Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Doubting/Believing

Lina Al Sharabi
Prof. Dania Adra
English 203
20 October 2015
Euthanasia: Mercy Killing

      Mercy killing, also known as euthanasia, is one of the most disgraceful and inconsiderate acts any human being would do. It is considered a major act when one ends a patient’s life without his/her own consent. From A N Wilson’s perspective, mercy killing is not a crime, the mother wanted to end her son’s suffering. If Frances Inglis (the mother) felt that she was not, in fact, committing an immoral act –which is mercy killing-, she wouldn’t have acted this way. “But do we really live in a society which is so morally illiterate that we can not distinguish between loving mothers and psychopaths?” The mother was not considered a psychopath until she crept into her son’s room and ended his life. Despite the fact that he was completely ill and couldn’t be saved, as a “loving” mother, she could simply have had little hope or stop anyone from doing a similar action. Yes, her son was ill, but does this mean she has the right to kill him? As mentioned, euthanasia means mercy killing, the term consists of the word “killing” and that, alone, speaks for itself. (Wilson)

       On the other hand, from an emotional perspective, no mother on this planet could bear the thought of seeing her own son suffering. Being a mother is like living in a weak state for as long as she can live. Mothers experienced vulnerability at its finest, all the sleepless nights they’ve had, the anxiety and fear when their sons/daughters are away tends to build crazy thoughts in their minds. The only way Frances’s action could be justified is the look her son had on his face, when he was helpless, when he couldn’t move, speak or even look at her and describe the ache he’s feeling. In addition, no one ever has the authority to tell Frances how to feel because she believes that she has made the right choice to end her son's life, since no one, but her, will understand what they're going through. Therefore, the law has no write to enforce an unfair decision against her. Yes, she could be punished, but within a certain limit, and not for a lifetime.


Work Cited

Wilson, A N. "A N Wilson: Mercy Killing Is Not a Crime – It Is a Brave and Selfless Act of   
                                          Love." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media,
                                          Oct.-Nov. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

1 comment: