Many people in the world have requested to be euthanized. The main reason they requested to be euthanized is to omit the suffering that they feel, for example in a disease that has entered its final stage, can be considered euthanasia if a doctor intentionally gives a terminally ill patient a drug they don't need, such as an overdose of a sedative or muscle relaxant, with the sole purpose of ending their life.
In addition, euthanasia can be described as an attempted suicide with the help of a doctor. However, whatever the “pro” reasons that refer to euthanasia, I think should not be legalized, especially in Indonesia because euthanasia breaks the law, violate physician obligation and code of ethics, and violate moral and religious norms. So, in this essay, I will discuss about the reasons why euthanasia must be illegal in Indonesia.
The first reason is because euthanasia breaks the law. According to the Criminal Code (KUHP) Article 344 which says "Anyone who takes another person's life at the request of the person himself, which is clearly stated with sincerity, is threatened with a maximum imprisonment of 12 years." The punishment for the act of euthanasia is very appropriate to be sentenced to 12 years in prison, because a person may not commit an act of murder on any basis, including at the request of the person himself.
Compared with the crime of broadcasting fake news which can be imprisoned for 10 years, the perpetrator of euthanasia also deserves to be in prison longer than the crime of broadcasting fake news, because euthanasia is an act of murder while broadcasting fake news can only cause discord, which can still be controlled. For me, the article clearly explains that euthanasia is prohibited in Indonesia, although the law on euthanasia regulation does not exist yet.
The second reason is because euthanasia breaks physician obligation and doctor’s code of ethics. The doctor's code of ethics was mentioned in 400 BC by the Father of Medical Sciences, Hippocrates.
He said, "I will neither prescribe nor administer a lethal dose of medicine to any patient, even if asked nor counsel any such thing nor perform act or omission with direct intent deliberately to end a human life". In the code of ethics, I can conclude that doctors are not allowed to give excessive doses of drugs to end human life.
Doctors also cannot interfere with God's destiny. Because the doctor's true job is to heal the sick patient, prevent death, and tell as best they can about what the future holds for any particular patient, and the doctor becomes the medical guide of the helpless patient. Succinctly, if doctors perform euthanasia, they violate the doctor's code of ethics that has existed for thousands of years.
The last reason is because euthanasia violates moral and religious norms. Euthanasia deals with a very basic principle, namely that we must respect the life of our fellow human beings, even we must respect it absolutely. It is never justified to kill humans for any purpose, because no matter what the conditions are, they are still human.
According to Imam Al-Ghazali, one of the five main interests of human beings is to protect human life, which under any conditions, humans must survive for their survival. We all agree that humans are creations of God Almighty and that life is His very precious and special gift. As Surah Yunus verse 49 says, "…When their time has come, then they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede it".
Euthanasia can never be justified because it is tantamount to murder. Because death becomes the goal and thus the same as depriving the right to life. In essence, all human life is in God's hands, no one can control when someone dies, because it is not humans who decide whether to live or die, but only God who has the right to determine life or death.
To sum up, there are 3 main reasons why euthanasia must be illegal in Indonesia such as; breaking the law, breaking physician obligation and doctor’s code of ethics and violating moral and religious norms. Basically, no one can change God's destiny. As in the case of euthanasia, a doctor cannot perform euthanasia because this includes murder.
Also, the doctor's job is to heal sick patients, not kill them. However, if there is a doctor who practices euthanasia, they will be sentenced to a maximum sentence of 12 years according to the Criminal Code (KUHP) Article 344. As best and ideally, before patients experience a serious illness, they need to do routine medical check-ups at least once a year. Because if it is detected to have symptoms of the disease, it will receive appropriate treatment and can be treated as soon as possible and the possibility of experiencing end-stage disease is small.
Work Cited
Pradjonggo, Tjandra Sridjaja. 2016. Suntik Mati (Euthanasia) Ditinjau Dari Aspek Hukum Pidana Dan Hak Asasi Manusia Di Indonesia.
Accessed at http://journal2.um.ac.id/index.php/jppk/article/view/348/0
“Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide be Legal? (2018, September 10). Britannica ProCons. https://euthanasia.procon.org/top-10-pro-con-arguments/
“Arguments For and Against Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.” All of Care.
Eutanasia dalam Pandangan Islam. (2015, November 13). Republika. https://republika.co.id/berita/nxqx081/eutanasia-dalam-pandangan-islam
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