The Many Sides and Issues of Euthanasia
The purpose of this paper is to show the many sides and issues that deal with the subject of euthanasia or doctor assisted suicide. A questionnaire has been answered by 20 people over the age of 25. The results have been compared to the results taken from a similar study on doctors in Manitoba. Review of the Manitoba Survey: The original study was prepared by Neil Searles, who is a university law student. This study looks at the use of doctor assisted suicide which has rarely been looked at in Canada before. Legally and professionally euthanasia is prohibited, but doctors still, on occasion, perform it.
The penalty for euthanasia is a maximum 14 year sentence. It is known that physicians, in rare occasions, perform the act but it is usually impossible to prosecute because of lack of evidence. The method used to collect the study was a 33 item questionnaire. The issues that were looked at include: Ethical opinions; pain management; policy opinions; and prevalence of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia. There were 400 physicians that were randomly selected from the total of 2200 licensed members of the Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons. Several groups of doctors were left out of the study because they are not directly involved with the issue.
Since the act of euthanasia is illegal, all responses were kept anonymous and a list of names was not kept. The results of the survey are generally the same as in other studies which show that the medical community is divided on the subject. From the 400 physicians, 122 returned the questionnaire, 10 were returned blank, 1 was lost by the physician, and one was excluded due to administrative complications. The usable response rate was 28.1%. 16% of the physicians had practiced medicine for less than 6 years, 18% had been practicing for 6 to 10 years, 16% had been practicing for 11 to 15 years, 21% had been practicing for 16 to 20 years, and 32% had practiced for 21 years or more. The charts below are the different types of questions used in the study.
The respondents were to answer a 1 to 4 Likert scale where 1=Strongly disagree and 4=Strongly agree. Overall agreement is based on a score of 3 or 4, the number in the brackets is the mean. Ethical opinions: Proposition Overall Agreement (mean) 95% Confidence Interval Number of Physicians Responding The...
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...lamic Religion also thinks that euthanasia is a sin. The Shari`a, or Islamic Bible, makes exceptions to the general rule of sanctity of human life. They do not make any exception for mercy killing. Prophet Mohammad puts it this way, “There was a man in older times who had an infliction that taxed his patience, so he took a knife, cut his wrist and bled to death.
Upon this God said: My subject hastened his end, I deny him paradise.” Christians believe that they are obligated to use ordinary medicine to help them live. God, in the Christian sense, said “There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring life” (Deuteronomy 32:39). With the three major religions in the world opposing euthanasia, it is quite easy to see why many people believe that the right to die should not be a right at all; the right should be God’s. Conclusion: The conclusion of this research report is that assisted suicide is a personal choice that everyone might have to make one day. The choice that you choose may be changed after you find yourself in a great deal of pain or dieing of an illness that will turn you into a mushroom. The major decision that might have to be made is the belief in religion.
are many convincing and compelling arguments for and against Physician Assisted Suicide. There are numerous different aspects of this issue including religious, legal and ethical issues. However, for the purpose of this paper, I will examine the ethical concerns on both sides. There are strong pro and con arguments regarding this and I will make a case for both. It is definitely an issue that has been debated for years and will continue to be debated in years to come. The word Euthanasia comes
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Should we legalize euthanasia in our society? Euthanasia despite having its general un-appeal is supported by many people in society, because it allows us to have freedom of choice in life. The individuals are spared the misery of a disease that is incurable. The people can overcome the pain and torture leading to an inevitable death. Euthanasia might seem like running away from the problem at hand. However, we must realize that many people face outcomes where they suffer and are literally tortured
The Debate Over Euthanasia The controversy over euthanasia has recently become highly publicized. However, this issue is not a new debate. Society has voiced its opinions on the subject for hundreds of years. Euthanasia, which is Greek for "good death", refers to the act of ending another person’s life in order to end their suffering and pain.1 Two forms, passive and active euthanasia, categorize the actions taken to end the person’s life. Passive euthanasia involves removing a patient’s life
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Euthanasia is the medical practice of ending one’s life in order to preserve their dignity and relieve extreme pain when quality of life is low. There are several methods of euthanasia of which people choose from. These methods include active, passive, voluntary, involuntary, indirect and assisted euthanasia. As of now, only a few countries have legalized euthanasia. The countries most known for the legalization of it are Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In a recent news article titled
(Kirkey 2). Euthanasia is defined as assisting a terminally ill patient with dying early. In many countries the legalization of this practice is being debated in many countries. All doctors against assisted suicide, including the 44 percent in Canada, are on the right side of the argument. Euthanasia should not be legalized because it is unnatural, it violates the Hippocratic Oath, and laws are to extensive. Protecting life is the ethical view of society today, and legalizing euthanasia offsets that
Euthanasia is a hot topic in today’s society. It is defined as “The practice of ending a person's life either through an intentional act or by withholding medical care. The action is performed without malice, but with the intention of alleviating suffering or ending the pain of a terminal illness or poor quality of life” (Newton, 2013). A variation of euthanasia that is the most common is known as assisted-suicide. The majority of the time a physician will administer a drug to the person and the
Euthanasia refers to the intentional bringing about of the death of a patient, either by killing him/her, or by letting him/her die, for the patient’s sake to prevent further pain or suffering from a terminal illness. Euthanasia is a complex issue in many underlying theological, sociological, moral, and legal aspects. Its legalization is heavily debated around the world, with strong arguments made for both sides of the issue. The supporters of euthanasia often repeated that “We have to respect the