Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), cancer, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease are just some of the illnesses millions of people are diagnosed with every day. These diseases and many other afflictions have the potential to cause extreme pain and suffering to individuals. Each person who has a terminal illness knows that death is inevitable. Knowing this fact, the afflicted are torn between the decision of letting the disease take its course or opting for euthanasia. Derek Humphrey, a founder of the Euthanasia Research and Guidance Organization, gives an accurate definition of the word euthanasia, "The word 'euthanasia' comes from the Greek-eu, "good," and thanatos, "death. Literally, "good death" (18). Euthanasia, also called "mercy killing," is the act or practice of putting people to death who are suffering from painful, incurable diseases or incapacitating physical disorders. Euthanasia is an extremely difficult and moral decision, one that a patient must make along with their family and doctors. Euthanasia involves tampering with the gift and privilege of life, many people stand on opposing sides of this issue. A specific kind called physician-assisted suicide is much debated because it poses two questions: is it morally justified? and, should it be legalized? Physician-assisted suicide is immoral and unacceptable for a number of reasons and, therefore, it should not be legalized. Assisting in suicide is killing someone with their consent. No doctor should help a patient die because it is their duty as a physician to preserve and prolong life, not take it away. If this were to be legalized, some doctors would abuse this law and people would get killed without the...
... middle of paper ...
.... 17-23.
Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." A World of Ideas: Essential readings for college writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobs. Boston, Bedford: 1998: 76-79.
Loconte, Joe. "Hospice Care Can Make Assisted Suicide Unnecessary." Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. 96-104.
Mappes, Thomas A., and David DeGrazia. Biomedical Ethics. New York: McGraw- Hill, 1996.
Misbin, Robert I. Euthanasia: The Good of the Patient, the Good of Society. Frederick: University Publishing Group, 1992.
Smith, Wesley J. "Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide Would Harm Society." Physician-Assisted Suicide. Ed. Daniel A. Leone. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. 84-97.
Weir, Robert F, ed. Physician-Assisted Suicide. Medical Ethics Ser. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1997.
The ethical issues of physician-assisted suicide are both emotional and controversial, as it struggles with the issue of life and death. If you take a moment and imagine how you would choose to live your last day, it is almost guaranteed that it wouldn’t be a day spent lying in a hospital bed, suffering in pain, continuously being pumped with medicine, and living in a strangers’ body. Today we live in a culture that denies the terminally ill the right to maintain control over when and how to end their lives. Physicians-assisted suicide “is the voluntary termination of one's own life by the administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician” (Medical Definition of Physician-Assisted Suicide, 2017). Physician-assisted
Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. 8th edition, Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003. 305-308.
Currently, in the United States, 12% of states including Vermont, Oregon, and California have legalized the Right to Die. This ongoing debate whether or not to assist in death with patients who have terminal illness has been and is still far from over. Before continuing, the definition of Right to Die is, “an individual who has been certified by a physician as having an illness or physical condition which can be reasonably be expected to result in death in 24 months or less after the date of the certification” (Terminally Ill Law & Legal Definition 1). With this definition, the Right to die ought to be available to any person that is determined terminally ill by a professional, upon this; with the request of Right to Die, euthanasia must be
Wills, Garry. Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Co., 1978.
In a world of suffering and pain the Dalai Lama said, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive”. The Dalai Lama has become a figurehead for Buddhism worldwide for his compassion and warm smiles. Buddhism has extended beyond meditation and even monks such as the Dalai Lama. The basic concepts of compassion and mindfulness in Buddhism are being applied in the daily lives of lay people who need it the most.
Vesterman, William, and Thomas Jefferson. "The Declaration of Independence." Great Interdisciplinary Ideas: A Reader for Writers. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 189. Print.
