An eight-year old boy walked in to his grandmother’s room to find her not breathing. He instinctively called 911, not knowing what his grandmother’s or mother’s wishes were. That should have been the end to his grandmother’s suffering, but it was not. In this instance, doctors insisted on keeping his grandmother on life support, despite his mother’s request and his grandmother was incapable of articulating her wishes. She didn’t want her mother on life support. Today in modern “democratic” medicine, physicians are suppose to serve and advise, and only in extreme situations of incapacities, emergencies, lack of available health care proxies, or patient’s waivers of decision making should they decide for a patient. Euthanasia should be the decision of the individual, not family, not government, and not the medical community.
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).
Many say they have good reasons to argue why euthanasia is a good thing. They use the argument that euthanasia is a cry for help (NCLC Department of Medical Ethics, 1). Others say terminal illness is so painful that death is the only way out. Some are concerned with what is in store for their future and would use euthanasia as an option. Then there are those who are wanting to die, but are incapable of performing their own demise, so they request help (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 3).
Some people believe that euthanasia should not be the choice of the individual, but the people who are taking care of them. They argue that when an individual is not in a sound state of mind, they should not be in a position to make such drastic decisio...
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He took the initiative to get acquainted with his students the way that his professors got acquainted with him. He would make house visits and spend extra time with the children whom he thought needed more assistance, especially with a child named Harold. Mike Rose read Harold’s academic file two times to investigate how other teachers evaluated Harold and their time spent with him. All of the teachers kept referring to Harold to have slow progression through school and not having much of an attention span. Rose took it upon himself to figure out how to help him and get him to open up and progress through his literary tasks. On page 114 Roses says: “… the conflict between two visions: one of individual possibility and one of environmental limits and determination” Although Rose was not directly talking about Harold in this statement, I believe that this is a great sentence to reflect on. This statement means a tremendous amount throughout this chapter. This sentence, to me, proclaims the vision on what your actual possibilities are, are greatly affected by what others foresee your possibilities can/ should be. For example, in this text we are talking about Harold. Harold isn’t a dumb child, he can read and write, maybe not well, be he is able to perform those tasks. The test show that Harold is not capable to perform the tasks to the grade level approval, so he is dropped
The word Euthanasia comes from the Greek and means “good death” (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp) and in the range of this paper, it will be called physician assisted suicide or “active” euthanasia. The definition of “active” euthanasia is ending one’s life yourself or with aid of a doctor. It can be done in various different ways; however, the most common form is with a combination of drugs, usually given by a physician. ( http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp) The reason Physician Assisted Suicide (or PAS) is an important issue in this country and around the world is that there are many people out there suffering from debilitating, incurable and intensely painful diseases that would like to end their lives with dignity and without suffering. (Leo & Lein, 2010, The Value of a Planned Death)
Thirdly, he suffers isolation from the physical world, which he is no longer able to participate in due to his presence and lack of mobility. Lastly, he suffers isolation from other people around him, especially his family. By the end even his sister, Grete, the most compassionate member of the family, explanations that they should stop thoughtful of the creature as the person they knew. She says that “the fact that we’ve believed it so long is the root of our trouble” (Kafka 48), which can be taken to mean that at some point Gregor stopped being a person not only because of his entrance but since of his non-conformist actions. The beating he receives from his father shows the extent of the cruelty he endures, though his father knows that “family duty compulsory the conquest of disgust and the use of endurance, nothing but patience” (Kafka 36). The tragedy is that this alienation ends up killing Gregor, who “dies not as a vermin, but as a human being thinking of his family”. The transformation is an indication of the breakdown of Gregor’s psyche and alienation within his self. The reader is not told how the transformation
...top loving him. Without his initial function, he became an outlaw of family life. Gregor eventually wanted the family to give up all hope in him, a hope that he wanted to exist but did not. “He thought back on his family with deep emotion and love. His conviction that he would have to disappear was, if possible, even firmer than his sister’s.” Immediately after this line, Gregor Samsa committed suicide. As a the family came to learn of Gregor’s death, the father said, “Well, now thanks be to God.” The sister appears to not be upset, but rather in a state of disbelief that the burden on their family is finally gone. When Gregor’s mother learns of his death, she questions it, to check the validity, and then tell her daughter to come join them with a “tremendous smile.” However, it is arguable whether he killed himself, or Gregor died of a broken heart.
