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Euthanasia as an ethical issue
Euthanasia discussion
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Our morality is something that we rarely think of, however when we are face with terminal illness and other chronic illness we begin to think of it. It is difficult when a person is forced to make a decision regarding their own existence. Many people are afraid to make these life changing decisions ,because it can mean the end of their existence. Although it is difficult to make such decision ,some people choose to be euthanatized because the pain they are facing is unbearable. Life is difficult,but when their is a terminal illness that is making it harder ,euthanasia is an option. Euthanasia should be legalized. Euthanasia is a choice. Wesley j. smith author of the article Euthanasia and assisted suicide is a an american author as well as a lawyer. This article give …show more content…
Euthanasia is intended to end the persons life. There are different types of euthanasia,they all are however intended to kill. Passive euthanasia is the act of withdrawing a patient from their medication or with holding it. Assisted suicide although it may seem similar is not. Assisted suicide is the act of an ill patient allowing a physician control over the persons existence(Smith, 623). Euthanasia is only used if the person is a situation where they no longer see any possibility of improvement. Euthanasia is a decision some people take to end their life,since euthanasia is meant to end the persons life. Nargis Ebrahimi author of the article titled The Ethics of Euthanasia is a medical student in the University of Australia. Euthanasia is the persons ability to decision which measures they will take in regards to their existence. Euthanasia is also known as mercy killing because terminally patients are relieve from the enduring pain they face. Euthanasia has many branches active euthanasia ,for example, is the direct ingestion of a substance to end the persons life. Passive euthanasia is not considered euthanasia in many countries,because countries give the right to the patient to deny
Euthanasia comes from the Greek word that means “good death” (“Euthanasia” literally). 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 these “mercy killings”. There are two types of euthanasia: passive and active. Passive or voluntary euthanasia refers to withholding life-saving treatments or medical technology to prolong life.
Assisted suicide is a very controversial topic. Some people believe it is morally wrong to end someone’s life, while others think that if someone is terminally ill and suffering, they should be given the option to die on their own terms. The Death with Dignity Act is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1997 in Oregon; soon Washington and Vermont followed after, and now California has passed this law but it still has not went into effect. This is a movement that offers patients the right to die with dignity rather than allowing the illness to kill them slowly, and painfully. More specifically it gives them the freedom to an option. It can be from either physician assisted suicide or euthanasia. Although both words are used interchangeably
Another reason a patient may opt to euthanasia is to die with dignity. The patient, fully aware of the state he or she is in, should be able choose to die in all their senses as opposed to through natural course. A patient with an enlarged brain tumor can choose to die respectively, instead of attempting a risky surgery that could leave the patient in a worse condition then before the operation, possibly brain-dead. Or a patient with early signs of Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease may wish to be granted euthanization before their disease progresses and causes detrimental loss of sentimental memories. Ultimately it should be the patient’s choice to undergo a risky surgery or bite the bullet, and laws prohibiting euthanasia should not limit the patient’s options.
One area of moral dilemma that requires our attention is regarding euthanasia. Euthanasia is the practice of ending life in order to relieve pain or suffering caused by a terminal illness. Euthanasia can further be divided into two subcategories active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is the process of deliberately causing a person’s death. In passive euthanasia a person does not take any action and just allows the person to die. In many countries, the thought of euthanasia is morally detestable. However, many doctors find nothing wrong with allowing a terminally ill patient to decide to refuse medication. This decision is a form of passive euthanasia the doctor did not actively cause the patient’s death, but he did nothing to prevent the patient’s death. Failing to act and directly acting is not the same as not being responsible for the consequences of an event.
Any discussion that pertains to the topic of euthanasia must first include a clear definition of the key terms and issues. With this in mind, it should be noted that euthanasia includes both what has been called physician-assisted "suicide" and voluntary active euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide involves providing lethal medication(s) available to the patient to be used at a time of the patient’s own choosing (Boudreau, p.2, 2014). Indifferently, voluntary active euthanasia involves the physician taking an active role in carrying out the patient’s request, and usually involves intravenous delivery of a lethal substance. Physician-assisted suicide is felt to be easier psychologically for the physician and patient than euthanasia because
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.
