The Controversy and Ethical Debate Surrounding Euthanasia

1427 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: controversy of euthanasia

Dax Cowart was hospitalized after a gas explosion engulfed his car because he suffered stern burns. He was “burned so severely and [was] in so much pain that [he] did not want to live even the early moments following the explosion.” He repeatedly asked his doctors and family to end his agony. Dianne Pretty had a motor neuron disease that instigates a painful death. She wanted to have “a quick death without suffering, at home surrounded by [her] family.” 85-year old Mary Ormerod was starved of nutrients after she went into a coma. Her doctor and daughter made the decision to end her torment, however the doctor got suspended in doing so (BBC).

These and many other cases have occurred in medical history, and many more are bound to occur. This ending of the anguish is called euthanasia. In order for the ethical concerns of the issue to be discussed, euthanasia needs to be defined, and the different classes of it understood. The discussion itself has to be based on a method of reasoning and logic. One of the sources of ethical rationale, and probably the major method of reasoning in some parts of the world, is religion. Different religions differ in their view of euthanasia, some share similarities while others differ completely.

According to the book titled “Euthanasia: a Reference Handbook” by McDougall and Gorman, the Merriam Webster dictionary defines euthanasia as “ an easy death or mercy killing.” Suicide is also defined as “the act of killing oneself purposely” (McDougall, Gorman and Roberts). Thus, physician Assisted suicide is the act of taking one’s life with the aid of a doctor (McDougall, Gorman and Roberts). Euthanasia is a very disputable matter, some regard it as a human right while others deem it unethical. One of t...

... middle of paper ...

...ews of euthanasia. Following this similarity in views, can a global ethical law be formed? To answer this question further investigation into the viewpoint of these three religions on other ethical issues is required.

Works Cited

Alters, Sandra. Death and Dying: End-of-Life Controversies. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2009.

Athar, Shahid and Hossam E. Fadel. ISLAMIC MEDICAL ETHICS: The IMANA Perspective. n.d.

BBC. BBC. 4 april 2011 .

Betzold, Michel (1993). Appointment with Doctor Death. Troy, MI: Momentum Books.

McDougall, Jennifer Fecio, Martha Gorman and Carolyn S. Roberts. Euthanasia: a Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2008.

Novak, David. The Sanctity Of Human Life. Washington D.C.: Georgetown UP, 2007.

Sachdina, Abdulaziz Abdulhussein. Islamic Biomedical Ethics: Principles and Application. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009.

Show More
Related

  • Child Euthanasia in Belgium Should not be Legal

    1766 Words  | 4 Pages

    McDougall, Jennifer Fecio. Euthanasia : A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2008. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Should Euthanasia be Legalized in the United States?

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Euthanasia dates back to the first century B.C. with the ancient Romans and Greeks. Euthanasia received its meaning from the Greek word euthanatos meaning good or well death. The idea of euthanasia came before Christianity and the value of individual human rights. In first century B.C. the Greeks and Romans had a “widespread support for voluntary death as opposed to prolonged agony, and physicians complied by often giving their patients the poisons they requested” (Dowbiggin). It was not until thirteenth century B.C. when Christianity was in full swing. The upbringing of Christianity placed euthanasia under the spot light. Many strict followers of Christianity and Judaism believed that human life is a responsibility of God; not to be put in the hands of a doctor. It was not until mid-seventeenth century when reformation of the church began. Reformation brought upo...

    Read More

  • Euthanasia: An Ethical Dilemma

    1817 Words  | 4 Pages

    The ethical debate regarding euthanasia dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. It was the Hippocratic School (c. 400B.C.) that eliminated the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide from medical practice. Euthanasia in itself raises many ethical dilemmas – such as, is it ethical for a doctor to assist a terminally ill patient in ending his life? Under what circumstances, if any, is euthanasia considered ethically appropriate for a doctor? More so, euthanasia raises the argument of the different ideas that people have about the value of the human experience.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide

    1925 Words  | 4 Pages

    perspective on euthanasia. Journal of Medical Ethics, 36(5), 306. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from Research Library.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia: An Individual Choice

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    Euthanasia has many different meanings. Some consider euthanasia as meaning a gentle and easy passing, the good death of another, or mercy killing (Lane, 1). Others consider it to mean an intentional termination of life, by another, at the explicit request of the individual. This implies that the act would be initiated by the person who wishes to terminate his/her life, or some define it as to include both the voluntary and the involuntary termination of life (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 1). Euthanasia is discussed in many places besides a hospital or doctor’s office. It is also discussed in churches, philosophy classes, taverns, street corners, homes, medical societies, nursing classes, hospices, journals, and legislative assemblies (Lane, 2).

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Euthanasia

    1512 Words  | 4 Pages

    They start to end their life by starving themselves or doing other wrongdoings. For example, maybe jumping off a bridge and ending up with even more serious problems. When someone starves themselves they only last a couple of weeks before they die. So they are suffering with the pain they had already and now the suffering from starvation. The sick people should not have to got through all these crucial things. They should have the right to die with dignity and of course it has to be their own choice.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues Of Euthanasia

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    Any discussion that pertains to the topic of euthanasia must first include a clear definition of the key terms and issues. With this in mind, it should be noted that euthanasia includes both what has been called physician-assisted "suicide" and voluntary active euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide involves providing lethal medication(s) available to the patient to be used at a time of the patient’s own choosing (Boudreau, p.2, 2014). Indifferently, voluntary active euthanasia involves the physician taking an active role in carrying out the patient’s request, and usually involves intravenous delivery of a lethal substance. Physician-assisted suicide is felt to be easier psychologically for the physician and patient than euthanasia because

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Euthanasia

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    The problem of euthanasia, like abortion and other controversial dilemmas of our times, divides society almost the whole of the Western world on its supporters and opponents.

