euthanasia essay

787 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ethical issues involved in euthanasia

Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. Euthanasia can either take the form of passive or active assisted-suicide. Euthanasia is a hotly debated topic international that receives a lot of media attention when a story breaks about a personal story of someone suffering from an incurable and painful disease asks to be euthanized.

Euthanasia can either take a passive or active form in that passive euthanasia is the act in which a life-support system or medication is withheld so the patient can die by natural means. This also means an ordinary human right such as nutrition or hydration cannot be with held to induce death. The injury or disease must be the cause of death not the act of the withdrawing the life support system.

Active euthanasia is the direct and intentional killing of someone when given consent or consent can’t be given. Active euthanasia usually takes the form of a lethal dose of medication to ensure a painless death. Active euthanasia has been requested by people suffering from diseases and syndromes that have reduced their quality of life to a point at which that believe that death is a better option than living in their pained and often vegetative state. This means of assisted-suicide has been requested in a case of man named Tony Nicklinson who suffered from a sickness called locked-in syndrome that left him physically disabled but was not affected mentally, he had described his life as a “a living nightmare.” As his quality of life had made him feel as though his body was a jail to his mind.

Euthanasia is not about ending a life it is about stopping unbearable pain and suffering in those sentenced to a terminal illness where they...

... middle of paper ...

...years. Under section 19A of the Crimes Act 1900 he could of faced a maximum of 10 years in jail but because of the circumstances his punishment was nowhere near as harsh as possible. This shows that people understand and sympathize with the pain a loved one can feel.

It is for the reasons above that I believe that euthanasia should be legalized under the premise that the patient must have terrible quality of life and be suffering from a terminal illness and that a physician will administer the injection under the direction of two other physicians as to stop the possibility of misdiagnoses. I also believe that a person who has been in a coma or on life support but still has no chance of survival also have the right to euthanasia. Euthanasia is a hotly debated topic as it can make someone questions their deepest belief into what they believe is the meaning of living.

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Physician Assisted Suicide

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    The word Euthanasia comes from the Greek and means “good death” (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp) and in the range of this paper, it is called physician assisted suicide or “active” euthanasia. The definition of “active” euthanasia is ending one’s life yourself or with the aid of a doctor. It can be done in various different ways; however, the most common form is with a combination of drugs, usually given by a physician. ( http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp) The reason Physician Assisted Suicide (or PAS) is an important issue in this country and around the world is that there are many people out there suffering from debilitating, incurable and intensely painful diseases that would like to end their lives with dignity and without suffering.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia and Frankenstein

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, a patient has the right to refuse medical treatment. They also have the right to refuse resuscitation if they are in need of life support. Active or involuntary euthanasia refers to providing the means for someone to take their life or assisting with taking their life (“Euthanasia”). There are several important ethical issues related to euthanasia. One is allowing people who are terminally ill and suffering the right to choose death.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Essay

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    Euthanasia – the ending of a terminally ill patient’s life by a third party, normally a physician, to end the pain and suffering of the patient.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia Essay

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    Euthanasia is one of the most complicated issues in the medical field due to the debate of whether or not it is morally right. Today, the lives of many patients can be saved with the latest discoveries in medicine and technology. But we are still unable to find cures to all illnesses, and patients have to go through extremely painful treatments only to live a little bit longer. These patients struggle with physical and psychological pain. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. discusses the topic of just and unjust laws in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which brings into question whether it is just to kill a patient who is suffering or unjust to take that person’s life even if that person is suffering. In my opinion people should have the right, with certain restrictions, to end their lives in the way they see fit if they are suffering from endless pain.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay: The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

    1907 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anyone can be diagnosed with a terminal illness. It doesn’t matter how healthy you are, who you are, or what you do. Some terminal illnesses you can prevent by avoiding unhealthy habits, eating healthily, exercising regularly and keeping up with vaccinations. However some terminally ill people cannot be helped, their diseases cannot be cured and the only thing possible to help them, besides providing pain relieving medication, is to make them as comfortable as possible while enduring their condition. Many times the pharmaceuticals do not provide the desired pain escape, and cause patients to seek immediate relief in methods such as euthanasia. Euthanasia is the practice of deliberately ending a life in order to alleviate pain and suffering, but is deemed controversial because many various religions believe that their creators are the only ones that should decide when their life’s journey should reach its end. Euthanasia is performed by medical doctors or physicians and is the administration of a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient on his or her express request. Although the majority of American states oppose euthanasia, the practice would result in more good as opposed to harm. The patient who is receiving the euthanizing medication would be able to proactively choose their pursuit of happiness, alleviate themselves from all of the built up pain and suffering, relieve the burden they may feel they are upon their family, and die with dignity, which is the most ethical option for vegetative state and terminally ill patients. Euthanasia should remain an alternative to living a slow and painful life for those who are terminally ill, in a vegetative state or would like to end their life with dignity. In addition, t...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Euthanasia

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    While active euthanasia involves the deliberate ending of a patient’s life, passive euthanasia occurs when a necessary treatment process is simply not performed by med...

    Read More

  • Utilitarianism and the Case for Euthanasia

    1362 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Euthanasia

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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)

    Read More

  • The Case for Euthanasia

    2340 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... greater pain and anguish for longer periods of time than my father did, I believe euthanasia is the only compassionate form of relief we can provide. I believe it is morally important to allow an individual to die with respect for his or her dignity, while respecting his or her autonomy. Because of these reasons, euthanasia is morally justified when administered under strict controls.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Euthanasia

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Euthanasia is clearly a mercy for those who suffer immensely through disease. Euthanasia should be an option for those that want it. It is obvious that many will still have objections and many will not make such a choice, but if they so choose, a quick and easy death awaits. I personally am not against euthanasia.

    Read More

  • Religious Tradition view of Euthanasia

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Euthanasia is described by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘The bringing about of a gentle and easy death, especially in the case of incurable and painful diseases’ .

    Read More

  • Is Euthanasia Morally Acceptable?

    2344 Words  | 5 Pages

    Before defining and discussing the three major categories of euthanasia, it is important to understand the meaning of their subtypes, known as active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is performing a direct action to take someone’s life, such as administering a lethal drug to a patient. Passive euthanasia allows someone to die by not performing some life-sustaining action or ending life-sustaining treatment (Pojman). Examples of passive euthanasia would be removing a patient’s respirator or withholding nutrients and fluids. Active euthanasia is easily the more controversial of the two.

    Read More

  • Argument Against Euthanasia

    477 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia Should Not Be Legal

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    There exist three different types of euthanasia: active, passive and voluntary. Active euthanasia refers to the process of injection of painkillers and sleeping pills in order to reduce the time of suffering of a patient by making his death less painful. On the other side, voluntary euthanasia refers to the case of the conscientious patient, who voluntarily demands from the doctor to give up on treatments. In this case the patient is conscious that he will die soon and regardless that stops the treatments. In my discussion related to whether euthanasia should be legalized or not I will refer only to active and voluntary euthanasia arguments.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia Essay

    2318 Words  | 5 Pages

    Euthanasia is ending the life of a person deliberately to relieve their pain. It usually happens when a person is terminally ill or is suffering from a lot of pain and there is no other option to relieve the pain.

    Read More

More about euthanasia essay

Open Document