The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

The major advantage of euthanasia is that it prevents a person from having to endure the rest of their life in pain. There is no appropriate reason that a person who is suffering from an incurable disease or condition should have to spend the rest of his or her life that way. If their family agrees with them, then the patient’s suffering should be put to an end. Many peop...

Course Title: Date Euthanasia Euthanasia is a word whose roots can be traced back to Greece where it meant good death. It encompasses various dimensions, from active where something is introduced to cause death, to passive where treatment or supportive actions are withheld.

The “Right to Die” (Euthanasia) should be further looked into as an option for terminally ill patients and not considered unethical. There has been an issue concerning the topic of “Human Euthanasia” as an acceptable action in society. The research compiled in conjunction with an educated opinion will be the basis for the argument for voluntary Euthanasia in this paper. Patients suffering from an incurable illness, exhausting all medical treatments, should be given the freedom of choice to continue their path of suffering or end it at their own will. “The Right to die” is not suicide, as you are fully aware that death will be certain, as Euthanasia spares the individual of additional pain.

Euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide or Mercy Killing, gives rise to controversial debates, and people challenge euthanasia for its moral and legal bases. Some argue that patients should have the rights to end their unendurable sufferings and to die with dignity. Some, in the countries that have already legalized euthanasia, argue whether euthanasia should extend to children. Some, however, argue that legalizing euthanasia can cause a “slippery slope” that leads to murder and should not extend to anyone. In my opinion, assisted suicide should be legalized, but only to terminally ill patients competent to give consent, not including children and disabled people.

The word “Euthanasia” originates from the Greek language and translated it means good “death”. Today, it is the act of ending another person’s life at their request, to minimize their suffering. There is much debate on whether this practice should be legal and the moral implications behind this choice. If you have the right to live, should you also have the right to choose how you die? Support for euthanasia has been dated back to the Ancient Greek and Roman cultures in 16th century. Today, only 42 percent of Americans support euthanasia and 22 percent are unsure (Ertelt, 2010). Back in the 1970’s, a movement known as the “Right to Die” Movement began to move towards legalizing euthanasia (Yount, 12). Currently legal assisted suicide is only allowed in four states across the United States and is against the law otherwise. Legal physician-assisted suicide, or euthanasia, should be a right for terminally ill patients as it provides the freedom of choice, is a humane way to allow the terminally ill to die without immense pain and suffering, and will lessen the financial burden for families and the healthcare system.

Today, there is a large debate over the situation and consequences of euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act of ending a human’s life by lethal injection or the stoppage of medication, or medical treatment. It has been denied by most of today’s population and is illegal in the fifty states of the United States. Usually, those who undergo this treatment have a disease or an “unbearable” pain somewhere in the body or the mind. Since there are ways, other than ending life, to stop pain caused by illness or depression, euthanasia is immoral, a disgrace to humanity, according to the Hippocratic Oath, and should be illegal throughout the United States.

For the past decade all over the world, one of the most argued and debated about topics has been a patient’s right to choose to end his or her life by means of euthanasia. Euthanasia is the practice of ending a life in a painless manner. It has been and still remains an extremely controversial topic in the US. Does a person have the right to die? Should euthanasia be legalized? Legalizing euthanasia has become a burning topic to doctors, societies, governments, and nations. To me, the US government should not legalize euthanasia.

Death and dying are a natural part of our lives. Not a day goes by that we do not take the chance of being run over by a car while running, being stabbed in a robbery, or being poisoned by bacteria in our food. In all of these cases, we have very little choice in deciding our fate. But what about those cases when we can do something to affect the dying process? What if we can decide whether we wish to live or die? For most of us, that is still uncharted territory, and just the thought of it chills us to the bone. Euthanasia is one such opportunity where a person can affect the dying process. It is not, as many people believe, a case of a physician killing a patient, but instead, a case where a patient who is facing a prolonged, painful, and, finally, terminal illness can make a conscious and reasoned choice to end his or her suffering early and in a dignified manner. It is the purpose of this paper to prove to you that euthanasia in the form of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) should be legalized. That a person facing a terminal illness should have the opportunity, and the right, to choose to die in a dignified manner when faced with a prolonged and terminal illness. That a physician should not be restrained in committing an act which might be in the best interest of a patient. And that if legalized, it would be possible to protect the patient's interests through regulation, and in effect, make euthanasia a perfectly safe choice for a patient.

The word euthanasia is derived from the Greek words eu, meaning "good", and thanatos, meaning "death." In today's contexts, the word came to describe an intentional termination of patient's life to end his or her suffering. This topic has sparked a great controversy. The basic question posed by euthanasia is should a person who is terminally ill, who feels that his or her life is not worth living because of the unbearable pain, loss of dignity and capability to maintain his or her normal way of life, be given assistance in dying by his or her doctors. The issue today is should this "mercy killings" be legalized or should euthanasia be banned.

Today’s world is full of suffering and pain. Some suffering comes in the form of incurable illnesses. Physician assisted suicide is a procedure that can help patients dealing with terminal illness yet has been a topic of much debate throughout the past few decades. As assisted suicide is legalized in more countries around the world, it becomes a more concerning issue for citizens today. For some people euthanasia has a negative association; that it is murder. Those against assisted suicide view may it as playing God because of moral and religious beliefs. Although for others, it is believed that it is an end to a patient’s suffering and a respectful way to let a patient die freely. Terminally ill patients should have the right to physician-assisted