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What are the most convincing arguments against euthanasia?

I am looking for non religious arguments, to do with problems of legalising euthanasia. I think one of the most convincing is that families/doctors may put pressure on people to consent to euthanasia even though its not what the really want. I think I am for euthanasia in certain cases, but I know that legalising it with restrictions is very hard to control.

Public Comments

1. im not sure but im going to keep looking at this question. it would be great to see some non religious arguments, because all i see is religion when i ask
2. I look forward to hearing answers on this topic because i am really for Euthanasia! Thanks for asking this!
3. I have nothing against the youths in Asia.
4. One thing I can think of is the decision is made too hastily or what if the doctor or whoever is ultimately deciding wrong or acting against the wishes of the patient? I support euthanasia but there needs to be in place safeguards to protect the patient. (I would not want to be in a hospital for years and years with no hope of recovery.)
5. Because if you give us an inch, we'll take a mile. It goes from terminal patients in excruciating pain to 'it's inconvenient to care for these 90 year old bedridden people - so let's euthanise all of the people in nursing homes'. If you are able to 'consent' to it, where are the lines drawn. If I consent now, and 10 years from now have terminal cancer - I could see it. But what if I consent now, and 10 years from now, break my hip and can't walk anymore - don't want to live that way - do I have the right to be euthanised because I don't want to live that way? What if mom signs a consent form - and then gets alzheimers - and I don't want to have to take care of her - and can't afford a nursing home - can I euthanise her? There are tons of reasons not to do it - although I could argue lots of reasons to allow it as well.
6. My non-religious argument would be that we don't let animals suffer when they have incurable illnesses, so we shouldn't let humans suffer either.
7. People recover from illness even when doctors say that there is no hope. Very difficult argument to refute! They say "That case was an exception" You say "How do you know that this isn't?"
8. if you look up the remmelink report its a study released in sept 10, 1991 on euthanasia in the netherlands it states that According to the government proposal, published on August 11, 1999 children as young as 12 would be able to demand and receive euthanasia. The population of the Netherlands in 1990 was 15 million. The study findings indicated the following annual figures: 2300 cases of active voluntary euthanasia. 400 cases of assisted suicide (the lethal means for death is provided to the patient for self-administration) 1040 cases of involuntary euthanasia (.8% of total deaths in Holland). These cases --averaging almost 3 per day -- were those in which the physician prescribed, provided or administered a medicine with the deliberate aim to hasten the end of life, though the patient had made no explicit request for euthanasia. 14% of patients whose lives were ended without their explicit request were fully competent. 62% of patients whose lives were terminated without their explicit request had never given any indication regarding termination of life. An additional 8100 patients died after pain medication (morphine) was administered by physicians who intended to shorten life. The decision to administer the intentional overdose was not discussed with 27% of fully competent patients who died in this manner. When the definition of euthanasia is widened to include those patients who died at the hands of a physician, whether or not they had requested death, it becomes clear the "the real number of physician assisted deaths, estimated by the Remmelink Report, is, in reality, 25,306....This amounts to 19.61 per cent of total deaths (129,000) in The Netherlands in 1990". Of this number (25,306), Richard Fenigsen, M.D., Ph.D., a Dutch cardiologist, finds 14,691 cases of involuntary euthanasia. Euthanasia was practiced in Germany prior to the Nazi period. The original euthanasia program was to "purify" the German race. It was a creation of physicians, not Hitler. He simply allowed the use of the tools others had prepared. The first gas chamber was designed by professors of psychiatry from 12 major German universities. Psychiatric patients were executed until the hospitals were almost empty. They were joined by some pediatricians, who began by emptying the institutions for handicapped children in 1939. By 1945 almost 300,000 Germans were killed. By then, these doctors were killing bed wetters, children with misshapen ears, and those with learning disabilities. (Wertham, The German Euthanasia Program, Hayes Publishing Co., Cinn, 1977, p.47). hope this helps