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Ending the life of a critically ill person by lethal injection is known as Euthanasia or “mercy-killing”. The Greek word Euthanasia’s meaning is good death, “eu” meaning good, and “thanasia”, meaning death.( B.A. Robinson) The right of death by lethal injection should be the choice of the person whom wants this process done, not the doctors or the society, in which this is called immoral. When only having so long to live and having to live that small amount of time in severe pain there should be an option for the patient to choose Euthanasia. This option would help those who are in sound mind and only have a small pain filled time left on the earth, to be free from the pain that the illness is causing them. The Gallup Organization in the United States revealed that 75percent of the United States population is in favor of this practice of Euthanasia. (Abhijit Naik) The states that have provisions for Euthanasia in their judicial system include Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Texas. (Naik) Religion and race have a major role in the opinion on wither Euthanasia should be allowed or banned from certain states or even the Untied Stated as a whole. The other 25 percent of the population is against Euthanasia and think that the choice to die is only Gods decision. Out of the millions of people that attend church weekly, only about thirty-three percent of them think that Euthanasia is morally acceptable. While forty-eight percent of people who attend church near weekly feel that Euthanasia is acceptable. (Author Unknown) The Bible states, “Thou shall not murder” (Exodus 20:12-15) with this in mind numerous people consider the performance of Euthanasia manslaughter, even though the person who is desiring to be Euthanized insists that... ... middle of paper ... ...n America. Euthanasia can be beneficial in certain circumstances, as well as harmful if used incorrect. When wanting to use Euthanasia it has to be kept in mind that in a dire situations should the person, whom wishing to have Euthanasia preformed, get the procces that will end their life. Works Cited Abhijit Naik “Euthanasia Laws” Buzzle.com, 2000-2010 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/euthanasia-laws.html B.A. Robinson “Jack Kevorkian” Answer Corporation, 1997-2011 http://www.religioustolerance.org/euth1.htm N/A “Euthanasia and Religion” Religion Facts, 2004-2010 http://www.religionfacts.com/euthanasia/index.htm Pregnant Pause “Types of Euthanasia” 2001 http://www.pregnantpause.org/euth/types.htm N/A “The Thanatron” Frontline, WBGH Educational Foundation, 1995-2011 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/aboutk/thanatronblurb.html
“Thomas More, in describing a utopian community, envisaged such a community as one that would facilitate the death of those whose lives had become burdensome as a result of ‘torturing and lingering pain’” (Voluntary Euthanasia). Euthanasia is an act that would be used to relieve suffering patients. Before one can argue for or against the legalization of euthanasia, he must understand the difference between the different types of euthanasia: active versus passive, voluntary versus non-voluntary and involuntary, and euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. First, “active euthanasia occurs when something is done with the specific intention of ending a person‘s life, such as injecting a lethal medication,” while “passive euthanasia occurs when interventions that might prolong life are withheld, such as deciding against connecting a dying person to a life support” (Euthanasia- Euthanasia: History, Controversy, Facts). Second, voluntary euthanasia is when a competent person asks for help to end his life, while non-voluntary euthanasia is when a person is not competent to make the decision for himself, and involuntary euthanasia is when the patient is completely against euthanasia (National Right to Life). There is even a difference between euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, as euthanasia describes “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals,“ while physician-assisted suicide is when a person is giving the tools needed to end his own life by a physician (Suicide, Euthanasia, and Physician-Assisted Suicide). Although involuntary euthanasia should never be viewed as permissible, all other kinds of euthanasia should be legalized with the aid of living wills, giving the sufferin...
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.
...d and there would be no hope for any recovery and that the patient has knowingly and consented for the procedure. This should not be a process that is established instantly, but it should be well thought out by the patient, the families of the patient and the physician. If the doctor is prepared to acknowledge and decide that there is no hope for his or her patient to recover, they should be able to grant them the requests of assisted suicide. A person should have the choice, with certain conditions, to end their lives in the best way possible to stop suffering from unbearable pain. Although ending a person’s life might be wrong due to religion views, society should be considerate and compassionate to a patient's decision if they decide to end their life when he or she thinks their life becomes worthless and when there is no chance to experience a normal life again.
Death is something almost everyone fears, but the people that aren’t afraid are the ones suffering from terminal disease and other life-threatening illness. Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are very serious topics in the medical community, as supporters to legalization argue that it’s the right of the person to live or die, while on the other side opponents argue legalizing it me1ans that doctors will have the ability to kill patients and that the government approves it. Euthanasia is legal in multiple countries including Netherlands, Switzerland, and Canada. Physician assisted suicide is legal in a lot of countries including; Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. Euthanasia is widely conversed in the world and has been since it was first
Morally, doctor patient relationships are where doctors fully respects the wishes of patients decisions and autonomy. But its when the patients wish to die by the doctors hands or even be giving an overdose prescription to help aid their wish, can cause an uproar in whether if proceeding in Euthanasia is morally right or wrong. But its where the physicians have to decide and honor the wishes of euthanasia even if it does goes against they’re code of ethics and seems morally wrong. Even though the only job of a physician is to make sure of the patients life and that they remain alive.