    Read More

  • Ethics of Euthanasia

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    As patients come closer to the end of their lives, certain organs stop performing as well as they use to. People are unable to do simple tasks like putting on clothes, going to the restroom without assistance, eat on our own, and sometimes even breathe without the help of a machine. Needing to depend on someone for everything suddenly brings feelings of helplessness much like an infant feels. It is easy to see why some patients with terminal illnesses would seek any type of relief from this hardship, even if that relief is suicide. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is where a physician would give a patient an aid in dying. “Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on the question of whether, in certain situations, Medical practioners should be allowed to help patients actively determine the time and circumstances of their death” (Lee). “Arguments for and against assisted suicide (sometimes called the “right to die” debate) are complicated by the fact that they come from very many different points of view: medical issues, ethical issues, legal issues, religious issues, and social issues all play a part in shaping people’s opinions on the subject” (Lee). Euthanasia should not be legalized because it is considered murder, it goes against physicians’ Hippocratic Oath, violates the Controlled

    Read More

  • The Euthanasia Debate

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    Euthanasia is defined as the painless killing of a terminally ill patient by means of lethal injection by a doctor in a controlled medical environment. Similarly, physician assisted suicide (PAS) is when a patient requests a lethal prescription from a doctor or pharmacist to end their life before a fatal disease does. The two are akin to each other and are almost interchangeable in definitions. Being a highly controversial topic, there is a plethora of arguments surrounding PAS, all very emotionally driven and opinionated. There are those who firmly believe that euthanasia should be legal, pointing to morality and ethics to defend their position. On the other side, of course, are those who are inflexibly against the idea of assisted suicide and wish for it to be banned immediately. Right behind them are the individuals who find PAS completely unnecessary, questioning the position of a doctor the moment they participate in assisted suicide. Finally is the notion that people have the right to euthanasia, finding protection in the US Constitution. All sides pose very solid and cohesive arguments with plenty of understandable points and respectable views.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia Should Be Legal

    2051 Words  | 5 Pages

    Euthanasia has been an ongoing debate for many years. Everyone has an opinion on why euthanasia should or should not be allowed but, it is as simple as having the choice to die with dignity. If a patient wishes to end his or her life before a disease takes away their quality of life, then the patient should have the option of euthanasia. Although, American society considers euthanasia to be morally wrong euthanasia should be considered respecting a loved one’s wishes. To understand euthanasia, it is important to know the rights humans have at the end of life, that there are acts of passive euthanasia already in practice, and the beneficial aspects.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Euthanasia In Religion

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Because “culture…creates the context within which individuals experience life and comprehend moral meaning of illness, suffering, or death” (Blank, 2011), it is helpful to find answers to questions about euthanasia in culture, particularly in religion. The three monotheistic Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have developed clear positions regarding euthanasia. Despite individual variations, generally all three religions agree upon the intrinsic value and sacredness of life as a gift from God, upon the God’s authorship and sovereignty in the timing of life and death (it is in the hands of God), and upon the fact that the preservation of life is superior to that of quality of life no matter what the surrounding circumstances are. They also have a common permissive attitude toward interrupting the aggressive treatment and allowing the nature to take its course in situations when there is no hope for recovery, the patient experiences severe pain levels unrelieved by medications, and the patient’s level of functioning is very poor. The lethal dose of pain killers is forgiven only in situations when the clear intent was to relieve pain and not to cause death. Each religion advises the provision of holistic care to the patient including assessment for and treatment of depression and other psychological and social factors that might predispose the patient to lose hope and to wish his own death. A final thought about the mercy and compassion as intention behind performing euthanasia would be that expressed by Doerflinger (1995), “It is hard to imagine a stronger endorsement of the need for good care of the dying and better pain control. But this vision is inconsistent with the idea that we may sometimes end suffering by ending life.

    Read More

  • Thesis For The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thesis Statement: While euthanasia ends the suffering of a terminally ill patient, it may be ill-advised to use it on a patient who is not terminally ill despite their reasons or ailments.

    Read More

  • The Case for Euthanasia

    2340 Words  | 5 Pages

    In order to provide a framework for my thesis statement on the morality of euthanasia, it is first necessary to define what euthanasia is and the different types of euthanasia. The term Euthanasia originates from the Greek term “eu”, meaning happy or good and “thanatos”, which means death, so the literal definition of the word Euthanasia can be translated to mean “good or happy death”.

    Read More

  • Moral and Ethical Issues of Euthanasia

    1525 Words  | 4 Pages

    Robert Matz; Daniel P. Sudmasy; Edward D. Pallegrino. "Euthanasia: Morals and Ethics." Archives of Internal Medicine 1999: p1815 Aug. 9, 1999 .

    Read More

More about The Controversy and Ethical Debate Surrounding Euthanasia

Open Document