Euthanasia paper What would you consider euthanasia? Can it be a peaceful death, a suicide, or a murder? Euthanasia is “…the intentional killing by the act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit” (“Euthanasia.com” Online). This means a life is taken away when a person who is critically ill or a person who can no longer function physically or mentally abdicate their decision making and the family decides whether or not to have the plug pulled. Could you imagine having to make the decision of when to kill your mother? Well people are faced with this decision every day and the end result is always fatal. Euthanasia is wrong. Understanding why people choose euthanasia, the history of euthanasia, and why it should be illegal, is all important factors to realize this position. To understand why euthanasia is wrong people must know why patients choose to be euthanized. “Ethical problems arise when two or more values suggest conflicting actions or conflicting judgments about a particular action” (Yount 12). One of the major reasons why people choose euthanasia is that they are experiencing unbearable pain and they fell that if they end their life they will no longer have to brook the pain. Another reason is that people feel they have a right to die and to take their own life. These people have accepted death and are willing to leave the earth by using the process of euthanasia. “Supporters of legalization believe that terminally ill individuals have the right to end their own lives in some instances” (Leone 7). People have to realize that this death is wrong. We as humans can and should not be able to play the role of God and decide when we are ready to die, that is his job. In legalizing voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide we will in fact create a slippery slope that will result in the development from a simple legal right to die to something that is currently taboo becoming accepted. For example, according to the article written by Herbert Hendin called “The Slippery Slope: The Dutch Example” in 1996 Dutch doctors were legally permitted to commit acts of euthanasia. At first there were strict guidelines that governed the practice to avoid abuse of power that it granted. This law gradually moved from accepting assisted suicide to accepting euthanasia, and euthanasia for terminally ill patients to euthanasia for chronically ill patients. Then it progressed to euthanasia to the physically ill to those experiencing psychological distress. This deterioration of what is and what is not acceptable finally culminated in the acceptance of voluntary, non-voluntary, and involuntary euthanasia which endangered many poor, elderly and disable patients into being pressured into accepting this act. Doctors have dealt with the problem of euthanasia dating all the way back to 400 B.C. We have to realize that people are accepting death via euthanasia because they fear the pain that they might have to face or the pain they currently endure. “People have always feared a painful lingering death, and the debate over euthanasia is as ancient as this fear” (Torr 9). It all started with a man named
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…
Voluntary Euthanasia The Case For Elizabeth S. Davis National American University Abstract The purpose of this paper is to define euthanasia as well as give a brief history of the debate throughout the years. Then the author will show the reader that there is no reason as to why euthanasia has not been legalized. This paper will walk you through many aspects and issues of the debate and try to disprove those who wish to see the debate buried. Euthanasia is the act…
Brady Jones M-W 9:00-11:50 12/3/13 Exercise 2: Euthanasia Euthanasia, sometimes referred to as physician-assisted suicide, is the act of ending a very sick person’s (terminally ill) life to relieve them of suffering. Euthanasia is a topic of intense debate for religious, ethical, and practical reasons. Although illegal in the United States, people should have the right to be able to make decisions to end human suffering whether it be for themselves or their loved ones. How can a right to…
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 discussed…
2014 Euthanasia Dictionary.com provides the following: eu·tha·na·sia, ˌyo͞oTHəˈnāZHə/ noun The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. The practice is illegal in most countries. This is the dictionary definition of euthanasia. Euthanasia is a very important and critical topic to talk about. Both sides of this issue can be argued very well. This paper is going to show the negative side of euthanasia, but also show what the other…
Voluntary Euthanasia/ Physician-Assisted Suicide. Voluntary Euthanasia/ Physician-Assisted Suicide as being practiced in some parts of the western world today to me is immoral. Physician-Assisted suicide ( physician provide patients with drugs to kill them) is legal in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and Japan , as well as states like Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico, and Montana. This policy should be changed for these following logical and ethical reasons because to me it is unjust…
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…
comfortable and painless way. Euthanasia could possible provide those who are suffering the relief they so desperately long for. Euthanasia is defined as "the intentional putting to death of a person with an incurable or painful disease intended as an act of mercy” (Nordqvist). For many, euthanasia is seen as the most practical way to finally put an end to the ceaseless suffering they experience on a day to day basis. Despite the ease it could bring to many, euthanasia remains illegal throughout many…
More Dying is one of the most important events in a human’s life. The Euthanasia process does not necessarily acknowledge a right to die, but an easier way. The term comes from the Greek expression for “good death.” Euthanasia is the termination of very sick people’s lives in order to relieve them of their suffering. There are two types of Euthanasia, active and passive. Active Euthanasia is death by commission. Passive Euthanasia is death by omission. If people would put aside the idea that death…
Euthanasia Should Become Legal In America Just picture yourself fighting for each breath you take; you can’t even move your muscles without excruciating pain shooting through your limbs. Imagine your family members sitting in a small enclosed hospital room watching you suffer day after day with multiple tubes entering and exiting your body with strong medicines flowing through them just to keep you alive. Just to keep the pain at ease; even though they’re barley helping. Would you want to live you…