Argument for Euthanasia

2058 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ethics about euthanasia

Argument for Euthanasia

You were in a tragic car accident on your way to work. You have been in coma for years. Your family is not only devastated because of your state, they are also having a hard time trying to pay off all of your expenses. You were not insured, and your family is forced to keep paying the bills needed to keep you “alive”. Your family is going completely bankrupt and you still show no sign of getting better. Your family wants to pull the plug, but doing so would be illegal in the United States; so the doctor doesn’t permit this. You never recuperated from the coma and died 10 years later. Your family lost their house and the rest of their belongings. All that money spent on you was useless, your state tragically always remained the same. If only your family had the option to let nature take its course, then they wouldn’t have had to extend such an unpleasant life. Individuals should be given the right to decide whether or not they should be kept alive when facing an unbearable situation, in case that individual is unable to make that decision based on their bad medical state, the patient’s family deserves the right to decide.

Euthanasia has been a very controversial topic in the United States, as well as around the world. The word euthanasia comes from a Greek word meaning good death. Euthanasia is also referred to as mercy killing. Euthanasia usually consists of a physician administering a lethal injection to patients in situations where life is no longer desirable. Euthanasia should be permitted in the United Sates because it’s wrong making individuals continue living with unbearable pain.

Members of the Euthanasia Society of America (ESA) state that “mercifully putting persons out of their misery, whethe...

... middle of paper ...

...se. N.p., 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 3 May 2014. .

Meyer, Richard . "The cost of keeping the terminally ill alive." KevinMD.com. N.p., 16 Dec. 2010. Web. 5 May 2014. .

Sagon, Candy. "People Living Longer Good or Bad, Life Expectancy Study, Longevity." AARP. N.p., 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 May 2014. .

The International Task Force. "Background about Euthanasia in The Netherlands." Patients Rights Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. .

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 17 May 2014. .

Show More
Related

  • Past to Present: a Comparative Look at Hippocrates and Medical Theory

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miles, S. H. (2005). The Hippocratic oath and the ethics of medicine. Oxford: Oxford University

    Read More

  • Euthanasia and Frankenstein

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    Euthanasia comes from the Greek word that means “good death” (“Euthanasia” Literary). In general, euthanasia refers to causing the death of someone to end their pain and suffering oftentimes in cases of terminal illness. Some people call this “mercy killings.”

    Read More

  • Active Euthanasia: Physician Assisted Suicide is Wrong

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    The issue at hand is whether physician-assisted suicide should be legalized for patients who are terminally ill and/or enduring prolonged suffering. In this debate, the choice of terms is central. The most common term, euthanasia, comes from the Greek words meaning "good death." Sidney Hook calls it "voluntary euthanasia," and Daniel C. Maguire calls it "death by choice," but John Leo calls it "cozy little homicides." Eileen Doyle points out the dangers of a popular term, "quality-of-life." The choice of terms may serve to conceal, or to enhance, the basic fact that euthanasia ends a human life. Different authors choose different terms, depending on which side of the issue they are defending.

    Read More

  • Treating or Terminating: The Dilemma of Impaired Infants and the Right to Be Human

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marker and Hamlon. “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Frequently Asked Questions.” International Task Force. 2009. .

    Read More

  • Should We Legalize Physician Assisted Suicide?

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." Pbs.org. NOVA, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 2 Feb. 2012.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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”.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Euthanasia

    1823 Words  | 4 Pages

    Merriam-Webster defines euthanasia as “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.” As a globally issues, euthanasia is always in controversial. Swanton,D argued that euthanasia protects the rights of individuals and the freedom of religious expression. Additionally, Sydeny,D outlines europe’s increasing acceptance of euthanasia which may mean that euthanasia is a preferable choice for people. Conversely, Fagerlin, A PhD from University of Michigan Medical School and Carl E. Schneider, JD from University of Michigan Law School suggest the great distortion of living wills if euthanasia is allowed. What is

