There are many reasons why people think euthanasia or assisted suicide should be legalized. These range from the practical to the emotional. On a practical level, the cost of maintaining a patient on life support machines is exhorbitant, and if there is little chance of their quality of life actually improving, it seems pointless for the families of such people to spend so much money to simply prolong the inevitable.
On an emotional level, many people cannot bear the idea that their loved ones are in pain or suffering. People in the end stages of cancer or other terminal illnesses may suffer extreme pain and discomfort, and assisted suicide is one way of ending their suffering.
One very controversial aspect of this topic is the idea of informed consent. Some patients on life support cannot advocate for themselves, because they are too weak, mentally incompetent, or simply in a living but vegetative state. In such cases, many believe euthanasia is the most humane and reasonable option to end their suffering (if there is no hope for cure), but since the patient themselves cannot make the decision, it is up to family members and/or health care proxies to do so, and such a decision can be complicated by a range of emotions, such as love, guilt, grief, or a sense of duty or responsibility, or even religious convictions.
This is a very complex issue, obviously.
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