The Mercy Killers

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The poem, To the Mercy Killers, by Dudley Randall is by far a poem which tackles the subject of euthanasia right up to its target: the “Killers”. The “Killers” are unfairly portrayed in a negative light, evoking pity for the terminally ill. For most, it is the cause of so much division in terms of beliefs evolving into a never ending moral dilemma, being the natural victims of the absolute conditioning of society. Euthanasia or mercy killing is a confusing subject that tackles the moral, legal, medical and ethical issues. It’s so confusing that even the Randall is somewhat baffled too, about which side to take, although the last line settles everything with: “Do not put my life. Let me still glow” (14), when there is nothing bright about the idea of being robbed off, of the life as a human.

Life in its simplest sense is a characteristic that distinguishes the animate and self-sustaining creations of the universe from the inanimate ones. Death, once human emotion and sentiment is removed from the idea, is only the ceasing of such characteristics. Life in a human is clearly far more complex compared to the other existing forms on this planet. The ability to think, along with the possession of higher conscious and greater awareness of its surroundings, makes a human somewhat special in certain aspects. The life of a human is differentiated by its intelligence and the experiences that are stimulating. Pain, an experience felt by a human and restricted to the living world, is an indicator of damage and in many cases the very cause for death. Most living organisms are blessed with the ability to detect pain and use it involuntarily to avoid its own destruction or death. For a human, pain could be emotional, psychological or physica...

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.... And mercy killing is just one form of ending it, regardless of religion, beliefs and law.

Works Cited

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Doerflinger, Richard. “Pope John Paul II affirms obligation to feed patients in the “vegetative” state”. National Right to Life.org. 26 April 2004. Web. 8 July 2011.

Gorsuch, Neil M. “The Right to Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.” Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. (2000): n. pag. Web. 8 July 2011.

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Quindlen, Anna. “The Culture of Each Life” Newsweek. 4 April 2005. Web. 8 July 2011.

Randall, Dudley. “To The Mercy Killers”, 1973. 28 February 2011. Web. 8 July 2011.

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