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Essay / Ethical Issues Against Euthanasia - 1534
Wesley J. Smith is an American lawyer and author at the Discovery Institute's Center on Human Exceptionalism, who believes that euthanasia should remain illegal throughout the world. Once euthanasia was legalized, there would no longer be any restrictions or limitations on death because the government would not be able to control it. The rules regarding euthanasia would soon be broken and forgotten (para. 6). Kamisar argues that once euthanasia is legalized, it can no longer be limited to the terminally ill, and the reasons why life may seem intolerable to a reasonable person are discussed; however, to claim that euthanasia is justifiable “is to be out of touch with the depth and complexity of human motivations” (para. 32). If we accept the reasons why euthanasia is justifiable, then we fail to understand the complexity of the human impulse. Legalizing euthanasia would make it acceptable for people to be euthanized for reasons other than suffering and terminal illness.