The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

1035 Words3 Pages

Euthanasia Finding a Common Ground Euthanasia is a subject that has been discussed, accepted, and rejected for several centuries. It is a subject that is difficult to digest much less discuss in the public forum, or even with one’s own family or physician. Society should not rush into a hasty decision, but as a society a joint decision needs to be made about the legalization of euthanasia. A compromise, legalizing euthanasia would allow terminally ill patients to have an active role in and/or a choice of how and when to end their life. When it comes to the possibility of living a life that is expected to involve extreme pain and suffering until death, one would think the answer …show more content…

They may also think that a terminally ill person should not have the right to kill themselves and may argue that life, no matter how bad it is, what shape it is in, is worth living. Some believe that a cure for any given disease may be found in the next hour, or next day and to deny someone of that possibility would indeed be inhumane. Others may believe euthanasia cannot be regulated, and that it could be miss used for the benefit of the government in controlling the rising cost of health …show more content…

Physicians may feel euthanasia could be a merciful way to alleviate the pain and suffering of terminally ill patients and could provide an alternate method of treatment for end stage diseases. Society may view euthanasia as a way in which pain and suffering can be ended humanly for persons who are terminally ill. Bringing solace and peace to the terminally ill is something society should reflect upon and remember that one day they may find their family member or themselves facing this dilemma. Responding to this issue in a positive manner, and by agreeing upon the legalization of euthanasia, society sends a clear message to all people that their lives matter and if one chooses euthanasia, it is their legal right to do so. Legalizing euthanasia would spare families the agony of watching a loved one pass away in less than a dignified manner. Terminally ill people do not want to burden their families with the financial burden that is left when one departs this life, euthanasia could lessen that burden. Euthanasia would provide for a more dignified way to end one’s life when faced with the prospect of prolonged pain and suffering. People should have the right to decide when and how they are going to die, and everyone should have the right to make this decision based on their own personal morals and beliefs. By enacting laws and regulations a person’s rights