    Read More

  • Euthanasia

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    Philosophers like Peter Singer and Margaret Battin have dedicated their personal and professional time to evaluating the choice to which a person has the right to continue to live or to die. In order to do this, we first have to examine what exactly euthanasia is. The practice of euthanasia can be classified in two different ways. First, euthanasia can be either active or passive. Active euthanasia involves the direct interruption of ongoing daily functioning that otherwise would be adequate to maintain life. Passive euthanasia involves the withholding or withdrawing of treatment that might support ongoing daily functions; without drugs or treatment the body would continue its process of shutting down. In the case of passive euthanasia, the argument can be made that the treatment is actually withholding the natural process of death. Secondly, euthanasia can be divided into three categories based on a level of consciousness: involuntary (death against ones wishes), voluntary (death based on expressed wishes), and non-voluntary (incapable of consent or competent decision-making).

    Read More

  • Medical Futility: An Increasing Legal, Ethical, and Moral Dilemma

    1919 Words  | 4 Pages

    A divergent set of issues and opinions involving medical care for the very seriously ill patient have dogged the bioethics community for decades. While sophisticated medical technology has allowed people to live longer, it has also caused protracted death, most often to the severe detriment of individuals and their families. Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, believes too many Americans are “dying badly.” In discussing this issue, he stated, “Families cannot imagine there could be anything worse than their loved one dying, but in fact, there are things worse.” “It’s having someone you love…suffering, dying connected to machines” (CBS News, 2014). In the not distant past, the knowledge, skills, and technology were simply not available to cure, much less prolong the deaths of gravely ill people. In addition to the ethical and moral dilemmas this presents, the costs of intensive treatment often do not realize appreciable benefits. However, cost alone should not determine when care becomes “futile” as this veers medicine into an even more dangerous ethical quagmire. While preserving life with the best possible care is always good medicine, the suffering and protracted deaths caused from the continued use of futile measures benefits no one. For this reason, the determination of futility should be a joint decision between the physician, the patient, and his or her surrogate.

    Read More

  • Argument in Favor of Euthanasia

    1897 Words  | 4 Pages

    Euthanasia is one of the most recent and controversial debates today (Brogden, 2001). As per the Canadian Medical Association, euthanasia refers to the process of purposely and intentionally performing an act that is overtly anticipated to end the person’s life (CMA, 1998)

    Read More

  • A Defense of Euthanasia

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Three Reasons Why Euthanasia Should Be Legalized

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    Euthanasia, according to the dictionary, means the killing of a person who is suffering from an incurable disease. Lately, it had been a huge debate over whether euthanasia should be legalized or not. Personally, I believe that euthanasia should be legalized if it is voluntary. I have three reasons for my argument.

    Read More

  • Argument Against Euthanasia

    477 Words  | 1 Pages

    Euthanasia is a medical procedure which speeds up the process of dying for people with incurable, painful, or distressing diseases.  The patient’s doctor can stop treatment and instead let them die from their illness.  It come from the Greek words for 'good' and 'death', and is also called mercy killing.  Euthanasia is illegal in most countries including the UK .  If you suffer from an incurable disease, you cannot legally terminate your life.  However, in a number of European countries it is possible to go to a clinic which will assist you to die gracefully under some very strict circumstances.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay About Euthanasia

    1633 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is the authors’ intention to argue that some forms of euthanasia, to be exact, passive nonvoluntary and in exceptionally rare cases indirect euthanasia are morally permissible. However it must be noted that due to the limit of words and more importantly the authors’ lack of experience surrounding euthanasia, the claim of permissibility reflects that of the authors’ recent course readings and my emergent experience thereof. In addition to this it must also be noted that euthanasia cannot be evaluated exclusively. That euthanasia unquestionably is connected with the very questions that endeavor to understand life and death. My arguments descend from articles written by authors such as; Rachel’s, Steinbock, Beauchamp and Foot.

    Read More

  • The right to live, the right to die.

    2043 Words  | 5 Pages

    In conclusion to the available evidence, case studies and theoretical aspects of euthanasia, it can be argued that whilst people have the inherent right to live, they also have the right to die with dignity.

    Read More

More about Argument for Euthanasia

Open Document