“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)
Euthanasia, according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, is the act of intentionally ending a person’s life so as to help relieve suffering or pain. It can also be described as physician-assisted suicide. Euthanasia is illegal in most places, however, there are a few states in the U.S. that allow it along with a few other countries around the world. The states it is legalized in are Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont. Countries outside the United States that have it legalized are Belgium, Colombia, India, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, and The Netherlands (NEWHEALTHGUIDE.org). The debate whether euthanasia should be legalized or not is active due to some believing that it is cruel and not right while others believe it is fine due to different
to over turn the law. Also Kevin Andrews was strongly not in favour and with
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.
Assisted suicide brings up one of the biggest moral debates currently circulating in America. Physician assisted suicide allows a patient to be informed, including counseling about and prescribing lethal doses of drugs, and allowed to decide, with the help of a doctor, to commit suicide. There are so many questions about assisted suicide and no clear answers. Should assisted suicide be allowed only for the terminally ill, or for everyone? What does it actually mean to assist in a suicide? What will the consequences of legalizing assisted suicide be? What protection will there be to protect innocent people? Is it (morally) right or wrong? Those who are considered “pro-death”, believe that being able to choose how one dies is one’s own right.
Euthanasia is a major ethical topic all around the world. Euthanasia is the deliberate killing of a person for the benefit of that person. In most cases euthanasia is carried out because the person who dies asks for it, but there are cases in euthanasia where people are unconscious, in a coma or unstable and can’t make that decision. Some people focus on how people should die without pain and if someone wants to be injected they should be allowed. Other people believe that it is against the law and religiously wrong so you shouldn’t do it.
The most common reason people commit euthanasia is to help put themselves out of the misery of their terminal illness, as they only see physical and emotional pain their future. This is because, when living with a terminal illness, it can be extremely difficult to enjoy life just like everybody else. Some rules are better than none. Euthanasia takes place every once in a while, even though it is illegal mostly all around the world. It would surely be better to legalize and regulate the treatment known as “euthanasia” and minimize the factor of abusing it rather than not having any rules at all. Patients may be at less of a risk if there were specific rules to be followed when the treatment of euthanasia is requested. A patient shouldn’t have to wait and suffer until their bodies can take no more. A patient is the possessor of his or her own life. We humans can do whatever we want with our possessions. Such as selling a new house, we should be able to wish to discontinue our lives if the reasons to do so were rational. For example, having some sort of a deadly, painful disease. No one wants to suffer. No one likes to suffer. Suffering is very painful to endure. In an article regarding a man who was cleared of all charges after helping euthanize his ill mother, stated: “She had no grave illness; she was just old and blind and did not feel like living any longer, calling her
Should a patient have the right to ask for a physician’s help to end his or her life? This question has raised great controversy for many years. The legalization of physician assisted suicide or active euthanasia is a complex issue and both sides have strong arguments. Supporters of active euthanasia often argue that active euthanasia is a good death, painless, quick, and ultimately is the patient’s choice. While it is understandable, though heart-rending, why a patient that is in severe pain and suffering that is incurable would choose euthanasia, it still does not outweigh the potential negative effects that the legalization of euthanasia may have. Active euthanasia should not be legalized because
Horace once said, “To save a man’s life against his will is the same as killing him.” Many have associated this quote with euthanasia: a painless killing of an ill and suffering patient. Being a very controversial topic on the legalization of it, euthanasia is illegal in most countries and states. National Health Service (NHS) Choices states that, “euthanasia could be regarded as either voluntary manslaughter [...] or murder.” Although some disagree, euthanasia should be legal because regardless of the situation, death is a natural occurrence and the patient should have a choice of when to end their suffering.