Argumentative Essay On Euthanasia

To fully understand the issue at hand, one must understand the various forms of euthanasia. The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: Tenth Edition defines euthanasia as “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals…in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.” Euthanasia can be either passive or active. Passive euthanasia occurs when a patient is relieved of medical treatment and is allowed to die naturally. Active euthanasia occurs when either a physician or a family member actively takes the life of the patient, perhaps through lethal injection, and eliminates a natural death process. Many people commonly use the word “euthanasia” to refer to assisted suicide. Essentially, assisted suicide is a form of active euthanasia in that a person, usually a physician, aids in the suicide of a patient.

Physician-assisted suicide is a very controversial topic in the medical field. It is a topic that has been debated over for years. Webster’s dictionary defines this terms as, “suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or by information (as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient’s intent” (Merriam-Webster). In other words, it is a way that when a patient is ill, they can commit suicide with the help of a physician. This practice is legal in some states in the United States and in many countries around the world. This topic is so controversial because people disagree on whether it is ethical to help someone end another person’s life. There are many people that advocate this and there are also many people that disagree with helping someone commit suicide.

Assisted suicide is no different than murder. Murder is the killing of one human being by another; assisted suicide falls under that definition as well. Doctors and medical ethicists are the so called murderers in this process. Just because the patient believes he should no longer be alive, does not mean the doctor should take action and be the reason it happens. Ending a life, someone else’s or your own, should never be the case in any circumstance. Abbamonte believes that all lives matter and there is never a point where one can say they no longer do, despite the situation that they are in (Abbamonte, 2016).

Assisted suicide is a highly controversial topic. Assisted suicide is when, upon request, a doctor prescribes a lethal dose of medication to a terminally ill patient so that the patient can kill him or herself. In other words, a doctor provides the means for a patient to commit suicide. A form of assisted suicide is euthanasia. Euthanasia is when the doctor intentionally kills the patient with the intentions of ending the patient’s suffering; mercy killing. Although there have been many Supreme Court rulings on assisted suicide and the practice of euthanasia, it is legal in some states like Oregon and Washington. The practice of assisted suicide is done under the term “terminally ill.” There is no

People that think physician assisted suicide should be legalized, believe that the patient have the freedom to choose how they want to die. Andrew Solomon, a professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University, is an advocate of assisted suicide; and he has given his point of view in various debates. “Because much of modern medicine prolongs not living but dying, we need to rethink death itself” (Andrew Solomon). One of the things that advocates of physician assisted suicide consider most important, is the patient’s will to die. Many individuals think that it is wrong to go against that will. Terminal patients have the right to decide whether they want to try a life saving treatment, or refuse it. “While no one should be pressed into assisted dying, no one should be categorically denied that right. It 's about dignity” (Andrew Solomon). Another factor why people believe patients should be given the right to assisted suicide, is money. Certainly, everyone would pay what is necessary in order to save the life of the ones they love. Although money might not be the priority at that

The term assisted-suicide is a bit hazy for most people as it has multiple names. “Physician-assisted suicide refers to the practice of a physician prescribing or regulating,

Assisted suicide also known as euthanasia is where a terminally ill patient can request a doctor to administer a drug that will end the patient's life. Many people agree with assisted suicide because they like having that option open to them while terminally ill. But that is not the right choice you must live with dignity. Assisted suicide should be illegal because it has not been successful in other countries, doctors have taken advantage of assisted suicide, and it is still taking away a human life.

The term “assisted suicide” is quite self-explanatory in its definition: the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, effected by the taking of lethal drugs provided by a doctor. Assisted suicide, in the areas that have legalized it, usually has to involve a request to the physician for a medication-induced death. In some places, people are able to choose to die before illness takes control. This method has existed for many years and has not always required a physician’s approval.

Assistive suicide, also known as euthanasia, “is suicide committed by someone with assistance from others, typically to end suffering from a severe physical illness” (American Heritage Dictionary, 615). This action is most commonly committed between doctor and patient interactions. This controversial issue depicts suicides as a helpful solution to personally benefit terminally ill patients, as opposed to a forbidden social issue. Assistive suicide has become a major debate of legalization. “This is an act of a physician prescribing a drug to a patient which drug the patient is able to take on his or her own without the assistance of a medical provider or another person. This drug generally results in unconsciousness within five minutes and death within thirty” (Levin, May 08, 2002). My concern with this matter has reached high limits. Due to the fact that is still illegal in certain states many patients aren’t able to relieve their pain or suffering. Assistive suicide is meant as a solution to end personal suffering, its not to involve the public’s opinion or decisions. This should be a personal choice. Assistive suicide should be an elective choice for anyone and everyone facing terminal illness. Not enabling assisted suicide violates human rights and infringes inalienable rights.

Assisted suicide should not be legal. “ Where assisted suicide is legal in the United States, it is still not allowed for people who lack decision-making capacities. This restriction may be a matter of political tactics, rather than of bedrock principle (Smith, 2017).” Allowing this would be a mistake if people would let this happen. Allowing it can bring up many different feelings in

Not only is assisted suicide considered murder, it also goes against Physicians’ Hippocratic Oath. “Hippocratic Oath: An oath (or promise) all physicians must swear to uphold, regarding the ethical practices of the medical profession” (Lee). By allowing doctors to stray from this oath, it will be easier for them to aid in or carry out assisted suicides when it will never be entirely necessary for them to consider the option. “In 2005, Texas doctors removed two patients from life support without advanced directions and against the wishes of the patient’s family” (Pawlick). By not legalizing assisted suicides, families will be able to decide when their family member is physically unable to continue with the provided treatments, but only when the patient themselves can no longer communicate their wishes and no document stating how they should go about the situation has been left in their families possession.

Euthanasia is the practice of ending an individual's life in order to relieve them from an incurable disease or unbearable suffering. The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek word for "good death" and originally referred to as “intentional killing” ( Patelarou, Vardavas, Fioraki, Alegakis, Dafermou, & Ntzilepi, 2009). Euthanasia is a controversial topic which has raised a great deal of debate globally. Although euthanasia has received great exposure in the professional media, there are some sticky points that lack clarity and need to be addressed. Euthanasia is a divisive topic, and different interpretations of its meaning, depend on whether the person supports it or not. While a few societies have accepted euthanasia, there are

To clarify, active voluntary euthanasia occurs when a medical practitioner deliberately and directly causes the death of a patient with means such as with lethal injection. Physician assisted suicide happens when patient-requested, pharmaceutical means are provided for that patient to end his or her own life (Emanuel, Ezekiel J., et al. "Attitudes and practices of

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.