Persuasive Essay: The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia
1907 Words | 4 Pages
Anyone can be diagnosed with a terminal illness. It doesn’t matter how healthy you are, who you are, or what you do. Some terminal illnesses you can prevent by avoiding unhealthy habits, eating healthily, exercising regularly and keeping up with vaccinations. However some terminally ill people cannot be helped, their diseases cannot be cured and the only thing possible to help them, besides providing pain relieving medication, is to make them as comfortable as possible while enduring their condition. Many times the pharmaceuticals do not provide the desired pain escape, and cause patients to seek immediate relief in methods such as euthanasia. Euthanasia is the practice of deliberately ending a life in order to alleviate pain and suffering, but is deemed controversial because many various religions believe that their creators are the only ones that should decide when their life’s journey should reach its end. Euthanasia is performed by medical doctors or physicians and is the administration of a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient on his or her express request. Although the majority of American states oppose euthanasia, the practice would result in more good as opposed to harm. The patient who is receiving the euthanizing medication would be able to proactively choose their pursuit of happiness, alleviate themselves from all of the built up pain and suffering, relieve the burden they may feel they are upon their family, and die with dignity, which is the most ethical option for vegetative state and terminally ill patients. Euthanasia should remain an alternative to living a slow and painful life for those who are terminally ill, in a vegetative state or would like to end their life with dignity. In addition, t...
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Bonnie Steinbock The Morality Of Euthanasia
1590 Words | 4 Pages
In this essay, I will discuss whether euthanasia is morally permissible or not. Euthanasia is the intention of ending life due to inevitable pain and suffering. The word euthanasia comes from the Greek words “eu,” which means good, and “thanatosis, which means death. There are two types of euthanasia, active and passive. Active euthanasia is when medical professionals deliberately do something that causes the patient to die, such as giving lethal injections. Passive euthanasia is when a patient dies because the medical professionals do not do anything to keep them alive or they stop doing something that was keeping them alive. Some pros of euthanasia is the freedom to decide your destiny, ending the pain, and to die with dignity. Some cons
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The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia
1401 Words | 3 Pages
The Hippocratic Oath states that “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel”. Euthanasia is where someone intentionally kills a person whose life is felt not to be worth living. It is definitely a controversial topic with many opinions on whether or not it should be legalized.
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The Right to Physician Assisted Suicide
1874 Words | 4 Pages
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.
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Should Euthanasia be Legalized in the United States?
1166 Words | 3 Pages
In the United States, euthanasia should be legalized. In the year of 1992, Chris Docker wrote about an elderly woman going through the last painful stages of her life. Docker shared that “Mrs. Boyes' was so ill that she "screamed like a dog" if anyone touched her… when she repeatedly requested to die, Dr. Cox finally gave her an injection of potassium chloride, bestowing on her the boon of a peaceful death so many of us feel we are entitled to” (Docker). This unfortunate situation is presented to many doctors across the US. With euthanasia currently being illegal, they cannot provide proper care for their patients. Euthanasia can spare many people of their undesirable agony they face close to their passing. Too many people are suffering from a terminal illness and wanting to be put out of their misery; therefore, euthanasia should be made legal and enforced nationwide.
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The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia
1420 Words | 3 Pages
Controversy around physician assisted suicide partially comes from the lack of knowledge surrounding it. Euthanasia, also known as voluntary active euthanasia is where the physician intentionally ends the patient’s life at the patient’s request and with their full informed consent (Emanuel, 2015). Nowhere in the United States is this legal. Passive euthanasia is when life-sustaining treatments are terminated such as respirators and artificial nutrition (Emanuel, 2015). Palliative sedation is considered ethical and involves administering drugs that pose a risk of death (Emanuel, 2015). There are numerous terms used to describe death and physician’s involvement so it is important to distinguish between the different terms to better educate patients.
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Arguments In Support For Physician Assisted Suicide
692 Words | 2 Pages
Arguments in support for physician-assisted suicide are that it allows people who are terminally ill to be relieved of their pain and suffering. It also allows a terminally ill person to die in dignity. Furthermore, choosing when to die is personal freedom. On the other hand, death is the natural part of human nature and nobody has the right to decide when to die or live not even the doctor. Physician-assisted suicide may lead to abuse by relatives or friends who have ulterior motives other than the wish of the person to get well. Legalization of euthanasia might lead to assaults on individual autonomy, which means it will be abused by people; that is people might be placed in terrible conditions intentionally by their friends, relatives or families and then suggest to the doctor that their lives be terminated since the individual cannot function as a human being. It might end up being a substitute for rational therapeutic, psychological, and social interventions, which could have otherwise enhanced the quality of life for patients who are dying. There is now even evidence that the legalization of assisted suicide in the Northern Territory in Australia has undermined the people's trust in the medical care system (Levine 2012).
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Euthanasia Pros
821 Words | 2 Pages
Those in favor of euthanasia, think that it should be legal and also voluntary. With making euthanasia legal it ends suffering for the terminally ill. There are four types: passive voluntary, passive involuntary, active voluntary, active involuntary. Passive voluntary is the right to refuse treatment. Passive involuntary is not taking the initiative to help someone that can’t help themselves. Active voluntary is when someone chooses to end their own life. Active involuntary is taking the initiative to help someone who can’t help themselves. Only 2/4 types of
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Persuasive Essay: The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia
1254 Words | 3 Pages
Suicide and assisted suicide is often viewed as the most logical choice when faced with these circumstances. As far back as the 16th Century, people have been arguing for the terminally ill to be aided in ending life by physicians who should not be held morally or legally to blame for assisting the individual. The beginning of the 21rst Century saw many bills supporting the use of euthanasia proposed in many Western legislatures with little to no success. The fact is that everyone is going to die, the only question that remains to be answered is when, how, and under what conditions. Supporters of euthanasia state that everyone should have the same degree of control in choosing the circumstances surrounding their death as they do in choosing the manner in which they live” (Economist.com, 1997) I agree with this assertion, everyone should be able to choose their own
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Chronic Pain, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia
1476 Words | 3 Pages
The fear associated with death is powerful, but even more so is the fear of living an unfulfilling life full of pointless suffering. This spurs the belief for those in such situations that we as bodied people have the power to control our fate. Many movements involved with Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) have started internationally with that phrase in mind. Euthanasia is defined as, “The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease, or is in an irreversible coma.” Christopher Docker defines PAS as, " ... the provision by a doctor, consciously and legally, to a patient who has completely requested it, of the means for that patient to end his or her own life." (Docker 8) These groups focus on the question of why should we endure untreatable suffering, especially when modern technology does nothing to alleviate the pain. Terminally ill patients should have the right to choose a merciful release.
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Exploring the Ethical Complexity of Euthanasia
1431 Words | 3 Pages
In review, euthanasia is performed when the pain is too much for the patient. It is, overall, the patient’s life—their right and their choice. Everyone deserves to die compassionately, knowing that they will slip away painlessly. Everyone deserves to have a choice, especially when it comes to the manner of their death. If euthanasia is not legalized, many people will debilitating illnesses may take their lives in much more horrific ways. If they want the suffering to end badly enough, it is simply done one way or
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Human Euthanization
1079 Words | 3 Pages
Euthanasia should be legalized for terminally ill individuals on a voluntary basis to reduce medical costs, prevent prolonged physical pain and unnecessary suffering, and to preserve the dignity of the dying person. Terminally ill patients often accumulate massive amounts of medical expenses. In addition to costs, terminally ill patients are subject to excruciating pain and discomfort due to the disease and/or treatments involved, given only to prolong the inevitable. When a person is dying, he or she may have very little or no say in what goes on in one’s own home, finances, or other aspects of that person’s life, but one reserves the right to die with dignity intact.
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The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia
647 Words | 2 Pages
...hat patients should be allowed to make the decision of the right time to end their life’s and to always have the right to die with dignity. Without physician assistance people who are terminal ill may commit suicide in a messy, horrifying and traumatic way. Terminal ill patients sometimes suffer discomfort and pains so terrible that is beyond the comprehension of those who have not actually experienced it. The options given to those individuals to end their own life can saved them from their misery, therefore such policies are morally right. Also with allowing this policies we can spare a lot of suffering to the family, without a doubt it can be traumatic for a family member see their loved ones slowly die. Sometimes terminal ill patients remain connected to artificial respirators devices, taking strong doses of painkillers and in general living an unworthy life.
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Euthanasia Should Be Legal
2051 Words | 5 Pages
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.
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Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Euthanasia
996 Words | 2 Pages
Activist for mercy killing would argue and agree that the patient requesting euthanasia has a freedom of choice. The patient will have complete control over their life and their opinion is being perceived. Life is about making your own choices and doing what you think is in your best interest. A patient who is suffering from a terminal illness should be given the preference to make their own decision and whether or not euthanasia is best for them. It is not justified to take an individuals’ choice of life or death away. It is their life and the patient should have that right to end their suffrage while they still have the ability to do
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The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

Persuasive Essay: The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

Bonnie Steinbock The Morality Of Euthanasia