Human euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide is a controversial topic that has affected countries worldwide for an extended period of time. Assisted suicide is legal in four countries and the states of Washington and Oregon in the United States of America. Many people would argue that the decision to kill oneself is strictly a private choice that society should not have control over. That opinion assumes that suicide results when competent individuals make independent, reasonable decisions to die that society should not be interfering with. Experts whom have studied suicide found the basic assumption being made in regard to assisted suicide are incorrect. A British study involving the examination of medical records determined, “93% of the patients studied whom either committed suicide themselves or went through with a physician assisted suicide, were mentally ill at the time of their death.”1 This suggests that the majority of people who undergo this treatment are not in the proper state of mind to make a life altering decision. Assisted suicide goes against the beliefs held in several religions and those generally accepted in regard to human morality. Individuals that may be depressed or whom are suffering from mental disparity due to illness may wish to die at the moment, but may change their minds further down the road, an error the doctors cannot undo. With the advancements made in current medical technology and medicine, the road to recovery for a terminally ill patient is possible. By rendering assisted suicide illegal it may prevent many unnecessary or immoral deaths from taking place thereby opening the road to recovery for patients suffering with an issue that would lead them to seek death as the sole solution. Ending a person’s life by way of murder is a practice frowned upon across the world. Suspects who commit murder may face charges and possible jail sentences, thus why shouldn’t a physician who assisted in a suicide face the same potential punishment? People believe that it is morally wrong to commit suicide; therefore it is also morally wrong to aid someone in the act of taking their own life. The decision to take away someone’s life should be entered into with significant consideration and not completed utilizing a procedure in which the individual drinks pentobarbital, a drug, that when ingested or injected will end ones life. Assisted suicide goes against the beliefs held in many religions that suggest God created human life and therefore God is the only figure who should be permitted to end a human’s life. Most religions believe that those who become vulnerable through illness or disability, deserve special care and protection, and that the proper end of life should be in a comfortable, monitored environment rather than allowing the act of euthanasia to occur. Christianity beliefs are that, “Human life is a sacred thing, which should be protected and preserved no matter what state of health that person is currently in since God has a plan for all living and interfering with the plan should not be tolerable”.2 Allowing physician assisted suicide to be legal goes against Christian beliefs and human morality and values as life is viewed as a privilege that should not be taken away so easily. Virtually all religions state that God forbids any form of death sentence or the assisted killing of an innocent person as that is unlawful. There is also the argument of an individual choosing death over life as not being in the proper state of mind. The majority of terminally ill patients whom have suffered for a long period of time may have an underlying mental illness. Some psychologists state, “An attempt at suicide is often a challenge to determine if anyone really cares for the involved person. Seeking physician assisted suicide, rather than just acting solely to kill oneself, may well be a subconscious manifestation of that precise issue.”3 By giving people the choice for a physician assisted suicide
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suffering. After researching, Brittany discovered that Oregon is one of the 5 states that allows for doctor-assisted suicide and has criteria that her illness meets. California does not have a law that allows terminally ill patients to end their own lives, so Brittany and her family had to relocate to Oregon so that she could get the care that she needs. Under the Death with Dignity Act, patients that are facing a lot of suffering in result of their terminal illness can choose when enough is enough and that…
Reddy Mrs. Ritter Contemporary Literature 23 May 2011 Euthanasia Research Paper When an animal is in pain a veterinarian puts it out of its misery. How come doctors cannot put those who are suffering and struggling out of their pain? Euthanasia defined by a study carried out by the British Social Attitude Survey shows that close to ninety percent of incurable patients’ relatives agree to euthanasia (Percentage Who Think That Euthanasia Should 'Definitely' or 'Probably' be Allowed by Law for Those…
Euthanasia: Is There a Duty to Die? Before the coming of Christianity, attitudes toward active euthanasia and suicide had tended to be tolerant. As Christianity continued to spread, religion became a major factor in influencing the actions and beliefs of many people; the idea of hastening a human’s death through euthanasia or assisted suicide no longer seemed humane. In the late 1900s, organized action in favor of the legislation of euthanasia and assisted suicide were taken back into consideration…
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Is Euthanasia The Only Way Out? There are no guarantees in life except for one, death. Death is a natural and inevitable phase of the lifecycle. Unfortunately, today there are numerous people who are deadly sick and being kept alive by different medical techniques. Sadly, most of the deadly ill suffer throughout this time and they think that the only way to end their suffering is through euthanasia. Euthanasia is defined as the action of a deliberately ending someone’s life under the impulse of…
Euthanasia: Legalizing in all states and causes Euthanasia which is also known as “Mercy Killing” is very popular nowadays. It is ending of life to be relieved from difficult sufferings. There are many cases in euthanasia like; voluntary and involuntary, passive and active. Euthanasia is a lot similar to ‘assisted suicide’. As most people think it should be legal in all states for certain situations because paralyzed people have to suffer a lot because of the pain and doctors , nurses or their…
Kevorkian a popular euthanasia activist, author and pathologist once said that “dying is not a crime” (“A Quote by Jack Kevorkian”). This short sentence covers the main idea of this paper. Euthanasia refers to the procedure by which an individual or an animal’s life is deliberately ended to stop suffering. There are numerous types of euthanasia, such as, passive, active, passive and active involuntary, voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia. In this paper, active voluntary euthanasia is what will be…
ENG 102 Miles 5 December 2013 Euthanasia Moral dilemmas are always conflicting choices in everyone’s life. The constant struggle between what is right and what is wrong will probably never end when it comes to legal matters. What one topic of moral/legal righteousness is, would be Euthanasia, or assisted suicide. Not just assisted suicide, but doctor assisted suicide, or mercy killing as some like to call it for a darker point. There are types of Euthanasia, the opposing view to which it is…
With the legislation of suicide in Switzerland, is there a case for allowing assisted suicide in Wales? By Matthew Davies An introduction into the term ’Euthanasia’ The word “Euthanasia” is a broad term used for mercy killing and is derived from the Greek word “Eu”; meaning “well” or “good” and “Thanatos”; meaning death. A mercy killing may be taking the life of an individual due to terminal illness, causing suffering and a poor quality of life, comparable to the way in which we make the decision…
Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide Imagine you’re dog has cancer. Your dog has been there every step of the way, getting you through the tough times and cheering you up when you’re down. But your dog is in pain and his life is slowly and painfully dwindling away. The most logical thing to do would be to put the dog down and while this will be obviously painfully for you, it will give the most relief for the dog. Either way, the dog is going to die, but wouldn’t it be better…