Euthanasia Needs to be a Legal Option
"Warren Hauser is dying. Should the Supreme Court decide that terminally ill Americans have a constitutional right to commit suicide with a doctor's help, he would qualify. Emphysema and valvular heart disease have left him debilitated and physically dependent" (Byock). For terminally ill patients like Warren, where death is inevitable and would be less painful than living, euthanasia should be a legal option.
Euthanasia is Greek for "easy or happy death" and implies measures deliberately taken by a physician to curtail pain and suffering. This concept has been enlarged to include such action in incurable diseases, especially those in which the patient must endure torment and extreme pain and/or is terminally ill ("Euthanasia"). Euthanasia is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for their alleged benefit. If the death is not intended, it is not an act of euthanasia, so the key word is "intentional." Assisted suicide is when a person provides an individual with the information, guidance, and means to take their own life. When a doctor helps them take their life, it is labeled physician-assisted suicide. However, there is no euthanasia if what was or sometimes was not done does not intentionally cause the death. In some cases, medical actions are labeled "passive euthanasia" since the intention of taking life is lacking. Active euthanasia is intentionally causing a person's death by performing an action such as giving lethal injection ("Euthanasia Definitions"). Passive euthanasia can be more painful because neglecting care for a terminal patient puts them through more suffering and pain than active euthanasia, which speeds up death and avoids pain and s...
... middle of paper ...
...bout/newsday.htm>
Hendin, M.D. Herbert. "Scared to Death of Dying." American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 8 Dec. 2002
Hippocrates. "The Oath." The Oath. 16 Dec. 2002
Humphry, Derek. "Prisoner of Conscience." Who's Who and What's What 10 Dec. 2002
Larue, Gerald A. "Patients Should Decide." Opposing Viewpoints. Neal Bernards. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc 1989.
Moreland, J.P. Dr. "Active and Passive Euthanasia." Stand to Reason 10 Dec 2002
"Right to End Suffering Asserted." Facts on File News Services. 8 Dec 2002
"We can try to avoid making choices by doing nothing, but even that is a decision."
-Gary Collins
As stronger nations exercise their control over weaker ones, the United States try to prove their authority, power and control over weaker nations seeing them as unable to handle their own issues thereby, imposing their ideology on them. And if any of these weaker nations try to resist, then the wrath of the United States will come upon them. In overthrow the author Stephen Kinzer tells how Americans used different means to overthrow foreign government. He explains that the campaign & ideology of anti- communism made Americans believe that it was their right and historical obligation to lead forces of good against those of iniquity. They also overthrew foreign government, when economic interest coincided with their ideological ones (kinzer.215). These factors were the reasons behind America’s intervention in Iran, Guatemala, South Vietnam and Chile to control and protect multinational companies as well as the campaign against communism with little or no knowledge about these countries.
The Alberta Oil Sands are large deposits of bitumen in north-eastern Alberta. Discovered in 1848, the first commercial operation was in 1967 with the Great Canadian Oil Sands plant opening, and today many companies have developments there. The Alberta Oil Sand development is very controversial, as there are severe environmental impacts and effects on the local Aboriginal peoples. This essay will discuss the need for changes that can be made for the maximum economic benefit for Canada, while reducing the impact on the environment and limiting expansion, as well as securing Alberta’s future. Changes need to be made to retain the maximum economic benefits of the Alberta Oil Sands while mitigating the environmental and geopolitical impact. This will be achieved by building pipelines that will increase the economic benefits, having stricter environmental regulation and expansion limitations, and improving the Alberta Heritage Fund or starting a new fund throu...
The Alberta tar sands have the second largest oil reserves in the entire world, only smaller than Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves. This vast supply of oil has created a large interest in the extraction and then production of different types of oil in Canada. The tar sands are believed to hold around 174.5 billion barrels of oil. The estimates are across the board but if it is true, the oil industry in Canada would become its largest export and substantially boost the economy. The tar sands were producing 53% of Canada’s oil output, but by the end of this year it will be around 83%. This number could increase to 99%, if the tar sands are fully taken advantage of. The extraction of oil has already begun and covers around 602 square kilometers of land. The problem is that ...
Written in 1937, Of Mice and Men, by John Adolf Steinbeck Jr., American author and Pulitzer Prize winner, follows the lives of downtrodden farmhands, George and Lennie. As with many of Steinbeck's books, the themes in Of Mice and Men include his favored themes of class warfare and oppression of the working class. Steinbeck also focuses his literature on the power of friendship and the corrupt nature of mankind. In 1993, Professor Thomas Scarseth wrote a critical analysis of the novella analyzing many aspects of Steinbeck’s work including the presentation, themes, and writing style. In his essay, Scarseth explains the key themes of the Novella. He noted that the corrupted nature of man, the injustice of life, and the power of friendship were three important themes of the book. Much of Scarseth’s analysis contained numerous thoughtful insights. Were his insights and opinions valid, or were his, and Steinbeck’s, perspectives on these issues flawed?
