Most people do not like to talk or even think about death; much less the topic of ending one’s own life. However, for some, death is a desired alternative to living in agony. Euthanasia has been a topic of debate since antiquity, and both sides stand firm on their beliefs. The right to choose death is illegal in most countries. I believe in people’s freedom to do what they please with their own bodies. The basic right of liberty is what America was founded on. Euthanasia should be a legal option. It’s important to start by understanding the different types of euthanasia. Allowing someone to die is, “Forgoing or withdrawing medical treatment that offers no hope of benefit to the total well-being of the patient, or that imposes burdens disproportionate to the potential benefits, allows the patient to die” (Manning 2). Traditionally called passive euthanasia, allowing someone to die was redefined by and is acceptable in the Catholic Church. Active euthanasia, also known as physician-assisted suicide, is when someone other than the patient ends the life of the patient upon explicit request. I view active and passive euthanasia to be one in the same with one very real difference; allowing someone to die delays the inevitable and the patient is left to twist and turn for awhile longer. Peter Chesterfield comments, “A terminally ill, mentally competent patient like me should not be forced to suffer. This is as morally unacceptable as murder” (qtd. In Friedman 8). On the other hand, “The phrase ‘mercy killing’ refers to someone’s taking a direct action to terminate a patient’s life without the patient’s permission” (Thiroux and Krasemann 184). Mercy killing is the form of euthanasia that must be properly monitored and consist... ... middle of paper ... ...ties Toward Physician- Assisted Death: An Exploratory Assessment of the Vulnerability Argument,” Journal of Disability Policy Studies, vol. 16, no. 1, Summer 2005. Print. Manning M.D., Michael. Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Killing or Caring? Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1998. Print. Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Euthanasia." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 05 May 2015. . Sharma, Shweta. "Euthanasia: Debate Rekindled on Right to Die for the Terminally Ill." Health and Wellness Resource Center. Mel, 3 Aug. 2014. Web. 05 May 2015. Snyder, Carrie L. Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. Farmington Hills: Bonnie Szumski, 2006. Print. Thiroux, Jacques P. and Kevin W. Krasseman. Ethics: Theory and Practice. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.
Anyone can be diagnosed with a terminal illness. It doesn’t matter how healthy you are, who you are, or what you do. Some terminal illnesses you can prevent by avoiding unhealthy habits, eating healthily, exercising regularly and keeping up with vaccinations. However some terminally ill people cannot be helped, their diseases cannot be cured and the only thing possible to help them, besides providing pain relieving medication, is to make them as comfortable as possible while enduring their condition. Many times the pharmaceuticals do not provide the desired pain escape, and cause patients to seek immediate relief in methods such as euthanasia. Euthanasia is the practice of deliberately ending a life in order to alleviate pain and suffering, but is deemed controversial because many various religions believe that their creators are the only ones that should decide when their life’s journey should reach its end. Euthanasia is performed by medical doctors or physicians and is the administration of a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient on his or her express request. Although the majority of American states oppose euthanasia, the practice would result in more good as opposed to harm. The patient who is receiving the euthanizing medication would be able to proactively choose their pursuit of happiness, alleviate themselves from all of the built up pain and suffering, relieve the burden they may feel they are upon their family, and die with dignity, which is the most ethical option for vegetative state and terminally ill patients. Euthanasia should remain an alternative to living a slow and painful life for those who are terminally ill, in a vegetative state or would like to end their life with dignity. In addition, t...
Dworkin, Gerald. " The Nature of Medicine." Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide: For and Against. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1998.
Bibliography:.. Bernard, Neal, Ed. & Co. d. a. a. a. a. a. Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints Series, Series Eds. David L. Bender and Bruno Leone.
"Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide: All Sides." [On-Line]. Available: http://www.relgious tolerance.org/euthanas.htm #beli Downloaded: November 6, 1997
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;
Euthanasia, the right to die, death with dignity – no matter what you call it – should be readily available to all humans who wish to die. Euthanasia, as defined by MediLexicon’s medical dictionary, is “a quiet, painless death” or “the intentional putting to death of a person with an incurable or painful disease intended as an act of mercy” (----). There is one absolute certain in life – death. It is one matter that we have no choice in, we will all die. But shouldn’t we have some say in how, when, and where we will die? We are the ones who lived, after all. With the rise of support and advocacy of euthanasia, we might just be able to have some say in our deaths.
