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Today, voluntary euthanasia is getting closer to being legalized in more than just one state in the United States. “‘Voluntary’ euthanasia means that the act of putting the person to death is the end result of the person’s own free will” (Bender 19). “ Voluntary euthanasia is an area worthy of our serious consideration, since it would allow patients who have exhausted all other reasonable options to choose death rather than continue suffering” (Bender 19). The question of whether or not voluntary euthanasia should be legalized is a major debate that has been around for years. Because the issue of whether people should have the right to choose how they want to live or die is so complex. With the advances in technology today we have made it possible to keep a person alive for longer periods of time, even when a person is permanently unconscious or has brain damage. However it seems reasonable to believe that there are many conditions in which voluntary euthanasia should be allowed, and there are many organizations that support the choice of voluntary euthanasia. So why is it that so many do not support the choice of the way a person wants to live or die? There are many common arguments people have against voluntary euthanasia. One argument against voluntary euthanasia is that “the old, disabled and incurably ill would feel they should choose voluntary euthanasia so that they were not a burden on others….” (Anonymous Common 1). However there is no real evidence to show that this problem will arise if voluntary euthanasia is legalized. Another argument is “there is always a possibility of an incorrect diagnosis or the discovery of a treatment that will permit either survival or recovery” (Anonymous Objections 1). This is so... ... middle of paper ... ... possible treatment. “Unfortunately, even when medical advances and excellent hospice research in palliative care, severe indignity, pain and distress cannot always be controlled” (Anonymous 5). There are many conditions that a person would have to obtain before given the opportunity to choose to die. A person would have to be suffering from a terminal illness that would unlikely benefit from the discovery of a cure for that illness. Also as a direct result of the illness, the patient has to be suffering intolerable pain. Another requirement would be that they are mentally able to make the decision and are not forced into making a decision. Legalizing voluntary euthanasia is all about having a choice. Most people today believe that everyone should be given the right to choose how they live and die. It’s not your life, if you can’t choose when to let go.
Terminally ill patients deserve the right to have a dignified death. These patients should not be forced to suffer and be in agony their lasting days. The terminally ill should have this choice, because it is the only way to end their excruciating pain. These patients don’t have
When faced with a terminal illness a person has to go through a process of thinking. What will happen to me? How long will I suffer? What kind of financial burden am I going to leave with my family when I am gone? What are my options? For many years the only legal options were to try a treatment plan, palliative care, hospice, and eventually death. For residents of Washington State, Oregon, and Vermont there is another option. They have the option to end their own life with a prescription from their physicians.
Euthanasia has been a long debated subject consisting of many opinions and believes. For this paper I will be providing my rationale on why I am for legalization of active voluntary euthanasia for terminally ill clients in Canada. Active voluntary euthanasia should be legalized because it respects the individual’s choice, it allows individuals to flourish in their passing, and reduces the individual from further suffering. These are all important components of bioethics, and are all good reasons why euthanasia is not a negative thing. Active voluntary euthanasia is “the active killing of a dying person” requested by the client themselves (Collier & Haliburton, 2011, p. 226). In the paper I will also be discussing about virtue ethics, the principle of autonomy, and care ethics.
Euthanasia, the right to die, death with dignity – no matter what you call it – should be readily available to all humans who wish to die. Euthanasia, as defined by MediLexicon’s medical dictionary, is “a quiet, painless death” or “the intentional putting to death of a person with an incurable or painful disease intended as an act of mercy” (----). There is one absolute certain in life – death. It is one matter that we have no choice in, we will all die. But shouldn’t we have some say in how, when, and where we will die? We are the ones who lived, after all. With the rise of support and advocacy of euthanasia, we might just be able to have some say in our deaths.
For instance, in the Netherlands, they must follow strict guidelines to be considered for euthanasia. These guidelines include: The request for euthanasia must come from the patient and be completely voluntary, well considered, and persistent. The patient must have adequate information about his or her medical condition, the prognosis, and alternative treatments. There must be intolerable suffering with no prospect for improvement, although the patient need not be terminally ill. Other alternatives to alleviate the suffering must have been considered and found ineffective, unreasonable, and unacceptable to the patient. The euthanasia must be performed by a physician who has consulted an independent colleague. The physician must exercise due care, and there should be a written record of the case. And the death must not be reported to the medical examiner as a natural death. With guidelines like these, no one would be able to mistreat euthanasia or take advantage of
“When a patient says, ‘Help me doctor,’ he is assuming that his doctor is on the side of his life.” This quote by Dr.Margaret Cottle , who is a palliative care physician , shows the mentality that most patients have when it comes to patient care. Euthanasia is a very controversial topic that has been debated on throughout the years. Whether it may be active euthanasia, passive euthanasia, voluntary euthanasia, involuntary euthanasia, indirect or physician assisted the morals and reasoning behind each are controversial. Though some people may believe euthanasia may be justified in a critical situation and critical punishment, euthanasia should be prohibited because euthanasia weakens societies respects for the sanctity of life, euthanasia might not be in the person’s best interest, and euthanasia affects other peoples rights, not just the patients.
