Euthanasia

Today during GP lesson, we had a hot discussion around the moral dilemma of Euthanasia. Admittedly, it is an issue that is profoundly controvertial and allows divergent points of view to exist. However, there is one case that incured conflicting stances and vigorous debate that mostly hurt my personal feelings. It's a senario given by our GP teacher: Your father is suffering from a severe terminating cancer and have fell into unconsciousness for two weeks. The only reason that he is still alive is that the hospital is using a life-support machine which had costs almost half of you deposits in the bank. Your 18-year old kid has been recruited into a well-known universities with a bright future. He needs your financial support otherswise will not be able to afford his university fee. There's only a slim chance that your father will wake up again and even so he would only survive for a very short time. What would be your decision at this moment? continue his treatment or give him an euthanasia and give your son a bright future?

I feel very disappointed and deeply hurt when my fellow classmates are vigorously debating on this issue. In my opinion, it can not be even called a moral dilemma because we don't have alternative choice if we are still moral: save your father at the expense of everthing.

Of course there are opposing views: "we are adults and ought to be responsible for the future of our kids; we need to make rational choice since we have other moral obligations; it's meaningless to risk your child's future for a slim chance of your father's waking up. "

Does it sound like remarks from a civilized society???

I said to my friend next to me quietly: As our great civilization advances, our moral standard is moving backward. Let's honestly ask ourselves, what's the point of sending your kid to the top university in the world at the expense of the life of the person who brought you into this world and cared about your in their whole life?

If ending your father's life is based on rationale and logical choice, then there is something wrong with the existence of our mankind. All of our thousands of years of glorious civilization will be even less significant than a falling leave which still gives itself back to the ground even before its death.