Doctors Acting As Killing Machines

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Doctors Acting As Killing Machines

We all remember back in 1999 when Dr. Jack Kevorkian was sentenced to a 10-25 year prison term for giving a lethal injection to Tomas Youk whose death was shown on the “60 Minutes” television program. Also, in a claim from an article from the New England Journal of Medicine, “1 in 5 ICU nurses have helped patients die” (Jacobs). Are these actions acceptable? The American Nurses’ Association of Washington, D.C. and other nurses criticized this claim; they said it was damaging to the profession (Jacobs). These situations may be true; however, not many people in this world want to believe it. The basic term for these actions is Euthanasia, or assisted suicide. Euthanasia is the termination of a patient’s life by a doctor at the request of the patient. Euthanasia is derived from the Greek words eu and thanatos, which means "happy" or "good death" (euthanasia.com 2003). Euthanasia falls under the moral debate category. Is it just or unjust to help someone die? It is a known fact that a doctor’s profession is to prolong life; however, according to the definition of euthanasia, the doctors are supposed to assist the patient in death. Euthanasia is complex and I feel that it should not be legalized in America because people are not educated on the subject. Also, the legalization of euthanasia in other countries has directly affected its society’s way of life, the “slippery slope” effect, the pressure on the patient, financial and social burdens, mental health problems related to committing suicide, and last, the history of euthanasia and why it is not a good option for current problems such as moral and ethical battles.

According to euthanasia.com (euthanasia.co...

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...l the end of time. There are strong concerns about legalizing euthanasia including misuse and/or overuse, and maybe even viewing value of life less. Euthanasia is basically homicide performed in the hospital where life should be given a second chance. People are not educated enough to make the decisions they do; the proof lies in the paraplegic where rehab was all he needed. Euthanasia started off as a major sin in 400 B.C. Since then it has escalated into a broad perspective that is not generally discussed, but everyone know it is relevant. Euthanasia is not legal in American, however, only five years ago it was not legalized in Oregon, but now it is. Who knows what tomorrow will bring us, and we will not solve problems by getting rid of the people whom the problems happen. The more difficult but humane solution to human suffering is to address the problems.

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