Final Draft
Euthanasia is a controversial contemporary issue discussed in philosophy and bioethics. The debate has encapsulated regions of the United States and Europe. An array of research has established evidence of euthanasia, in light of ‘treatment’ for terminally ill patients and any individual who wishes to have the right to die. Generally, euthanasia is regarded as, a criminal homicide at the request of a suffering patient. Individuals who are in favor of euthanasia have expressed reasons for their passionate support of euthanasia. Researchers have conducted research mainly in the state of Oregon in which euthanasia has been legalized since 1997, for the past 20-years. Reference is also made of Washington, Montana, Vermont and Mexico. On the international scale regions in Europe such as the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK has legalized Physician-assisted suicide. These countries have become models for others who have shown interest in Euthanasia and want to legalize Physician-assisted suicide. Research has shed light on the nature of medicine from the perspective the family members and physicians.
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is a reality for many sick and dying patients. The researchers aim to inform general population and influence others to join in the argument of the topic. There are different types of euthanasia, which include non-voluntary euthanasia and voluntary euthanasia. This paper is a literature review focused on voluntary euthanasia,
In fact, according to a recent poll almost 42% of surveyed supported euthanasia and 37% opposed (Fig 1). A lot of controversy surrounding this issue stems from the fact that euthanasia has been analyzed not only from juridical perspective, whether or not it should be legal, but also from various medical, social, philosophical, religious points of view. The topic seems to be extremely relevant not only because it is related to the basic principles of society regarding life and death, but also it affects every person, especially who suffers from a terminal illness. This study tries to indicate possible solutions for some questions related to euthanasia in order to show that in many cases euthanasia can be avoided by adequate treatment and that proper and clearly legislation is necessary to protect patients. For the purpose of this paper, euthanasia can be defined as “conduct that brings about an easy and painless death for persons suffering from an incurable or painful disease or condition” (Muckart, Gopalan, Hardcastle, Hodgson, & McQuoid-Mason, 2014, p. 259). Even though the issue of proper definition of euthanasia is still debatable, the question of classification of euthanasia seems to be less problematic. In fact, many scholars agree that euthanasia may be classified as voluntary (because of the will), non-voluntary (without specific will), involuntary (against the will) and divided according to active (use of lethal substances) and passive options (termination of treatment). Euthanasia differs also from assisted suicide. The former means to help someone to die, the latter means to help a person kill him or
Euthanasia is the practice of ending the life of an individual for the purposes of relieving pain and suffering. Over the years, there has been a big debate about its merits and demerits, and the debate is not about to end anytime soon. However, no matter what side of the debate one supports, it is important to consider a few facts. One, the prolonged stay in hospital is bound to raise medical costs. Two, some medical complications bring suffering and pain to the patient without any possibility of getting back to one 's normal activities of daily living. However, ending the life of a person intentionally may be treated as a serious crime in some jurisdictions. Given these facts, it is evident that making a decision about euthanasia is bound to be a challenging task. Although not everyone might agree, euthanasia is a necessary procedure that relieves the pain and suffering of the patient and rids the family and the government of expensive medical costs that would not necessary improve the life of the patient.
Voluntary Euthanasia has been considered a controversial topic for many decades. The idea of committing an act that involves the taking of human life is not one that many people would care to discuss openly. The main argument is that a person who has been diagnosed with an incurable illness and is in extreme pain and their ability to move has been limited, while that person still has control over their destiney should they be allowed take their own life (Bowie, R.2001). The worldwide debate weather one should be allowed to end a life is still one of the biggest ethical issues. The attempt to providing the rights of the individual is in conflict with the moral values of society. Voluntary Euthanasia has been highly rejected by many religious and pro-life institutions.
In United States, Euthanasia is a highly controversial subject among politicians, legislators and society members. Just the mention of this issue polarizes different groups on opposing ends as some either support it and others want to keep it illegal and unlawful(Steck, Egger, Maessen, Reisch, &Zwahlen, 2013). The main ideology that is discussed in the situation is whether an individual has a right on his own life in cases of terminal illness where there is no way of recovering according to medical professionals. The argument that is for the provision of assisted-death for terminally ill can be understood by other names of Euthanasia which are- mercy-killing and dignity-death. These names are given to the practice of physical assisted-death as it allows the terminally ill patients to avoid the extreme pain, constant awareness of certain death and humiliating medical conditions that are part of some terminal illnesses. In this report, the present state of Euthanasia has been evaluated in context of United States. The goal is to look for the existing political and legislative environment for and against Euthanasia and identify an appropriate solution.
Euthanasia can be a life reliever to the patients in pain and suffering from an illness that is incurable, or can go completely against the morals and values of cultural groups. It is quite controversial, and is debated among society whether it is right to take the life of a patient who requests it or not. The facts must be considered about this issue before any laws and/or guidelines are set into place.
Euthanasia is an important topic for discussion in today’s society for many reasons. One reason as to why this topic is so important is that it affects the ethical as well as the legal issues pertaining to not only the patients but the health care providers as well. Euthanasia, also known as physician assisted suicide, is also an important topic of discussion because it falls under many different categories which it can be argued for and against. Euthanasia is considered an emotional, as well as a practical debate.
