I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax, it is melted within my breast, my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws, you lay me in the dust of death (Psalm 22) Some might say euthanasia is wrong, it is murder, it is an inhumane act. But is it not inhumane to see another person’s unbearable suffering and not release them when they long to be released? Is it not cruel to watch a person in a vegetative state, with no brainwaves showing, fed by a machine, “breathing” with the help of a machine and not let them be liberated from their pain? Prolonging one’s suffering when an easier, more painless way out is possible is not “the right thing to do”. Giving the person the choice of release is. Euthanasia is. What is euthanasia? The basic definition of euthanasia is the practice of ending a life so as to release an individual from a painful, incurable disease or intolerable suffering. There are said to be two types of euthanasia: passive and active. Passive euthanasia is “stopping (or not starting) some treatment which allows a person to die, the persons condition causes his or her death” (Mackinnon, 12). An example would be “withdrawing a respirator or feeding tube” (Landau, 80). “Passive euthanasia is a brutal death. Allowing someone to starve to death and die of thirst, the way we do now, is barbaric”. “That’s what the Nazis did in the concentration camps” (quoted in Manipulating Life, 33). Active euthanasia on the other hand is an act of “merciful killing”. It is defined as “The act of administering a lethal drug, or using other means that cause a persons death” in case of incurable terminal illness (MacKinnon, 126). Euthanasia is... ... middle of paper ... ...hical Choices in an American Hospital, New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. Landau, Elaine, The Right to Die, Franklin Watts, USA, 1988 MacKinnon, Barbara. Euthanasia, Ethics Theory and Contemporary Issues, second edition. Wadworth Publishing Co 1998. McCuen, Gary E., Manipulating life: debating the genetic Revolution Gary E. McCuen Publication, Inc, 1985 Report of the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association. (Transcript), v10, Issues in Law & Medicine, summer, 1994, p 81-90 Thomas A. Shannon, Bioethics: basic writing on the key ethical questions that surround the major, modern biological possibilities and problems, Third Edition, New Jersey, 1987 Varga, Andrew C. The Main Issues in Bioethics. Paulist Press, 1980 Hollard, Ninnet B. Controversy: Shall It Be Legal? www.freeesays.com/topic/PAS_47A/Middles_pon_1/controversy5/
Euthanasia is one of the most complicated issues in the medical field due to the debate of whether or not it is morally right. Today, the lives of many patients can be saved with the latest discoveries in medicine and technology. But we are still unable to find cures to all illnesses, and patients have to go through extremely painful treatments only to live a little bit longer. These patients struggle with physical and psychological pain. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. discusses the topic of just and unjust laws in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which brings into question whether it is just to kill a patient who is suffering or unjust to take that person’s life even if that person is suffering. In my opinion people should have the right, with certain restrictions, to end their lives in the way they see fit if they are suffering from endless pain.
The morality of active euthanasia and whether or not it should be legalized is quite a controversial topic within the medical field that has long been debated by many philosophers. Active euthanasia is one of two forms of euthanasia, which is defined as the painless killing of a patient suffering a terminal illness that is considered incurable. Active euthanasia is when one actively brings about the death of a terminally ill patient through a specific act. This is in contrast to passive euthanasia, the other form of euthanasia, in which one merely ‘lets’ a terminally ill patient die by not doing the things necessary to keep the patient alive. I believe active euthanasia is both immoral and should not be legalized.
“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”.
There are two concepts of euthanasia. One is “active” and the other “passive euthanasia”. As BBC (n.d) pointed out active euthanasia is define as when there is an intentional action that causes the patient to die(BBC,n.d). This means an act to kill the patient instantly, whereas passive euthanasia accordi...