People who agree with euthanasia sat that the voluntary form of euthanasia will not lead to involuntary euthanasia. After much research, it has been found that there would be millions of situations each year that do not fall clearly into either category. An example of this would be an elderly man in a nursing home is asked to sign a form consenting to be killed. This man can barely read his newspaper in the morning, let alone read a form that someone hands to him and tells him to sign. Would this be voluntary or involuntary? (Johansen) One can argue either side. Researchers say that legalized euthanasia would most likely progress to a point where people are expected to volunteer for assisted death. Just as if your veterinarian says your old dog would be better put out of his or her misery by putting her to sleep, 10 years from now, a doctor would ask you, as the closest family member to your father, to approve a form of euthanasia because your father’s quality of life was not worth living. (Gallagher) The movement from voluntary to involuntary euthanasia would be somewhat like the movement of abortion. People who agree with euthanasia state that abortion is something that a woman chooses to do, that it is not forced on her and that voluntary euthanasia will not be forced on them either. But it is not an issue of force; it is an issue of the way laws concerning euthanasia can be expanded once it is declared legal.
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.
Gay-Williams notes that euthanasia could cause the patient to miss out on values that can only be obtained through suffering. “Suffering is surely a terrible thing, and we have a clear duty to comfort those in need and to ease their suffering when we can. But suffering is also a natural part of life with values for the individual and for others that we should not overlook” Gay-Williams. Also, there are usually options that have not yet been explored other than euthanasia. Examples could include alternative treatments or even experimental procedures. Rachels emphasizes that passive euthanasia is slow and extremely painful, but this does not have to be the case. Often physicians are able to adequately control the patient’s pain, allowing them to be more at
The act of euthanasia may be justifiable, in that it gives those in pain an escape from their lives, however, it places a lot of power in the patient’s healthcare provider. Medical professionals are more pessimistic in patients’ diagnosis and rate their live value lower than it actually is (Pawlick and DiLascio 2). The negative diagnosis of these medical practitioners makes the patient feel especially drawn to euthanasia as a solution for the problem they may possess. Furthermore, the legalization of euthanasia would “cause society to devalue all life,” in that it makes everyone, not just patients, feel that euthanizing those who have medical issues is a better way to fix problems within our society, rather than treating them (Wekesser 64). Those against legalization say that the open availability for someone to end their life could lead to people feeling “more driven toward, or even forced” to be euthanized due to their emotional, rather than physical, pain (Lee and Stingl 1). During times of hardship such as a terminal illness, one often feels that their life is decreasing in value under the circumstances of the effective suffering their situation causes to the family and loves ones around them. It is therefore easier to end their life in a way that puts ease on the family and loved ones, in a
Within the medical community euthanasia is a controversial issue which arises when the death could be a viable and acceptable alternative to life. According to Medical News Today, euthanasia is defined as “a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable, persistent, and unstoppable suffering.” The practice has been deemed illegal in a variety of countries and states, but some people may sympathize with the patient’s desire to end suffering through death. With all the medical advances over time, society has been able to keep individuals biologically alive. Yet certain terminal diseases could cause so much suffering and pain that some people rather die instantly then wait to live for only a bit longer. A
Over the past half century, the percentage of Americans who say doctors should have a right to help end an incurably ill patient’s life has doubled to about seventy percent. One of the strongest points euthanasia supporters have is the desire for independence, the urge for people to choose a course of action that is based on their personal values. When the person involved is suffering from an intolerable pain, the use of euthanasia is there to relieve them. A supporter of euthanasia might claim that respecting the right of a patient to choose should also include respecting that person’s ch...
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.
Every human who suffers from such diseases should have the right to leave this world peacefully and to die with dignity. Prisoners even have a right for their last wish, so it is our duty to fulfill the last wish of sick patients. Besides, if the patient’s will is rejected, he or she might try to commit the suicide.So many times they are enticed to do such a great harm to themselves . Very often this is the only way to relieve the pain away from patients. Euthanasia not only helps the terminally ill patients, but also their loved ones.“Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide will shorten the period of pre-mortem suffering and eliminate fear about how and when death will occur. The patient will have a measure of control over the process of dying” (Singer,
What is one to do when the end is at hand and suffering and pain is the only way to go? In America one might respond to their need as “oh no, poor person, I hope they get better”, what if they are not going to get better? What if they are just hoping that death will bring an end to their suffering? Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide, would do just that. However, physician assisted suicide is illegal in America being only legal in Oregon ,Washington , Montana and Vermont .