Some may argue that the idea of assisting a terminally ill patient who wants to end his or her own life is morally and ethically correct. After deliberating on this important topic, we all have chosen why we are either against or for this proposition. Before we begin discussing this topic, we must first define the name and the aspects related to this topic. The medical term is known as euthanasia. Euthanasia comes from the Greek work Eu meaning “good” and thanatos meaning “death” (a good death). Good death, in this case, refers to a painless death. All painless deaths aren’t necessarily euthanasia. It only occurs when another individual directly causes the death another person. In other words, euthanasia can be defined as the intention of
For this assignment, I will be focusing on the ethical considerations regarding euthanasia. I chose this ethical event because it caught my attention and I find it very controversial. It is important to speak up about euthanasia when it comes to your life and death. Some of the ethical issues that could arise when referring to euthanasia are pain and suffering, illness, doctor’s ethical stance, patient rights, course of actions, and quality of living. I will be discussing three sides of this issue and why the sides disagree, and the morals and values applied to each side.
Issues such as abortion and the death penalty are very divisive within the United States populace because they allow for the government to have a say on when life begins or should be taken away. In addition, these issues have both moral and religious disputes that add to the heated debates. In recent years, however, the usage of euthanasia to end the lives of those suffering with terminal illnesses has gotten mainstream traction. Although the usage of euthanasia remains illegal in the United States, several countries in Europe have already decriminalized the act. Therefore, this paper will make an argument in favor of euthanasia usage as it provides a quick and dignified way to die; however, the concerns of the opponents of the medical practice will be taken into consideration in order to develop a solution that regulates the medical practice effectively.
This paper examines how countries around the world have dealt with euthanasia as an upcoming issue. Looking into the stances, arguments and opinions surrounding the issue of legalizing Euthanasia. It goes into detail about why citizens are requesting legalization and also reviews who are the people specifically that chose to be euthanized. Furthermore, it discusses the negative stance and the positive outcomes of this issue over a person’s quality of life. We will answer questions such as, what is and what is the background of euthanasia? What are the views of other countries? And, will it be legalized in the future?
Euthanasia is a controversial issue. Many different opinions have been formed. From doctors and nurses to family members dealing with loved ones in the hospital, all of them have different ideas for the way they wish to die. However, there are many different issues affecting the legislation and beliefs of legalizing euthanasia. Taking the following aspects into mind, many may get a different understanding as to why legalization of euthanasia is necessary. Some of these include: misunderstanding of what euthanasia really is, doctors and nurses code of ethics, legal cases and laws, religious and personal beliefs, and economics in end-of-life care.
Euthanasia is defined as, "The act or practice of putting to death painlessly a person suffering from an incurable disease." Euthanasia can be traced back as far back as the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. It was sometimes allowed in these civilizations to help others die. Voluntary euthanasia was approved in these ancient societies. Today, the practice of euthanasia causes great controversy. Both pro-life groups and right-to-die groups present arguments for their different sides. Pro-life groups make arguments and present fears against euthanasia. I contend that the case for the right to die is the stronger argument.
In cases where an individual's quality of life is irreparably diminished by terminal illness, one may seek to end their life with the help of a doctor. This has been a solution for patient suffering in neighboring countries, but there are ethical and legal issues that make it an impractical solution for American healthcare. Considering the results of negative potential of euthanasia practices exposes its flaws, and sheds light on better alternatives. Therefore active euthanasia, not to be confused with physician assisted suicide, should not be legalized in the United States.
Most adults diagnosed with cancer undergo years of treatment in attempts to cure that cancer. However, sometimes these treatments may not work, or the cancer is found too late in a patient to be stopped, and a patient’s cancer can be determined terminal, which means that the cancer can not be cured and will lead to death. If cancer is determined terminal, end-of-life care can be administered patients to control lasting pains, including shortness of breath, nausea, and constipation. However, this treatment does not cure the cancer, and will not prevent death in a terminally ill cancer patient. In some cases, patients decide that receiving end-of-life treatment is not worth it if the treatment does not prevent death. Terminally ill cancer patients may also continue to experience unbearable suffering, despite end-of-life treatments, as it is not always effective. These factors may push some terminally ill cancer patients to request to be actively euthanized. Active euthanasia is the merciful ending of a patient’s life through a single act, such as an injection. Terminally ill cancer patients should have the right to determine if they are actively euthanized. However, only patients who consider their suffering unbearable should have the right to be euthanized.
Voluntary euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide, has been a controversial issue for many years. It usually involves ending a patient’s life early to relieve their illness. Most of the controversy stemmed from personal values like ethics or religion. The euthanasia debate puts a huge emphasis on what doctors should do for their patients and how much a person’s life is worth. Supporters of euthanasia primarily focus on cost and pain alleviation. Opponents of euthanasia tend to focus on morality. Whether euthanasia is legal or not could significantly affect future generations’ attitudes about death. Euthanasia should be legalized nationally because it helps patients that could be in unimaginable pain, offers more options for more people, and it is relatively inexpensive compared to the alternatives.