For my final example of society not accepting people and things that people do, teen pregnancy. My friend got pregnant her junior year of high school. Being at such a young age and not fully matured as a person, Being pregnant is looked down upon by many people. Since society Doesn 't accept this, Teens that have become pregnant tend to distance the self from other people. Most drop out of school from embarrassment and judgment. This makes life for them more difficult. From these three examples, you can see why being an outcast can really make life difficult and unbearable. It 's lonely and can mentally hurt you as a
Gregor expresses his commitment to pay off his family debt by saying, “Well, I haven’t quite given up hope; once I’ve got the money together to pay back what my parents owe him…” Gregor’s parents show little concern for his dreams in life. They are too wrapped up with their debts to care if their children are happy. All they want from Gregor is his ability to work and earn them money. When Gregor can no longer work, their source of income is limited and they begin to see Gregor as worthless and in the way. Mr.Samsa becomes increasingly upset over the uselessness of Gregor when he turns into a cockroach. He could care less that it is his son and shows his lack of care and rage when, “Gregor in terror was rooted to the spot; there was no sense in keeping moving, not if his father had decided to recourse to artillery.” Gregor’s father never showed him respect even when he did support the family, now when Gregor cannot provide for the family, his father sees him as worthless. Gregor is now terrified of his father because he is no longer needed so it is easier to dispose of him. Gregor is still living in the house and eats their old food. The family had hopes that he could recover but eventually realized that it was the end of Gregor. They no longer can sit back and send him out
“Suicide, Euthanasia, and Physician-Assisted Suicide.” Death and Dying: End-of-Life Controversies. Sandra M. Alters. 2008 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.
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.
A recent poll founded by the Canadian Medical Association found that “only one in five doctors surveyed. . . said they would be willing to perform euthanasia if the practice were legalized. . . Twice as many – 42 percent – said they would refuse to do so” (Kirkey 1). Euthanasia is defined as giving a patient the right to die early with a physician’s assistance, and the legalization of this practice is being considered by lawmakers in many countries, including the United States. Accordingly, 42 percent of doctors in Canada are on the right side of this debate. Euthanasia should not be legalized because it violates society’s views that life is sacred, creates economic pressure for doctors, and for those countries that have legalized it, their laws are not specific enough to fully protect patients.
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
The debate on whether voluntary euthanasia should be legalized has been a controversial topic. Euthanasia is defined as ‘a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life, to relieve intractable suffering’ [1]. Voluntary euthanasia refers to the patients who understand the terms in the consent and sign up under consciousness, while involuntary euthanasia is performed against patient's wishes and some people may regard it as a murder [1].
Because Gregor is no longer capable of filling the role of "provider", his actions no longer define the lives of his family, and they are freed from inauthenticity by this revelation. Much like the philosophers of the existentialist movement, Gregor's family realizes that in the face of absurdity, the only choice one has is to define their own existence. As time wears on, Gregor's family becomes contemptuous of the burden which comes from caring for him and hiding him from the eyes of the public. In reaction to their contempt, each chooses to prevent Gregor's new dependent role from hindering their authenticity. The father feels a sense of renewed pride in once again being the head of the household.
Euthanasia is a sensitive topic and its sensitivity brings the world to a division. The two sides are those who support the issue and those who are not in favour. The side that supports the idea can argue that...
My goal in pediatrics revolves around determination to provide comprehensive and compassionate care. I want to be a part of pediatric residency program that offers the opportunity to train in a well-structured, well-administered with family like environment, where teachers love to instruct and direct us through their vast amount of knowledge. I know your pediatrics program would be a good fit for my passions and talents. I am confident that my pursuit of this career path is an invitation to an even fuller and more exciting life ahead.
... greater pain and anguish for longer periods of time than my father did, I believe euthanasia is the only compassionate form of relief we can provide. I believe it is morally important to allow an individual to die with respect for his or her dignity, while respecting his or her autonomy. Because of these reasons, euthanasia is morally justified when administered under strict controls.