Hanh says that those who sit still and smile have the ability to save the world because they have the ability to meditate and create peace. Therefore, a way to make the world better is to be a Buddha. “Buddha” means to wake-up, to understand, and to love and anybody to practices this is considered to be a Buddha. Thus, if we are to practice Buddhism we can work towards the betterment of society. In Buddhism, there are three gems: Buddha (the awakened one), Dharma (the way of understanding and loving), and Sangha (the community that lives in harmony and awareness). By incorporating all three gems of Buddhism into our daily lives we all can awaken within ourselves, be more understanding and loving of ...
Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." Mountain View College Reader. Neuleib, Janice. Cain S., Kathleen. Ruffus, Stephen. Boston: 501 Boylston Street, Suite 900. 2013 Print.
Physician assisted suicide is murder. Using euthanasia, increased dosage of morphine or injecting patient’s with a lethal combination of drugs to slow his/her breathing until he/she dies is also murder. Physician assisted suicide is morally wrong. The classical theory for physician assisted suicide is utilitarianism because according to Mosser 2010, “utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines the moral value of an act in terms of its results and if those results produce the greatest good for the greatest number.” Utilitarianism will solve the physician assisted suicide problem if all of the physicians will stand by the oath they say. According to the Hippocratic Oath doctor says, “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.”
"Assisted Suicide: Finding Common Ground." Lois Snyder, JD; and Authur L. Caplan, PhD. Annals of Internal Medicine. March 21, 2000. v.132, n.6
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
Kuhse, Helga. “Euthanasia.” A Companion to Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 1991. 294-302. Print.
Buddhism is one religion that was discussed in class that blew my mind. I always thought the term Buddha meant a name of a messiah. Until I learned some ideas of Buddha, I became intrigued to learn more about it. In class I learned that the term Buddha is a philosophy. We all have a “Buddha” inside all of us. However, in order to “release” the Buddha and achieve enlightenment is to go through a process of teaching. I wanted to know more about the idea of enlightenment, how to become a Buddhist, and The Heart of Sutra. In class I learned about the four noble truths. The four noble truths are, the first being is that life is suffering. Suffering includes pain, growing old, inheriting disease, and death. Along with that, there is psychological suffering like loneliness, fear, anger and, embarrassment. Buddhism shares how suffering can be avoided and how happiness can bloom. The second noble truth is that suffering is ignited by craving and aversion. When people receive things that they want, it does not guarantee happiness. Instead of battling to get what you want, alternate the wanting. Wanting deprives people of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving will continue to exist. The third noble truth is that suffering can overcome and happiness can be attained. True happiness and contentment are possible. If people give up worthless craving and learn to live each day at a time and don’t dwell in the past or imagine future, people can become happy and free. The fourth noble truth is that the Noble 8-foldpath is the path, which leads to the end of suffering (Prothero, 2010). It was interesting to learn about the four noble truths. Along with the noble truth, I learned that Buddhist believe that “everything is nothing...
“I desire not of the Lord the greatness which comes by the attainment of the eightfold powers, nor do I pray to him that I may not be born again; my one prayer to him is that I may feel the pain of others, as if I were residing within their bodies, and that I may have the power of relieving their pain and making them happy.” (Santi Deva, pg. 148). This quote is a perfect representation of conflict of interests between values of our society and those of the Buddhists. The quote captivated me because it is completely opposite to the ideals in our society. The “...
History proves that as Buddhism spread throughout the Asian world in the early 1st century, it was occasionally altered to fit the specific needs and beliefs of people it touched. Mahayana Buddhism is one such example of this gradual evolution. It was primarily a movement started and kept alive by monks that slowly gained popularity amongst lay people but was in no way a unified movement. Mahayana Buddhism still adheres to the basic fundamental beliefs presented in the Pali Canons, however, it Sutras often expand upon these basic ideas and traditions in order to answer the questions of a later generation. After closer study of the Mahayana texts the “A Sutra for Long Life” and “The World Universe as a Sutra”, it seems evident that, although Mahayana Buddhism is based on the teachings of the traditional Pali Canon, it places a larger emphasis on philosophical inquires; and ultimately creates a more accessible version of enlightenment, and the Buddhist faith in general, for all.