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Arguments against euthanasia
Arguments against euthanasia
Pros and cons of euthanasia
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Death. Disease. Fear. This is the recipe for euthanasia – the quick and painless answer to an incurable and suffering disease. Euthanasia, and a common form of euthanasia, assisted suicide, should be legal processes through which terminally-ill patients may voluntarily end his or her own life. Essentially, euthanasia is having a patient sign a waiver agreeing to allow a doctor inject them with toxic fluids that will end suffering and allow people to have a dignified quiet death. This suicidal method is meant only for patients with terminal illnesses. That is, diseases that will eventually kill you, or that cause terrific pain and suffering without killing you anytime soon. Euthanasia has been an extremely controversial topic over the …show more content…
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 …show more content…
There are many different reasons why people would want to euthanize someone, but here are just a few of them. The reasons are – to put themselves out of the misery of their terminal illness, as they only see physical and emotional pain in their future because some rules are better than none, human beings have the right to die how and when they want to because sometimes a life is just not worth living anymore and euthanasia may be necessary for the fair distribution of health resources. One acting on their own violation, with their right mind should be able to make a decision on how they live and die without a government or religious group interfere. Euthanasia should be
Euthanasia is the intentional causing or hastening of death in a person with a medical condition that is judged to be serious. The patient may either be (a) alert and (b) aware and (c) competent to make their own decisions and (d) able to communicate or the patient may have (a) decreased alertness (due to encephalopathy or coma), (b) diminished awareness (retardation, dementia, vegetative state) and (c) be incompetent to make their own decisions or (d) be unable to communicate due to aphasia, or inability to speak.
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.
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.
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
Once people decide to end their lives they give up. They give up on fighting for themselves and others that love them. At times they may not even be in the right state of mind when they make these decisions. When people know that they have a terminal illness they tend to go through depression. They think that they have nothing else to live for, but it is just a stage that they are going through. There are certain factors that are dangerous and lead people to end their lives. There are people that want euthanasia to be legalized but they do not understand the consequences that come with that legalization. Once euthanasia is legalized vulnerable patients could be talked into suicide and doctors could take that decision for them. Euthanasia should not be an easy way out to get rid of a patient’s pain.
Physician-assisted suicide is “the voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. Physician-assisted suicide is the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life.” (medterms.com) Surveys have shown physician-assisted suicide to be gaining more and more support amongst doctors and “up to half of adults believe it should be legal in cases of terminal illnesses.” (Vaugn, Page 597) In a 2000 large survey, Oncologists revealed 22.5% supported the use of physician-assisted suicide for a terminally ill patient with unremitting pain, 6.6% favored active euthanasia in these circumstances, 56.2% had received requests from patients for physician assisted suicide, 38.2% for active euthanasia, 10.8% had performed physician-assisted suicide and 3.7% active euthanasia. (Vaughn, Page 598) Not only have physician-assisted suicide begun gaining more support amongst physicians but also in the public. In a 2007 survey conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs, results have shown that 48% of the public believe it should be legal or doctors to help terminally ill patients end their own life by giving them a prescription of fatal drugs while 44% believe it should be illegal. (Vaughn, Page 603) In the 2007 Gallup Poll, results show 56% of the public believes when a person has a disease that cannot be cured and is living in severe pain, doctors should be allowed to assist the patient to commit suicide if the patients requests it and 38% believe it should not be allowed and 49% of the public believes that physician-assisted suicide is morally acceptable while 44% beli...
Euthanasia, as defined by the Encarta Encyclopedia, is the “practice of mercifully ending a person’s life in order to release the person from incurable disease, intolerable suffering, or undignified death” (Encarta, 2004). Euthanasia is a Greek word, which means “good death.” As humans, we understand death is something we cannot avoid but having some control over death is empowering and reassuring to us. If someone is suffering from a terminal illness, intolerable pain, or in a long-term coma, euthanasia is an acceptable option for someone to end his or her life. With the consent of their doctor(s) these people should be able to have the law on their side supporting their decisions.
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.
First of all, euthanasia saves money and resources. The amount of money for health care in each country, and the number of beds and doctors in each hospital are limited. It is a huge waste if we use those money and resources to lengthen the lives of those who have an incurable disease and want to die themselves rather than saving the lives of the ones with a curable ailment. When we put those patients who ask for euthanasia to death, then the waiting list for each hospital will shorten. Then, the health care money of each country, the hospital beds, and the energy of the doctors can be used on the ones who can be cured, and can get back to normal and able to continue contributing to the society. Isn’t this a better way of using money and resources rather than unnaturally extend those incurable people’s lives?
The idea of euthanasia is something that elderly people today face almost every day. I believe that it should be up to the human being suffering, whether or not they want to suffer any longer. As people grow old, they become weaker and more dependent on others naturally. Plus adding a fatal sickness to the scenario and things must seem hopeless. Nobody should have to endure such pain and agony just to save their loved ones the pain of letting them go. We do not let an animal suffer to any extent, as soon as things seem hopeless; we put them to sleep. Not that we should kill anyone at the first sign of illness, but there are many elderly people in convalescent homes just waiting for the day their pain will end. And why do we let these people suffer, because we believe it is morally wrong to kill a human being. But in this scenario I believe it is morally right to grant the wishes of the person in agony...
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.
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
Most of the time it is due to the person’s own request but sometimes it is done when the person cannot speak for itself and the family members have to decide for them. Euthanasia is really not a bad thing and it should be legalized in my opinion.