We Have the Right to Choose Euthanasia
Euthanasia is the term for opting to die under circumstances, which lead to it being a gentle and easy death. Euthanasia should be an option for the suffering patient, although certain conditions and laws should be implemented on this issue so that both for and against arguments are considered. My opinion leans toward euthanasia being legal although I can understand the critical issues in relation to this practice that cause conflict within the community.
The decision for life is entirely up to the suffering individual. Only under a qualified psychiatrist should there be any influence on an individuals ability to make that decision. Reasons behind questioning the patient s ability to make this decision should relate to their mental or physical status. The psychiatrist s choice should be in the best interests of the patient after considering their health.
In many circumstances, euthanasia should be seen as understandable and humane, especially if a patient has a life threatening disease such as cancer or Aids.
The following state the current laws for euthanasia in the Northern Territory but only recently these laws have been overturned by the Commonwealth government. These laws include;
(a) A patient had to make a request,
(b) Cooling off period,
(c) 3 independent doctors had to agree being: (1) patient s doctor, (2) psychiatrist, if not suffering from any mental disease, (3) Specialist in the area of disease suffered by the patient e.g.: oncologist (cancer specialist), neurologist (nerve specialist being able to deal with paralysis).
The laws determining the act of euthanasia must not be open to abuse, they must be precise and sensitive to the community issues but also be unbiase to the individual. If a patient is not seen to recover at any stage and, after all treatment possible, still remains incurable, then they should have the choice of euthanasia.
Euthanasia would be a blessing to the critically ill patients and their families. However, under the above conditions I still can see where much abuse could occur resulting in euthanasia being seen as inhumane. If a patient who was depressed due to a feeling of pressure from home/friends/family the individual s choice for euthanasia would not be rational because there are treatments available to help deal with depression such as regular visits to a psychiatrist or the anti-depressants available from a medical practitioner.
People must consider that euthanasia must be reasoned and not used as a temporary pain relief of something easily cured, but still what must be considered is what influence their can be on an individuals choice, example; pressure from family or feeling a burden.
There are several important ethical issues related to euthanasia. One is allowing people who are terminally ill and suffering the right to choose death. Should these people continue to suffer even though they really are ba...
Patients are ultimately responsible for their own health and wellbeing and should be held responsible for the consequences of their decisions and actions. All people have the right to refuse treatment even where refusal may result in harm to themselves or in their own death and providers are legally bound to respect their decision. If patients cannot decide for themselves, but have previously decided to refuse treatment while still competent, their decision is legally binding. Where a patient's views are not known, the doctor has a responsibility to make a decision, but should consult other healthcare professionals and people close to the patient.
Euthanasia is a difficult ideal to understand, to lack the ability to place a value on someone’s life and to understand someone’s suffering at the sometime. Being pulled by both your heart and your soul at the same time.
The first law explicitly prohibiting euthanasia in the United States was enacted in New York in 1828 (ProCon). Since then many more states have outlawed ...
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.
I believe that euthanasia, as a drastic course of action, should not be legal. In my opinion, the only exception to this that should exist is euthanasia being used to carry out punishment for a crime. Euthanasia should only be used to punish criminals who have committed a crime that the punishment of their crime is the death penalty.
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.
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.
17. Stevens C, Hassan R. Management of death, dying and euthanasia; attitudes and practices of medical practitioners in South Australia. J Med Ethics 1994.
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.
Imagine being debilitated and in crippling amounts of pain for years on end Although this topic represents a difficult moral and ethical minefield, if proper safeguards are in place, where people must select their preferences regarding euthanasia before the occurrence of an incapacitating disease and extremely severe consequences for people who try to abuse the system of euthanasia, then we can eliminate all the relevant arguments presented by the opposition. This means that there are no logical reasons as to why we shouldn’t respect a person’s right to their own life, and to do with it what they please.
If a patient finds himself or herself terminally ill and in excruciating pain, they should have the option to partake in assisted suicide to end their misery. Some insights support Euthanasia, and some reject the concept. This issue is important to society because people want the right to end their lives when facing terminal, or life threatening, illnesses. In my opinion, certain forms of euthanasia should be considered legal. Euthanasia, in a sense, has way more advantages than disadvantages.
Euthanasia, according to the dictionary, means the killing of a person who is suffering from an incurable disease. Lately, it had been a huge debate over whether euthanasia should be legalized or not. Personally, I believe that euthanasia should be legalized if it is voluntary. I have three reasons for my argument.
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...
Although reading and researching its negative aspects has made me recognize the many difficulties associated with euthanasia I still believe that, if regulated properly, it could be used in an appropriate way. This has been seen to be the case in countries where it has been legalized. I believe that we are breaching human rights by not allowing people to make decisions that affect only themselves. The level of suffering and distress experienced by patients and their families contemplating euthanasia are impossible for outsiders to comprehend; therefore this decision should be able to made by those directly involved, within a well regulated system of