Nobody wants to experience this great hardship, watching someone you love turn into almost nothing. I believe the concept of euthanasia should be legalized because of the pain and suffering to both the patient and the family, the cost of medications and treatments, and lastly because of the decline of quality of life for the individual.
The Catholic view of euthanasia is that euthanasia is morally wrong. it has always been taught the importance of the commandment "you shall not kill". The church has said that "nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent person, whether a foetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease. disease, or a person who is dying. " The church says any law permitting euthanasia is unjust.
Euthanasia is the fact of ending somebody’s life when assisting him to die peacefully without pain. In most cases, it is a process that leads to end the suffering of human beings due to disease or illness. A person other than the patient is responsible for the act of euthanasia; for example a medical provider who gives the patient the shot that must kill him. When people sign a consent form to have euthanasia, it is considered voluntary, involuntary euthanasia is when they refuse. When people are not alert and oriented they are not allowed to sign any consent including the consent to euthanasia. When euthanasia is practiced in such situation, it is a non-voluntary euthanasia. In sum, people who practice voluntary euthanasia in honoring other
The right to assisted suicide is a significant topic that concerns people all over the United States. The debates go back and forth about whether a dying patient has the right to die with the assistance of a physician. Some are against it because of religious and moral reasons. Others are for it because of their compassion and respect for the dying. Physicians are also divided on the issue. They differ where they place the line that separates relief from dying--and killing. For many the main concern with assisted suicide lies with the competence of the terminally ill. Many terminally ill patients who are in the final stages of their lives have requested doctors to aid them in exercising active euthanasia. It is sad to realize that these people are in great agony and that to them the only hope of bringing that agony to a halt is through assisted suicide.When people see the word euthanasia, they see the meaning of the word in two different lights. Euthanasia for some carries a negative connotation; it is the same as murder. For others, however, euthanasia is the act of putting someone to death painlessly, or allowing a person suffering from an incurable and painful disease or condition to die by withholding extreme medical measures. But after studying both sides of the issue, a compassionate individual must conclude that competent terminal patients should be given the right to assisted suicide in order to end their suffering, reduce the damaging financial effects of hospital care on their families, and preserve the individual right of people to determine their own fate.
[3] S. R. Benatar, "Dying and ' euthanasia'," South African Medical Journal = Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif Vir Geneeskunde, vol. 82, pp. 35, 1992.
Pankratz, Robert C., and Richard M. Welsh. "A Christian Response to Euthanasia." part 1. http://www. tkc.com/uturn/euthan.html (27 Feb. 1997)
What is euthanasia? The word euthanasia comes from Greek words. “eu” means good and “thanatos” means death. When these two words are put together, it means “good death”. However, in the dictionary, the meaning of euthanasia is “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of a hopelessly sick or injured individual in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy”. Although this definition is meant to indicate euthanasia, it may give people a negative idea about euthanasia. Most people who choose to have euthanasia are patients with incurable or painful diseases such as cancer or Hepatitis B. These people go through a lot of pain every day; so don’t they have the right to choose death over going through a life of both physical and mental suffering? Euthanasia gives people with diseases like such, to have a good death without going through the suffering and pain. Yet, euthanasia is only legal in four countries and 3 out of 50 of the states in America. Many
More than likely, a good majority of people have heard about euthanasia at least once in their lifetime. For those out there who have been living under a rock their entire lives, euthanasia “is generally understood to mean the bringing about of a good death – ‘mercy killing’, where one person, ‘A’, ends the life of another person, ‘B’, for the sake of ‘B’.” (Kuhse 294). There are people who believe this is a completely logical scenario that should be allowed, and there are others that oppose this view. For the purpose of this essay, I will be defending those who are suffering from euthanasia.
Should a patient have the right to ask for a physician’s help to end his or her life? This question has raised great controversy for many years. The legalization of physician assisted suicide or active euthanasia is a complex issue and both sides have strong arguments. Supporters of active euthanasia often argue that active euthanasia is a good death, painless, quick, and ultimately is the patient’s choice. While it is understandable, though heart-rending, why a patient that is in severe pain and suffering that is incurable would choose euthanasia, it still does not outweigh the potential negative effects that the legalization of euthanasia may have. Active euthanasia should not be legalized because