Euthanasia, or the “right to die”, has been a common issue in today’s society. In The Giver by Lois Lowry, the topic is explored multiple times in the form of “Release”. Although our society uses a different terminology than the one in The Giver, my thoughts are the same: euthanasia is a valid and reasonable way to die.
The practice is one of a long history, dating back to the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. It has been brought up multiple times in recent years, most recently in the case of Charlie Gard, an infant boy from the United Kingdom born with mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. Because of his rare genetic disorder, he was placed on life support in a hospital in London. His parents requested to transfer Charlie to a hospital in New York, but the hospital in London that, at the time, was keeping him alive, asked the court to override the parent’s decision and for permission to intervene by taking him off of life support and ultimately ending his life. In the end, Charlie’s parents agreed to withdraw life support because they were told that he would not get better, and though they may regret their decision later in life, I believe that the one they made is the the right one.
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This reason may be to end suffering or to escape a difficult situation. There are three types of euthanasia. The first of which is voluntary euthanasia, commonly described as termination of life by a doctor at the request of a patient. This type of euthanasia has my full approval, because it is done both with the consent of a patient and with a doctor to oversee it. A patient may decide to do this because they cannot endure any more pain and suffering. An example in The Giver is when Rosemary requests for Release after receiving a memory from the Giver that causes her to suffer pain that she can not stand any
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
Foreshadowing is a useful literary device that writers use to provide clues about future events in a story. Lois Lowry frequently uses foreshadowing in “The Giver” to give subtle hints about subsequent developments in the novel. The reader can interpret these indications to develop assumptions about what will occur next. Also, they can provide explanations once the event has occurred and the reader can look back and find new meaning in certain passages. The pain and challenges that Jonas will face during his training are frequently suggested when he first begins his training with The Giver.
Another reason a patient may opt to euthanasia is to die with dignity. The patient, fully aware of the state he or she is in, should be able choose to die in all their senses as opposed to through natural course. A patient with an enlarged brain tumor can choose to die respectively, instead of attempting a risky surgery that could leave the patient in a worse condition then before the operation, possibly brain-dead. Or a patient with early signs of Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease may wish to be granted euthanization before their disease progresses and causes detrimental loss of sentimental memories. Ultimately it should be the patient’s choice to undergo a risky surgery or bite the bullet, and laws prohibiting euthanasia should not limit the patient’s options.
Euthanasia comes from the Greek word that means “good death” (“Euthanasia” literally). In general, euthanasia refers to causing the death of someone to end their pain and suffering, oftentimes in cases of terminal illness. Some people call these “mercy killings”. There are two types of euthanasia: passive and active. Passive or voluntary euthanasia refers to withholding life-saving treatments or medical technology to prolong life.
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.
The society in Lois Lowry’s book The Giver is like a freshly printed newspaper every page is crisp and clean, but when a page is crumpled or stained the only solution is to remove it. Problems in the town are created and solved by the same cause, euthanasia. Euthanasia, in the book, is used on multiple types of people; the young who would create problems for the society; the old; and anyone who threatens the order and structure of the place. The leaders euthanize people to protect their community. Usually in situations where many suffer and only one or few benefit, it is whoever is in charge that gets blamed, but since the rulers of the society are just as unaware as the people, it is the creators of the society that are at fault.
“Michael Manning, MD, in his 1998 book Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Killing or Caring?, traced the history of the word euthanasia: ‘The term euthanasia.originally meant only 'good death,'but in modern society it has come to mean a death free of any anxiety and pain, often brought about through the use of medication.” It seems there has always been some confusion and questions from our society about the legal and moral questions regarding the new science of euthanasia. “Most recently, it has come to mean'mercy killing' — deliberately putting an end to someone’s life in order to spare the individual’s suffering.’” I would like to emphasize the words “to spare the individual’s suffering”.
Shortly after these debates details about the Nazi death camps of World War II and the role physicians played in the camps silenced supporters of euthanasia. As medical technology continued to advance and the availability and use of life support sparked a new debate about euthanasia. Patients have the right to refuse medical care even care that would sustain life (Emanuel, 1994). Currently this is referred to as a DNR or Do Not Resuscitate order. The right of patients to deny care calls to question if the patient can choose to die why can the not request euthanasia. In 1975 Karen Ann Quinlan lapsed into a coma after taking tranquilizers and drinking alcohol then slipped into a “chronic persistent vegetative state” Karen’s parents requested that physicians remove her life support and let her pass. The case was appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court the parents argued that life sustaining treatments implicated the patients right to privacy. Roe V. Wade established a woman’s right to privacy in her right to terminate a pregnancy. The result of the Quinlan’s case was that they could remove Karen’s life support (Doerr, 1997). In 1990 the Patient Self Determination Act
Imagine being born in a war zone with a corrupt leader and an educational system that fills people with lies all without even knowing it. Legend, by Marie Lu, is a novel about a thief and an officer who are turned against each other, but find common ground while trying to take down their corrupt government. The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is about a boy who is chosen to be different, but uses the secrets he’s been told by his own community. Although Legend and The Giver both display protagonists who don’t fall victim to dehumanization, both novels are filled with surveillance, propaganda, and the illusion of a utopia. Without the protagonist, these dystopian citizens would continue their meaningless lives without even the right to realize it.
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].
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.
Euthanasia is one of the most recent and controversial debates today (Brogden, 2001). As per the Canadian Medical Association, euthanasia refers to the process of purposely and intentionally performing an act that is overtly anticipated to end the person’s life (CMA, 1998)
The society in The Giver by Lois Lowry is fairly broken and messed up. Everyone inside the community thinks that everything is under control and they like living that way, because they don’t know any other way to live. To them they live in the perfect world, a utopia. To everyone outside of the community it is a dystopia. They are controlled immensely. There are a few reasons why the community is a dystopia, they have no choice or freedom, and they don’t know what color, music, real emotion, and feelings are.
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.
Most of the time it is due to the person’s own request but sometimes it is done when the person cannot speak for itself and the family members have to decide for them. Euthanasia is really not a bad thing and it should be legalized in my opinion.