asked her one more time “are you sure?”

The woman excitedly, and without hesitation nodded her head. She got to die in her favorite

outfit while being held by her daughter and while surrounded by her closest friends. It was a

sweet moment, but it was also very hard to watch. In the end the daughter said although she

didn’t support her mother’s decision, she is eternally grateful to have been there for her in her

final moments.

As Americans, it is our job to think on a macro-scale. Before an individual should argue

their opinion based off what they learned in church or from their parents, one should ask

themselves ‘how does this affect ALL of America?’ and make a decision based off of that

answer. When debating euthanasia, we should not be debating the humanity of it, whether it’s

ethically right or wrong, or who to grant the right to die based on which categories a person

falls under. We should be looking at facts: how it will affect the economy now and later.
 Doing research and writing about Euthanasia has both increased my respect for the practice

and has made me more aware of the population crisis and its effect on our economy. Before

writing this essay, I believed strongly in giving the right to die through euthanasia to those who

have been given the life sentence in prison. Their lives would be miserable, their jailtime

arguably benefits no one, and Americans are paying for his/her stay. However, after doing more

research and seeing how happy the woman who felt her life was over was when she was finally

able to pass on peacefully, I realized how crucial euthanasia is to everyone in America, not just

those who are terminally ill or have received a life sentence.

"A Loose Canon?" The Economist (Online), Feb 06, 2014. ProQuest,
http://ezproxy.bergen.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.bergen.edu/docview/1496198454?accountid=8580.

“Euthanasia.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/euthanasia.

“The United States Has The Largest Prison Population In The World - And It's Growing.” ThinkProgress, ThinkProgress,
2014, thinkprogress.org/the-united-states-has-the-largest-prison-population-in-the-world-and-its-growing-
d4a35bc9652f/.

US Census Data. “Education vs Prison Costs.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 2017,
money.cnn.com/infographic/economy/education-vs-prison-costs/.

Wolf, Susan M. "Final Exit: The End of Argument -- Final Exit by Derek Humphry."The Hastings Center
Report, vol. 22, no. 1, 1992, pp. 30. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.bergen.edu/login?url=https://search-
proquest-com.ezproxy.bergen.edu/docview/222366662?accountid=8580.