"Of Mice and Men" is a skillful novel, which deals with the theme of `outsiders', that is, individuals who do not fit into the mainstream of society. The novel portrays this idea of loneliness throughout John Steinbeck's stimulating and exciting novel.
Loneliness and Companionship are one of the many themes that are conveyed in the novel Of Mice and Men, By John Steinbeck. Many of the characters admit to suffering from loneliness within the texts. George sets the tone for these confessions early in the novel when he reminds Lennie that the life of living on a ranch is among the loneliest of lives. However Lennie, who is mentally disabled holds the idea that living on a farm very high. "Tending the rabbits" is what Lennie calls it. Often when Lennie is seaking encouragement he askes George to tell him how its going to be. Men like George who migrate from farm to farm rarely have anyone to look to for companionship and protection. George obviously cares a lot for lennie, but is too stubborn to admit to it. The feeling of being shipped from place to place leaves George feeling alone and abandoned.
Suppose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred and fifty bucks I’d put in. I aint much good but I could cook and tend the chickens.
Steinbeck got the inspiration to write this book in the summer of 1922 through his experience at Spreckels Sugar Company Ranch. He worked there with Filipino and Mexican labor. The landscape of the book was familiar to where he worked. He worked in an oasis type river and renamed the location to a place called Soledad which meant solitude (Hays)...
Euthanasia is the act of intentionally and directly providing the supplies and causing the death of a patient. It can be called mercy killing or aid-in-dying, as well. Assisted suicide is the act of directly providing the means of death to another person so they can commit suicide. Assisted suicide is also called physician assisted suicide (patientsrightscouncil.com). Euthanasia occurs when a doctor directly ends the life of a patient himself; assisted suicide occurs when the doctor simply provides the needed materials so a person can perform the action themselves. “Euthanasia is used to protect the interests and well being of citiz...
The classroom is a diverse place where learners from all different genres of life meet. Included in these learners are those that display learning disabilities. According to the British Columbia School Superintendent’s Association, ‘learning disabilities refer to a number of conditions that might affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning’. They also posit that ‘learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to language processing,
Euthanasia is killing someone out of pure concern for that patient, Euthanasia can either be passive euthanasia or active euthanasia. Passive Euthanasia is merely when the patient dies because the medical professionals either don’t do something in order to keep the patient alive, or either they stop doing something that is keeping the patient alive. In other words, in the case of passive euthanasia is simply allowing the patient to die, and not deliberately killing them. For example, if the doctor doesn’t give the patient a surgery or medication in order to keep the patient alive, or if the doctor unplugs the patient from a machine that was keeping the patient alive. Active Euthanasia is when a person or medical professional directly and purposely
Euthanasia is a controversial subject, not only because there are many different moral dilemmas associated with it, but also in what constitutes its definition. At the extreme ends of disagreement, advocates say euthanasia, also known as physician aid in dying, is a good or merciful death. Opponents of euthanasia say it's a fancy word for murder.
The biggest distinction between euthanasia and assisted suicide is the level of involvement that a third party has in the process of ending another’s life. The term euthanasia is a very broad term. Ethicists often subcategorize euthanasia into active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia involves a more direct approach to ending somebody’s life. This could be in the form of a physician administering a lethal dosage of drugs themselves or a family member suffocating the patient with a pillow. From a legal perspective, if the patient were not already terminally ill, then it would be easy to see this as murder. At the other end of the scale is passive euthanasia. Passive euthanasia involves withholding life sustaining measures and letting the natural process of
"Whose life is it, anyway?" A Plea stated by the late Sue Rodrigues. Rogrigues, a high-profile, terminally-ill resident of British Columbia, Canada, suffered from a terminally ill disease (Robinson, 2001). She was helped to commit suicide by a physician in violation of Canadian law. Many people, like Rodrigues, want to be in control of their final days. Terminally ill patients have a terminal disease and do not want to diminish their assets by incurring large medical costs as their death approaches (Robinson, 2001). As an act of generosity, they would rather die sooner, and pass on their assets to their beneficiaries. A serious disorder or disease has adversely affected their quality of life to the point where they no longer wish to continue living (Johansen, 2000). Myself, along with many other United States citizens believe that euthanasia should be legalized within the United States for reasons concerning medical advances, the severity of pain a person is in once diagnosed with a terminal illness, and the basic fact that a person’s life is their own life and no one else’s.
What is one to do when the end is at hand and suffering and pain is the only way to go? In America one might respond to their need as “oh no, poor person, I hope they get better”, what if they are not going to get better? What if they are just hoping that death will bring an end to their suffering? Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide, would do just that. However, physician assisted suicide is illegal in America being only legal in Oregon ,Washington , Montana and Vermont .