Determining the Value of Life: Law, Individual, and Societal Impact

This essay delves into the intricate debate surrounding the determination of the value of life, exploring whether it should be primarily governed by legal frameworks or individual autonomy. The essay examines the interplay between law and individual choice, using the contentious issues of abortion and euthanasia/assisted dying as focal points to illustrate the complexities of the discussion. It highlights the tension between legal regulations designed to protect human life and the individual's right to make personal decisions about their own existence, citing examples of legal restrictions and their impact on individual freedom. The essay also discusses the role of governments and the potential for laws to be influenced by self-serving motives, ultimately emphasizing the importance of laws that respect human life and individual agency. The essay concludes by underscoring the need for cooperation between individuals and lawmakers to ensure the well-being of both society and the individual, and the importance of considering the potential impacts of laws before their implementation.

SHOULD THE VALUE OF
LIFE BE DECIDED BY
LAW OR AN INDIVIDUAL

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
ESSAY.............................................................................................................................................1
Abortion..................................................................................................................................1
Euthanasia/Assisted dying......................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
The below essay is based on the discussion that should the value of life be decided by law
or an individual. It explores various points regarding both importances of the law and choice of
an individual. It points out those important aspects that deals with human life and how the law
and choices of an individual impacts them. The essay makes use of issues such as abortion and
euthanasia to explain the factors regarding value of life. At last, it concludes with explaining the
importance of human life and the overall learning of the essay.
ESSAY
Abortion
Today, it can be seen as the value of life is largely managed by the law rather than an
individual itself. The choices of an individual is abided by the law sometimes when a person
tends to make his own decision about the kind of life he desires to live. Law does provides the
safety of a human life but it should not control the choices of an individual. Along with it, the
strict regulations of governments to maintain a law and order in the society makes it harder for
an individual to live freely.
The strict rules levied by the government of few countries on abortion makes it hard for
the people to follow the implementation. In many cases, some people choose to do it illegally.
Countries such as Ireland and Argentina banned abortion to grow its population and to create
awareness about the wrongdoing of abortion practices. These countries have created necessary
arrangements to block all sources in abortion practices.
With keeping in mind the illegality of abortion practices countries such as Ireland have
introduced new bills to bring abortion in place. The government of Ireland with these new bills
have implemented new laws which in general keeps abortion as a priority within the hospital
premises. It can be seen that the government has opened new resources for its people in which
they can decide weather the child needs to be aborted or not. The knowledge gaps of the doctors
and the practices regarding abortion is a problem faced by the country while implementing the
law of accepting abortion practices (Channel 4 news, Abortion debate: The Irish referendum
discussed and explained, 2018)
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This has allowed the people of Ireland to gain necessary freedom in practising abortion.
While in many countries' abortion is still illegal and people suffer from having child's that they
are not able to grow. These circumstances make the people of the country to not able to live as
per their choices and live freely as an individual. To solve the issue of Abortion, various
countries have chosen to constantly keep an eye on the practices such as abortion while allowing
the to do it legally. Along with it, these countries are now more safe from factors such as
population growth, not required child birth's etc.(Paul Cullen, Abortion in Ireland : A guide to
how it will work, 2018).
In America, when the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 was passed. The people
who supported the right faced conspicuous problems, when they did not know in what ways they
could've articulated the unborn human life value.
The supporters of abortion have said to be seen the fetus as a blob but not a part of human
life. This explains how less the government today care about the life of any human being on this
planet weather born or unborn. It leads us to understand that if people of 21st century are not
provided with the choice to live their life with their choices, it might make them and their
caretakers suffer (William Saletan, 2003, What's the value of a fetus?).
The actions of the government of these countries can be seen as both binding and setting
free the people. It is hard to decide weather one should be allowed to make choices individually
or his choices should be determined by a somewhat experienced system of governance. The
political system of some huge countries in terms of power and economy and their decisions
regarding the population is based on the overall impact it will make on their economy and their
political stances. This makes it difficult for individuals when they are abided by laws which
makes them less free to make their own choices and live individually.
Law is important for society to develop the necessary needs and restrictions. These needs
allow the people of the society to ask for the changes they want in their system altogether
whereas few people would not accept the change as their mindset is opposed towards the needs
of the people who asked for the changes (BBC News night, Two women stories of abortion,
2018).
Sometimes the law gets affected by the self-serving purpose of the one who creates it,
either a country or its governance. This is where the population of it gets impacted when there is
a self-serving motive and the people suffer when these laws abide them to live their life
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individually. It is important for governments to prepare such laws that value the human life to its
full potential and never set boundaries which makes an individual's life suffer. It is the job of an
individual that he carries the necessary responsibility towards the law and order of the country
and allows its country to maintain the required discipline.
If both the individuals and the lawmakers work with cooperation the country will flourish
and there would not be any chance of suffering for the country and the individual's value of life.
It is important the value of life is understood really well before making any laws that directly
will impact the life of an individual. The risks after its implementation and what changes it might
make in the long run needs to be considered as well. If these factors are observed before than in
future it would not be difficult for the lawmakers and individuals to cooperate and successfully
maintain peace when such situations arrive in which they are not receptive to find the solutions.