“Euthanasia is defined as a deliberate act undertaken by one person with the intention of ending life of another person to relieve that person's suffering and where the act is the cause of death.”(Gupta, Bhatnagar and Mishra) Some define it as mercy killing. Euthanasia may be voluntary, non voluntary and involuntary. When terminally ill patient consented to end his or her life, it is called voluntary euthanasia. Non voluntary euthanasia occurs when the suffering person never consented nor requested to end a life. These patients are incompetent to decide because they are either minor, in a comatose stage or have mental conditions. Involuntary euthanasia is conducted when it is against the will of the patient (Gupta, Bhatnagar, Mishra). Euthanasia can be either passive or active. Passive euthanasia means life-sustaining treatments are withheld and nothing is done to keep the patient alive. Active euthanasia occurs when a physician do something by giving drugs or substances that ends a patient’s life. (Medical News Today)
The word euthanasia is derived from the Greek words “eu thanatos,” meaning good or easy death. It refers to the act of purposely ending the life of a person with an incurable, terminal, or painful illness or in an irreversible coma. Also known as mercy killing, the process has two different procedures- passive and active- and can be correlated with physician assisted death. Naturally, this practice is highly controversial and illegal in most countries as it deals with a person dying prematurely. But in the case of a patient in a terminal situation, euthanasia should be made legal so as to allow the person a painless death, instead of one marked with suffering.
... greater pain and anguish for longer periods of time than my father did, I believe euthanasia is the only compassionate form of relief we can provide. I believe it is morally important to allow an individual to die with respect for his or her dignity, while respecting his or her autonomy. Because of these reasons, euthanasia is morally justified when administered under strict controls.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, euthanasia is a medically assisted death; painlessly killing a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease. Euthanasia usually allows the medical doctor to be in charge of giving the option of death to the patient or asking the patient’s relatives to euthanize the patient. Many victims of euthanasia involve the elderly or newborn infants. Euthanasia is unethical, impacting negatively the lives of many people.
Since euthanasia is a divisive subject, a variety of interpretations occurs. First, people that are in favor of euthanasia agreed that it is depressing to see a terminally ill person going through excruciating pain. Also, every human being deserves a dignified and peaceful death. The West’s Encyclopedia of American law, illustrates that a person or physician that cause the death of a patient is acting with compassion and mercy (Phelps, Lehman 237). In addition, people that agree with euthanasia believe that seeing a person experiencing constant misery and pain because of heath issue should have the to die with dignity. In this society where the protection human rights is in a debate on both sides, people that are in favor with euthanasia,
Euthanasia needs to consider the views of the family and friends affected, the medical profession and the individual involved. Utilitarianism opposes individual pursuit and promotes intention to bring about the greatest good, however in some cases this does not favour a minority. Euthanasia increases the utiles of a terminally ill patient but decreases the utiles that represent the pain. Jeremy Bentham believed the “role of law was to delimit autonomy, and the creation of rights destroyed all notion of liberty” (BMJ, 2005). Euthanizing provides personal liberation and autonomy to the patient deciding when and how they die.
Euthanasia originated from the Greek word for “good death.” It is the act of practice of ending the lifespan of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment. Because of this, many view euthanasia as simply bringing relief by alleviating pain and suffering.
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.
Before defining and discussing the three major categories of euthanasia, it is important to understand the meaning of their subtypes, known as active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is performing a direct action to take someone’s life, such as administering a lethal drug to a patient. Passive euthanasia allows someone to die by not performing some life-sustaining action or ending life-sustaining treatment (Pojman). Examples of passive euthanasia would be removing a patient’s respirator or withholding nutrients and fluids. Active euthanasia is easily the more controversial of the two.
Euthanasia is ending the life of a person deliberately to relieve their pain. It usually happens when a person is terminally ill or is suffering from a lot of pain and there is no other option to relieve the pain.
Euthanasia has many definitions, which involve ending ones life based on different practices. Euthanasia, in general, is defined as the act or practice of ending the life of an individual that is suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, by a lethal injection. (Euthanasia, n.d.) Non-voluntary euthanasia involves the guardian of the patient in making the final decision regarding their care. The patient is unable to make such a decision because they are either unconscious due to disease ...