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Ethical dilemma about euthanasia
Ethical dilemma about euthanasia
Ethical dilemma about euthanasia
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Should humans be able to have so much power that they can act as ‘God’? This question is often brought up with the concept of euthanasia. In 1990, a retired pathologist named Jack Kevorkian sparked a revolution in ethical thinking when he helped Oregonian woman Janet Adkins to die. Adkins was fifty-four years old when she was diagnosed with an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, the fourth-largest killer of Americans. She tried experimental drugs to deal with the progressive memory loss symptoms, but they were not successful. On June 4, 1990, Adkins met Kevorkian in Michigan, where assisted suicide and euthanasia were not illegal at the time, in order to perform the suicide procedure. The two were denied the use of clinics, churches, and funeral homes when they explained the intentions of the procedure. Instead, they performed it in a van. The case received more publicity than expected and Kevorkian was prosecuted for murder (Pence 53-54). Euthanasia by definition is “deliberate killing committed under the impulse of compassion in order to relieve the physical pains of a person suffering from an incurable disease and whose death is, therefore, inevitable” (Diaconescu). It is very similar to physician-assisted suicide, but there is one key difference. During the process of physician-assisted suicide, the physician only prescribes a lethal dose of medication to the patient where as in euthanasia the physician not only prescribes the medication, but also administers it (Lowry 107). Euthanasia can be broken down into three forms: voluntary euthanasia, involuntary euthanasia, and non-voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia occurs when suffering individuals request to die on their own, while involuntary euthanasia occurs when eut... ... middle of paper ... ...4.2 (2012): 474+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. Lee, M.Stingl, Alexander. "Assisted Suicide: An Overview." Points Of View: Assisted Suicide (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 15 Mar. 2014 Loewy, Erich H., and Roberta Springer Loewy. The Ethics Of Terminal Care : Orchestrating The End Of Life. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2002. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Marker, Rita L., and Kathi Hamlon. "Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legal." Assisted Suicide. Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Frequently Asked Questions." Patients Rights Council, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Pence, Gregory E.. Medical ethics: accounts of ground-breaking cases. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
Manu, Constantin D. "Assisted Suicide." Journal of Medicine and Life, vol. 3, no. 1, 2010., pp. 52-9.NC Live. http://nclive.org/cgi-bin/nclsm?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/ 755214846? accountid=13939. Accessed 24 Sept. 2016.
Assisted suicide and euthanasia is a controversial issue all over the world, and it leads to debate as to whether or not an individual should be allowed to decide the moment and form of one’s death, along with the
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
The issue at hand is whether physician-assisted suicide should be legalized for patients who are terminally ill and/or enduring prolonged suffering. In this debate, the choice of terms is central. The most common term, euthanasia, comes from the Greek words meaning "good death." Sidney Hook calls it "voluntary euthanasia," and Daniel C. Maguire calls it "death by choice," but John Leo calls it "cozy little homicides." Eileen Doyle points out the dangers of a popular term, "quality-of-life." The choice of terms may serve to conceal, or to enhance, the basic fact that euthanasia ends a human life. Different authors choose different terms, depending on which side of the issue they are defending.
Callahan, Daniel. "Physician -assisted Suicide Should Not be Legal." Suicide: Opposing Viewpoints. Biskup, Michael. ed. San Diego. Greenhaven Press, Inc.1992.
distant cousin of euthanasia, in which a person wishes to commit suicide. feels unable to perform the act alone because of a physical disability or lack of knowledge about the most effective means. An individual who assists a suicide victim in accomplishing that goal may or may not be held responsible for. the death, depending on local laws. There is a distinct difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide. This paper targets euthanasia; pros and cons. not to be assisted in suicide. & nbsp; Thesis Argument That Euthanasia Should Be Accepted & nbsp;
M., Lee and Alexander Stingl. “Assisted Suicide: An Overview.” Points of View: Assisted Suicide. Great Neck Publishing, 1 Jan. 2013. 1. Alabama Virtual Library. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 20 March 2014.
"Assisted Suicide: Finding Common Ground." Lois Snyder, JD; and Authur L. Caplan, PhD. Annals of Internal Medicine. March 21, 2000. v.132, n.6
Pereira, J. (2011). Legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide: The illusion of safeguards and controls. Retrieved November 29, 2016, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3070710/
Euthanasia, according to Munson , refers to the act of ending life in order to relieve pain and suffering for the patient by means of lethal injections. Euthanasia gives terminally ill patients the opportunity to end their suffering and pain when the illness is incurable. There are also different types of euthanasia called involuntary, voluntary, and non-voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is the focus in this analysis, meaning that all patients involved are found to be completely competent and able to make a decision to end their life.
There are two types of euthanasia; involuntary and voluntary euthanasia. Involuntary euthanasia is when the decision of the...
New York: New York University Press, 2012. Print. The. Kuhse, Helga. A. “Euthanasia.” A Companion to Ethics.
Robert Matz; Daniel P. Sudmasy; Edward D. Pallegrino. "Euthanasia: Morals and Ethics." Archives of Internal Medicine 1999: p1815 Aug. 9, 1999 .
Focus on the Family Issue Analysts. “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.” Focus on the Family. 2008. Focus on the Family. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
The person may ask for help with dying, start refusing medical treatment, and they may start refusing to eat. Non-voluntary euthanasia is when a person is unable to make a decision and another person has to make the decision on their behalf. This may occur because the person is in a coma, too young, or senile. Involuntary euthanasia occurs when a person does not want to die but is killed anyways. This form of euthanasia is not acceptable, and it is typically associated with murder, depending on the situation.