Euthanasia, An Eloquent Word

They claim health care costs would be lowered, doctors would have more time for “savable” patients, and that it would relieve unavoidable suffering. In actuality, physician assisted suicide is completely impractical. Allowing physician assisted suicide would have very negative results. It could cause complacency in the treatment process that could be dangerous. Premature death eliminates the chance for recovery. Medical discoveries can be made before the natural end to person’s life, and in many cases, the desire for death is not because of intolerable pain, but are the result of the patient fearing intolerable pain. (Oregon Public Health Division). Another big factor to the desire for a hastened death is the presence of a recognizable and treatable mental disorder. Patients are at very high risk for mental illness especially depression. Pain is not the reason patients are asking for their death. “Although pain and other factors such as lack of family support contribute to the wish for death, recent research has confirmed that none is as significant as the presence of depression, which researchers have found to be the only predictor of the desire for death.” (Hendin). Terminally ill patients who have depression are more likely to request physician assisted suicide. “In cancer patients, depression was ‘the major risk factor for suicidality’ and depressed patients ‘were 4 times more likely to have a

The history of euthanasia can be traced back to the classical antiquity times when many Greek and Roman philosophers considered suicide a “good death” and an appropriate response to a variety of circumstances (Dowbiggin 7). During that period, people would kill themselves through various means such as fasting, drinking poison, and hanging themselves. Unexplained pain due to certain diagnosis caused a spike in suicide which allowed the given

Another pro is death by dignity. Usually for people it is very degrading to have everything done for them by nurses or family members because then they feel like a burden so euthanasia puts those people in control of their life and let’s them make a decision that changes their lives and the lives of their families. It’s much easier for families to let go of someone that they know won’t suffer in death and it’s easier for the person dying because then they know that they aren’t burdening their family members. People who are terminally ill and choose the path of euthanasia also save a lot of money because they’re not using up the medical facilities that they normally would. This lessens the burden once again on the family and the patient as well as the hospital. Lastly, euthanasia gives the individual a freedom of choice and allows the person to take control of their own life rather than being unstable and having to be at the mercy of others. This gives a sense of peace and hope to the patient and their family because they’re making their own choices and deciding how they want to carry out the rest of the life they have

There are many arguments in favor of Physician Assisted Suicide. Many illnesses like certain types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS may result in slow agonizing deaths. Many patients decide to use physician-assisted death because it relieves them from a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. A patient knowing that they’re going to die and that the pain is only going to get worse causes them to choose this decision. There’s no reason in letting a human suffer until they finally give out. “When death is the only way to relieve suffering, and inevitable regardless, why not allow it to come in the most humane and dignified way possible?” (Bender 21). Another pro is that health care costs are reduced. Medical care

Unfortunately, it is common for people with a terminal illness to be diagnosed with depression. Patients are not only suffering from chronic pain each day, but are haunted by the emotional, physical, and financial stress their family has gone through. Unfortunately, many individuals lose hope and end their lives in a tragic way. Giving a terminally ill patient the right to end their life by a physician-assisted death, allows the patient and family time to prepare, physically and mentally. Patients will be able to die with dignity and the opportunity to live out their final moments surrounded by loved

The most common reason people support physician assisted suicide is empathy. Since terminal illnesses are usually painful, people feel that they should have the right to stop the pain immediately. In reality, current technology allows the pain to be eased and correctly trained physicians should be able to make the pain as bearable as it can be. Better palliative care is what patients should be asking for and receiving instead of an immediate ticket out of life. Supporters also believe that physician assisted suicide allows for the patient to experience a well-planned and

Medical support for someone who is terminally ill is never cheap. The Journal of the Royal Society of medicine claims, “Annual expenditures for hospice and home care—two healthcare segments that are closely involved in the provision of end-of-life care—are about $ 3.5 billion and $ 29 billion, respectively. (cite)” Physician assisted suicide also has a cost, but it is not near the same amount it takes to keep someone on hospice till the end of their life. According to the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare, “The cost of the lethal medication generally used for assisted suicide is about $35 to $50, far cheaper than the cost of treatment for most long-term medical conditions. (cite)” Not only would this save money for families, it would also save money for the government. The government could put the savings toward better palliative care for the patients who choose not to go with physician assisted

