Introduction
Euthanasia continues to be a subject of ethical debate. It is defined as the administration of lethal drugs by someone other than the person concerned with the explicit intention of ending a patient’s life, at the latter’s explicit request (Quaghebeur, de Casterle, & Gastmans, 2009).
An unprecedented number of people in the United States today live well into their late adult years. Improved medical and public health practices, increasing life expectancies, and the “graying” of the baby boom generation have all contributed to this phenomenon (Moulton, Hill, & Burdette, 2006). Euthanasia has been and always will be a topic of debate in the United States because Americans are living longer. Oregon, Washington, and Montana are the only three states who have legalized assisted suicide in the United States. The opinion of people is not only based on morals but religious beliefs are also being taken into consideration. Religion, faith, belief, and more generally, ideology and world view, entail more than just participation in rituals or the acceptance of certain doctrines. As religion and world view are expected to have repercussions on every aspect of life, it can be assumed that religious and ideological convictions will influence the professional attitudes and practices of medical professionals (Gielen, van den Branden, & Broeckaert, 2009).
Euthanasia has become more of a social concern. Euthanasia is being compared with birth control and abortion. Euthanasia is an attempt to control death while birth control and abortion are attempts to control birth. With advances in life-sustaining technologies and continuous increase in medical costs, euthanasia, or the right to end one’s life, when all hope of recove...
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... EUTHANASIA AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE. Nursing Ethics, 16(3), 303-318. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Lavi, S. J. (2007). Euthanasia as Public Policy: The Euthanasia Society of America. In, Modern Art of Dying (pp. 99-125). Princeton University Press. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
MING-LIN CHONG, ALICE, and FOK SHIU-YEU. 2009. “Attitudes Toward Euthanasia: Implications for Social Work Practice.” Social Work in Health Care 48, no. 2: 119-133. SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed March 1, 2011).
Moulton, B., Hill, T., & Burdette, A. (2006) Religion and Trends in Euthanasia Attitudes among U.S. Adults, 1977-2004. Sociological Forum, 21(2), 249-272. Doi: 10.1007/s11206-006-9015-5.
Quaghebeur, T., de Casterle, B., & Gastmans, C. (2009). NURSING AND EUTHANASIA: A REVIEW OF ARGUMENT-BASED ETHICS LITERATURE. Nursing Ethics, 16(4), 466-486. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
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
Bernards, Neal, Ed. (1989). Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints Series, Series Eds. David L. Bender and Bruno Leone. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press.
Euthanasia is a controversy that cannot be resolved from a single court ruling or a single person’s opinion. Many proposals have been suggested based on various studies and surveys. In “You Say Murder, I Say Euthanasia,” Clair Rayner describes a notable proposal regarding extreme euthanasia cases. The proposal, which has been put into the Science of Museum forum, recommends complex cases to be considered individually. In “Assisted Suicide Largely Shunned,” the anonymous author offers statistics that oppose the ethics of euthanasia.
The cultural connotations of euthanasia involve a speedy and merciful death done for the benefit of the person being euthanized. Many associate the term with phrases like “mercy killing” implying that it is for the benefit of the subject and not to their detriment, furthermore this phrase suggests that the act of euthanasia itself is an act of charity. In her paper Euthanasia Phillipa Foot sets out to discuss the major philosophical implications associated with the act of euthanasia and whether or not they can be morally justified in certain circumstances, and goes on to discuss the tremendous societal impact of a fully legalized and widely accepted practice of euthanasia. She first begins by addressing the commonly held definition of euthanasia,
Over the course of this paper, I will give a brief history, background, and address many of the arguments that are opposed to and for euthanasia. These arguments include causation, omission, legal issues, the physicians involved, the slippery slope that might potentially be created, autonomy rights, and Christianity.
Societies frequently reject the use of euthanasia because of the way in which it violates ethics. This is a major concern in the field of religion; along with other religions and religious leaders, Willem Velema of the Orthodox Protestant Church was “fiercely opposed” to the idea of euthanizing (Boer). From a religious standpoint, this procedure is wrong because patients and their families can act as God by determining time of death. Religion teaches that God keeps His children on the earth for a reason. After all, God puts certain obstacles in one’s life in order to make them stronger; resorting to death is a sign of weakness. Euthanasia is also opposed by many because of the way people take advantage of it. In Belgium, where Euthanization is legal, the number of medically induced deaths “has been going up” tremendously (Boer). In fact, “it has increased by an average of 15% a year” since 2006 (Boer). As numbers increase, citizens become desensitized to the idea, therefore, viewing it as a viable option in the face of pain.