Euthanasia is the act of ending a person’s life through lethal injection or through the removement of treatment. Euthanasia comes from the Greek word meaning “good death.” When a death ends peacefully, it is recognized as a good death. In modern society, euthanasia has come to mean a death free of any pain and anxiety brought on through the use of medication; this can also be called mercy killing, deliberately ending someone’s life in order to end an individual’s suffering. Anything that would ease human suffering is good. Euthanasia eases human suffering. Therefore, euthanasia is good. Because active euthanasia is considered as suicide or murder, it is a very controversial issue and therefore, illegal in most places. Although there are always
Euthanasia has many different meanings. Some consider euthanasia as meaning a gentle and easy passing, the good death of another, or mercy killing (Lane, 1). Others consider it to mean an intentional termination of life, by another, at the explicit request of the individual. This implies that the act would be initiated by the person who wishes to terminate his/her life, or some define it as to include both the voluntary and the involuntary termination of life (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 1). Euthanasia is discussed in many places besides a hospital or doctor’s office. It is also discussed in churches, philosophy classes, taverns, street corners, homes, medical societies, nursing classes, hospices, journals, and legislative assemblies (Lane, 2).
Although physician-assisted suicide is legal in some states, euthanasia is illegal throughout the United States. There are three classifications of euthanasia. One is passive euthanasia, which is the withdrawal of medical treatment with the intention to hasten an ill person’s death. Another is physician-assisted suicide, which involve a doctor knowingly and intentionally providing a person with the knowledge or means to commit suicide. This can include counseling about, prescribing, or supplying lethal doses of drugs. The last kind of euthanasia is active euthanasia or the intentional act of causing death of a patient experiencing great suffering. Another controversial piece to euthanasia is non-voluntary euthanasia. Most people, who are candidates for lack of a better phrase, are either in a coma, too young, senile, cognitively impaired, brain damaged or mentally disturbed. Euthanasia comes down to really what the medical definition of death is. According to Robert M. Vetch from the Yale University Press
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
In high school, I distinctly remember the week or so that my AP Biology class spend discussing ethics in science. The liveliest debate that grew out of these classes was about a topic that is so controversial it seemed to cause even the quietest students to take a strong stance on one side or the other. This topic was euthanasia. Whether we were talking about taking a patient off life support or about physician assisted suicide, it was clear that each member of the class had very distinct views on this topic. Throughout the nation and around the world, people continue to have very distinct views on euthanasia. When making decisions on this topic, religious officials rely on long standing Christian beliefs and moral values. The Roman Catholic Church’s stance on euthanasia can be traced far back to the teachings of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, and has continued to develop throughout history. In this essay I will argue that the Roman Catholic Church’s strong opposition to euthanasia is based on the ideas of many influential historical figures and has had an impact throughout the world.
The voluntary active euthanasia is legitimately moral. It is morally right for a person to seek euthanasia because it is their freedom or autonomy to control their own lives. It ends the suffering of the patient without harming other people. Furthermore, it prevents the person to suffer by giving him/her lethal injection or medication that prevents a person to die slowly with pain. On the other hand, the arguments against euthanasia are not sound. A thorough assessment will protect patient who request euthanasia for the benefits of others. A patient who seek for euthanasia does not use him/herself as means, but as ends to respect his/her own humanity. Furthermore, God as a benevolent will not allow a person to suffer which endorse the purpose of euthanasia – to end suffering. Therefore, voluntary active euthanasia should be legalized in the United States.
A recent survey by the Canadian Medical Association discovered that “ . . . 44 per cent of doctors would refuse a request for physician-assisted dying . . . ” (Kirkey 2). Euthanasia is defined as assisting a terminally ill patient with dying early. In many countries the legalization of this practice is being debated in many countries. All doctors against assisted suicide, including the 44 percent in Canada, are on the right side of the argument. Euthanasia should not be legalized because it is unnatural, it violates the Hippocratic Oath, and laws are to extensive.
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.
Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, means to take a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable suffering. In the majority of countries, euthanasia is against the law because it is illegal to help someone kill themselves, not matter the severity of the circumstances. Euthanasia is simply unjustified. As humans we are granted the right to live, not to die, and so taking a life that you have been blessed with is not an honorable or appropriate option. If society accepts euthanasia, it will weaken society’s high view of life. Furthermore, if society allows euthanasia of a patient due to the economic considerations, do we not expect this same society to euthanize the mentally challenged and physically disabled. Euthanasia might just end up making society accept the notion that some lives are worth less than others; and that is unacceptable.
In order to provide a framework for my thesis statement on the morality of euthanasia, it is first necessary to define what euthanasia is and the different types of euthanasia. The term Euthanasia originates from the Greek term “eu”, meaning happy or good and “thanatos”, which means death, so the literal definition of the word Euthanasia can be translated to mean “good or happy death”.