Many people have moved to states that have legalized it, just to use this option. It is painful to watch a family member lay in a bed and wither away for months at a time. On average, it cost two thousand dollars to stay in the hospital for a day. Terminally ill patients, are in a hospital for months, and families have to pay for the bills once they pass away. It puts them into debt, and on top of losing their loved one, can put them under lots of stress and sadness. Also, a large amount of patients of terminally ill diseases hope for death before the amount of time given to them by their doctors. The suicide rate(not physician assisted suicide) among terminally ill patients is almost double the rate of the normal population. These patients do not choose suicide because they are depressed, but because they do not see the point of living a life where they can no longer care for themselves and suffer through the pain and medication that it takes to make it even mildly comfortable for them to

Thesis: When it comes to the topic of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), some experts believe that an individual should have the option of ending their life in the event that they have been given six months to live with a terminal illness or when the quality of their life has been vastly changed. Where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question whether physician-assisted suicide is medically ethical, would be overly abused to the point where doctors might start killing patients without their consent. Whereas some experts are convinced that just improving palliative care would decrease the need for someone to want to end their life before it happened naturally.

A person who chooses to die in what they believe is a more humane and peaceful way does not mean that they want to die, they simply have no choice. One article says, “On the other hand, a terminally ill person is actively dying and therefore no longer is choosing death over life but rather one form of death over another.” (“Aid 3”) By giving patients the choice of Physician Assisted Death, we are allowing them to have some control over the way their life ends and give them a sense of relief and happiness.

This is why Euthanasia is important and summarizing the research that I found on Euthanasia. Euthanasia is important because there is a lot of arguments about Euthanasia. Some people support it and some people do not support Euthanasia (Euthanasia and assisted suicide- Arguments). Euthanasia allows people to be free from physical pain. It is the hastening of death of a patient to prevent further sufferings (Euthanasia Revisited). The religious argument states God chooses when human life ends. Euthanasia also causes mental suffering because they are in physical pain or they are experiencing with terminal illness. It is a debatable issue. There are many different opinions on Euthanasia.

Most people do not like to talk or even think about death; much less the topic of ending one’s own life. However, for some, death is a desired alternative to living in agony. Euthanasia has been a topic of debate since antiquity, and both sides stand firm on their beliefs. The right to choose death is illegal in most countries. I believe in people’s freedom to do what they please with their own bodies. The basic right of liberty is what America was founded on. Euthanasia should be a legal option.

Though these methods do end life, they are uncomfortable, painful, and do not allow the patient to end their life with dignity. Through the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, many individuals who have endured years of suffering will finally be allowed to end their life with dignity.

First of all, what is euthanasia? It is something that not many people think about until they or a friend or family member is put in a position where they might actually have to consider it. Euthanasia, in the dictionary, simply is: the action of ending someone’s life in a painless way. It seems pretty simple but in reality it is a lot more complicated, not only for the people involved but for the society in general as well.

Pro-life groups contend that if we allow any type of euthanasia, sooner or later, we would begin killing off not only the terminally ill, but also the handicapped, the poor, the elderly and anyone else who becomes troublesome. The view that we should not make a decision because it could lead to other less prudent decisions later is not a reasonable foundation for setting policies, unless later decisions are definite, and are absolutely wrong. I would hope that the virtue of society would lead us to know where to draw the line between going far enough and going too far. At the present time, it is not clear if where the line is drawn now is where it should be drawn. 5. Euthanasia is killing. Most people believe that there are circumstances when killing is allowed, such as self-defense. The only question is whether or not the killing is justified under the circumstances. In the case of self-defense, killing is justified. The same is true of euthanasia. 6. People who request euthanasia may be requesting it because they are depressed and they may change their minds. I believe that psychological evaluation will detect the mental condition of a patient, and depression, if it exists, can be treated. Patients can be given