Aktiv og passiv eutanasi: et kritisk perspektiv

Euthanasia or active euthanasia is killing a patient by active means, for example, injecting a patient with a lethal dose of a drug.

Passive euthanasia is intentionally letting a patient die by not giving artificial life support such as a ventilator or feeding tube.

I wanted to make a speech about active euthanasia. Why it isn't legal in Denmark and many other countries, why I think that's wrong. While doing research on the subject I came across the word ‘Passive euthanasia. Isn't that the same as active euthanasia? No, it isn't. As I said in the beginning Euthanasia is killing a patient by active means. Passive euthanasia is letting a patient die. Passive euthanasia has been legal in Denmark since 1992, and active euthanasia is illegal. That is what I don't get. I think active euthanasia should be legal. We should be able to rule over our own bodies. It’s so sad to think that people who suffer from extreme pain can't have the right to die. They can't make that decision for themselves. Even though they are going to die anyway.

I once saw a man in the news who helped his wife kill herself after she begged him to help her. She was in so much pain she just wanted to die. This lady was about 70 years old. The husband was arrested for active euthanasia. He didn't want to help her, but after she convinced him he did. He gave her a lethal dose of drug. Now if a doctor gave her a lethal dose of drug it would still be illegal, BUT if he let her die by not giving her artificial life support, it would be legal. We can't kill people, but we can let them die. What the fuck. I just don't get it. It's almost the same thing. Now if it's so similar then why does it matter so much. Well because we still can't make the decision to die if we want to. Some people have incurable cancer, and are in lots of pain. Some are going to die anyway and only have a short time left that they are going to spend in incredible pain. We can't be released from a huge amount of pain. We have to suffer even though we are going to die anyway. Our family has to watch us suffer. I would rather die than have my family watch me in incredible pain.