(Bowcott. O, 2018, Northern Ireland clashes with human rights, judges say).
Euthanasia/Assisted dying
There are cases when the government does not allow its residents to choose their death in
case if they might are suffering from pain and something that is abiding their will to live. In case
of Charlie Gard who was a baby born in 2016 with a very rare genetic disorder called MDDS.
The child's health suffered with severe brain damage and he was not able to open his eyes or
move his arms and legs as well(Thoreau, 2018).
The case became a big issue for the government of United Kingdom. The issue led the
government to find out best of the solutions. After the child's trial with the best of the doctors in
the United Kingdom, there was no possibility to save him from the disastrous condition he was
suffering from. A lot of considerations and law understandings were done later by the judges of
supreme court managed to provide allowance to the death of the child, and later the hospital took
of his ventilator and allowed him to die (Nick Triggle, Charlie Gard: The story of his parents'
legal fight, 2017).
The case of Charlie Gard explains that it is hard for the governments as well to
understand what needs to done in places when issues such as of Charlie Gard's occur. It made it
difficult for the law as well to find solutions. In such conditions, the empathy of the people needs
to be understand to find required solutions.
The value of life of a child Charlie Gard cannot be determined by his own as he was a
child. It made his parents responsible for whatever they wanted to do with him regarding his
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illness. The law was the only one that was preventing them to make a decision here. Along with
it, the law was important to find a mature solution. Without the law it was hard for the parents as
well to make a decision that can save or take the life of a newborn. (Sara Robberson Lentz,
What's the value of a human life, 2017)
The above case explains the importance of law and order in context of the life of a
person. Weather it should be left on the government to decide what should be done with a
person's life or on a person to decide what he wants to do with his life.
It is hard to identify the requirements here because some situations are critical in which
there is a need of mature person to make decisions. In some cases, the individual can make an
easy choice which is suitable for his life but the laws abides it. With the understanding
knowledge of right and wrong the law always put the best solution whereas the individual can
might make wrong choice and can destroy his life or the life of others around it.
Now this has become important that while creating laws everything that comes under an
individual preference should be taken into consideration. If not done well, this in future can
might cause problems to the individuals and their right to freedom.
It is important to know that law is a necessary part of society, if there's no law there's not
any possibility of change, maintenance, and keeping everyone on the same level of order. Along
with it, the value of life is need to be determined by an individual's preference of how he/she
wants to live it, and at that time when an individual chooses to determine his own life value the
law should value the choice of an individual and should consider what is right as per their
choices.(Eekelaar, 2017)
The law and individuals need to work in tandem in order to achieve what's best for both
of them. Only the law cannot decide what's best for an individual or only an individual cannot
decide how law should work. If they both work as per their needs and expectations from both of
them they might make the value of life much better and understanding(Peter Singer, Why we
must ration health care, 2009).
The value of life needs to be understood really well before making or creating any laws
that are going to determine how an individual should live and adapt as per his needs and
requirements. To understand the value of life it is important for the law to take necessary surveys
on how people make their choices. If taken well, the survey can provide the governments with a
number of choice that people make and what choices occur widely. It will later make its easy for
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the government to make laws as per the needs and requirements of its population and serve them
accordingly. If laws are prepared with keeping a self serving purpose then it might make the
population suffer in terms of having enough freedom of decision, the right to choose etc. All of
these factors can make an individual suffer in order to live peacefully(Crane, 2018).
In 18th century, France brought a law in which it allowed the country's people to make
their own choices to live their life. This law made people to freely roam and travel in streets, to
visit where they want to, to eat and drink as per their preferences. There was one thing that the
law did not allow that was hurting any other individual's sentiments, culture, the way of life they
choose to live, etc. But later it was seen as the law was making people more receptive towards
activities such as crime and theft. The French government saw this as a danger to the country's
order and life. The law was immediately scrapped and a new law took place which kept some
freedom of an individual within the law and made people make their own choices under the law
that was established(Matthew Hutson, Calculating the value of life, 2013).
This explains that law and order is important in a society. If there's no law that abides its
people to do things which are considered as crime and bad than there's a chance everyone will
suffer and there would not be any freedom as well.
CONCLUSION
The above essay discusses that should the value of life be decided by law or an
individual. It explores various points regarding both importances of the law and choice of an
individual. It points out those important aspects that deals with human life and how the law and
choices of an individual impacts them. The essay makes use of issues such as abortion and
euthanasia to explain the factors regarding value of life.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Crane, D., 2018. The sanctity of social life: physicians treatment of critically ill patients.
Routledge
Eekelaar, J., 2017. Family law and personal life. Oxford University Press.
Thoreau, H. D., 2018. Slavery in Massachusetts. Charles River Editors via PublishDrive.
Online
Abortion in Ireland: A guide how it will work. 2018. [Online]. Available
through :<https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/abortion-in-ireland-a-guide-to-how-it-
will-work-1.3724020/>>
Calculating the value of life. 2013. [Online]. Available
through :<https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/calculating-the-value-of-
a-life/>
Charlie Gard: A Case that change everything?. 2017. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.bbc.com/news/health-40644896/>
No going back: The two sides in Argentina's abortion debate. 2018. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45096704/>
What's the value of a fetus?. 2003. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/26/opinion/what-s-the-value-of-a-fetus.html/>
What's the value of a human life?. 2017. [Online]. Available through
<https://news.utexas.edu/2017/03/16/what-is-the-value-of-a-human-life/>
Why we must ration health care. 2009. [Online]. Available
through :<https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/magazine/19healthcare-t.html/>
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