Physician-assisted suicide was legalized in the United States in June of 1997, but can be found throughout history, dating back to ancient civilizations (Friend, 2011; Lachman, 2010). Many ancient civilizations, to include the Greeks, believed that individuals had the right to voluntarily end their life instead of suffering (Friend, 2011; Lachman, 2010). Ending suffering was seen as an honorable death and physicians administered the poison at the individual’s request (Friend, 2011). In the fifteenth century, the act of euthanasia was considered immoral by members of Christianity and by doctors who studied the Hippocratic Oath (Friend, 2011). Many groups of people participated in religion and respected the knowledge of physicians; therefore, euth...
perspective on euthanasia. Journal of Medical Ethics, 36(5), 306. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from Research Library.
... D. Simmons, Birth and Death: Bioethical Decision Making (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1983) p.113. Paul D. Simmons, Birth and Death: Bioethical Decision Making (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1983) p. 113. Ann Wickett, The Right To Die: Understanding Euthanasia (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1986) p.114. Samuel Gorovitz, Drawing The Line: Life, Death, and Ethical Choices in an American HospitalÄ (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991) p.10. Samuel Gorovitz, Drawing The Line: Life, Death, and Ethical Choices in an American Hospital (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991) p.10. Samuel Gorovitz, Drawing The Line: Life, Death, and Ethical Choices in an American Hospital (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991) p.17. Samuel Gorovitz, Drawing The Line: Life, Death, andEthical Choices in an American Hospital (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991) p.21. Ann Wickett, The Right To Die: Understanding Euthanasia (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1986) p.107. Ann Wickett, The Right To Die: Understanding Euthanasia (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1986) p.117. Thomas W. Case, Dying Made Easy (New York: Neal Bernards Inc., November 4, 1991) pp.25-26.
For many years the topic of euthanasia caused a mixed reaction in society and it still does. Attention to the issue of euthanasia has increased with the development of social progress, and in particular with the technology to sustain seriously ill people. Relevance of this topic is difficult to overestimate, first, because it is associated with the most expensive a person has - his life, and secondly - because of poor knowledge of the euthanasia problem, lack of underlining it in the writings of scholars-lawyers. Doctors, psychologists, lawyers, religious figures and politicians constantly lead numerous debates upon this issue. However, euthanasia’s practice still has not found a clear common answer to the question of its justification.
Euthanasia is the medical practice of ending one’s life in order to preserve their dignity and relieve extreme pain when quality of life is low. There are several methods of euthanasia of which people choose from. These methods include active, passive, voluntary, involuntary, indirect and assisted euthanasia. As of now, only a few countries have legalized euthanasia. The countries most known for the legalization of it are Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In a recent news article titled “Why I Support Assisted Dying”, a Canadian poll revealed that 26 % of physicians would be willing to actually participate in assisted dying and that if euthanasia were legalized, more and more medical professionals would agree with it (Morris, 2013). In this specific article, there is some light shed on the issue in comparison to others which often put a negative spin on the issue. In instances where palliative care is not enough, physician assisted euthanasia is proposed by the article. Due to many of the negative stigmas attached to the matter at hand, many see euthanasia as a social problem which should not be carried out. However, there are plenty of reasons to rectify such attitudes. From a sociological perspective, a functionalist would argue that euthanasia should not be a social issue and should be legalized. Euthanasia is an alternative anyone should have the right to exercise to end one’s own suffering, maintain dignity and pride until the very end, and to free up medical funds that could be used towards saving other lives.
Larson, Edward J. “Legalizing Euthanasia Would Encourage Suicide” Euthanasia- Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Carol Wesseker. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1995. 78-83. Print.
Ramabele, T. 2004. “Attitudes of the Elderly Towards Euthanasia: A Cross-cultural Study.” University of the Free State.
Keown, J. (2002). Euthanasia, ethics, and public policy: An argument against legislation. New York: Cambridge University Press.
“One of the most important public policy debates today surrounds the issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide. The outcome of that debate will profoundly affect family relationships, interaction between doctors and patients, and concepts of basic ethical behavior. With so much at stake, more is needed than a duel of one-liners, slogans and sound bites.”