Pertanyaan

Read the following text and answer the question! It is widely believed that there are only two options for patients with terminal illness, either they die suffering or receive euthanasia. A number of people, especially in western part of the world, agrees with the idea of doing euthanasia or good death they call it. Euthanasia is generally defined as the act, undertaken only by a physician, that intentionally ends the life of a person at his or her request. This act has been legalized in a small number of countries of the world. However, is euthanasia the best choice for people suffering from terminal illness? I personally believe that life is the ultimate gift from God, and taking it away is usurping power that belongs to God only. Religion, Catholic and Islam for example, sees euthanasia as a type of murder, a crime, and an immoral act. In Hinduism, they think that even though helping a person enda painful live may be good, it interferes with the cycle of death and rebirth. Also, euthanasia is bad because of the sanctity of human life. We should never kill human beings as they are to be valued. Many people think that we have value when we make other people’s life better. Thus, when we’re terminally ill, and we become a burden to our family, we would better do euthanasia. That way we make their lives easier and better. However, our inherent value doesn't depend on anything else. It doesn't depend on whether we are having a good life, or whether we are making other people's lives better. We exist, so we have value. Thus, we shouldn't treat other people as a means to our own ends. It applies to us too. We shouldn't treat ourselves as a means to our own ends. Furthermore, this means that we shouldn't end our lives just because it seems the most effective way of putting an end to our suffering or to ease people’s lives. Doing that is not to respect our inherent worth. The last, proponents of euthanasia argue that all human being has the right to choose whether to continue living or end their life for good reasons. However, euthanasia is not about the right to die. They are about the right to kill. Legalising euthanasia would only put too much power in the hands of doctors, who could abuse their position. They may soon start killing people without bothering with their permission. In conclusion, I value the opportunity of living in a free society. People indeed have personal autonomy, but I value life more, and I also recognise that personal autonomy has its limits. When we make a decision to end our or other people’s life, we have to remember that many other people, such as family and friends, who are left behind, will also be affected. Our sacred life belongs to God, the only one who can take it from us. The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ….