Should euthanasia be legalized?Recently, a Texas family discovered the heartbreak of losing a child to a tragic accident. However, their suffering and that of the child could have been reduced if euthanasia had been legalized. Although many people have a different view on the legalization of euthanasia (or, as some say, "physician-assisted suicide"), you will certainly have a much stronger opinion if you have experienced the experience of having a family member in that situation, like like the Newton family in Texas. In the following, we will discuss euthanasia from a structural functionalist perspective. Recently, a family decided to end the treatment of their 21-month-old granddaughter in the only “humane way” possible: nutritional withdrawal (Bever, 2014). In September, 19-month-old Natalie Newton wandered into the family pool without her parents' supervision. When she was found, Natalie was blue in the face from lack of oxygen and she immediately rushed to the hospital. Although they managed to revive her, doctors informed the family that Natalie would not survive; she was deaf, blind, unable to move, and ultimately brain dead after being deprived of oxygen for so long. As Natalie lay motionless and dead to the world, her parents begged doctors to euthanize their child. However, currently in the state of Texas, euthanasia is illegal and the hospital ethics committee would not allow it. The only method they allowed and considered humane was to deny Natalie both nutrition and hydration. Although it is always traumatic for any parent to see their child die, the Newtons observed that it took a full nine days for Natalie to finally die from a lack of nutrition. Parents argue...... middle of paper ...... murder. This would perhaps even lead healthy individuals to commit suicide, which would eventually even be considered part of the norm. Overall, a structuralist and functionalist perspective would break down the concept of euthanasia and claim its importance for society. Euthanasia would have a function, and a structural functionalist would show what that function does for the population. They would view euthanasia as having two functions, one obvious (manifest) and the other having unintended (latent) consequences. This sociological perspective could also consider euthanasia as having negative impacts and would give it a latent dysfunction. Natalie Newton's family obviously supports legalizing euthanasia and a structural functionalist might support their view. From this sociological point of view, we can say that euthanasia is a necessity for society..