Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide Analysis

The moral and ethical aspects of physician-assisted suicide are important ones that shouldn’t be overlooked.  In virtually all cases of assisted suicide the pain and suffering experienced by the patient is unrelievable.  Although it is important to go to great lengths to try and ease the suffering through traditional medicine, often times it’s just not enough.  When the traditional approach fails sometimes more drastic approaches are necessary.  One such measure that has come to be highly controversial in this decade is physician-assisted suicide.  This form of suicide is hotly debated because it isn’t just a mere suicide, but a planned out social contract between two or more people.  The basis for my argument for assisted suicide rests in the values of individual self-determination or autonomy and individual well-being.  Self-determination is central to the issue because a person should be able to choose how to live their life or in this case, how to die.

I learned that the United States, the Netherlands, and Germany had different culture, values and ethical morals when it comes to the euthanasia and assistant suicide. I discovered that my beliefs are adjacent to the Netherlands. The United States only has six states that allows euthanasia and assistant suicide. The Netherlands legalized the use euthanasia and assistant suicide. Germany’s culture is against the euthanasia, but approves assistant suicide. It is also necessary to understand that euthanasia and PAS it should be use only when there is no other way to diminish the pain, or the terminal ill cannot prolong the life of a person. The person who requested should be mental stable.

Miracolina hates when she is captured and taken to the Cavanaugh mansion, but once she goes on a trip with Lev, I think she realises something. The teacher telling her that suicide was a sin in the Catholic church and that unwinding was assisted suicide also changes her mind. The final event that helped was finding out that her parents didn’t sign the unwind papers. I think she will be happy to see her parents, but also upset. She has been told all her life that she is a tithe, and that was her purpose. In ten years, there might be a love interest in Lev, or she will help other tithes.

In order to understand assisted suicide, it is necessary to first know about Euthanasia. Euthanasia refers to the act by which an individual is put to a painless and easy death. This term has been originated from the Greek expression for "fine demise". However, scientific advancements and progressions in the medicinal field have now increased the possibility of prolonged life in patients who are hopeless about recovery. Thus, life can be preserved by using extraordinary means like intravenous nourishment, respirators, and artificial life-saving machines. Thus, the term negative euthanasia has been derived referring to this life-saving process. On the other hand, the term positive euthanasia has arisen due to the actions that are taken to cause death actively. The third term i.e. passive euthanasia is used in conditions where antibiotics, drugs, or surgery (common treatment methods) are suspended. It is also used in situations when there is a supplication of a large quantity of lethal pain medication which is considered necessary. Passive euthanasia has been regarded as a common practice among U.S. hospitals and physicians since the beginning of the 20th century ("Euthanasia," 2009).

The civil argument in the U.S. over whether or not to authorize physician-assisted suicide and active euthanasia has reached new levels of vehemence. Oregon, California, Vermont, and Washington (and Montana, via court ruling) have become the first states to legalize physician-assisted suicide. There has, too, been campaigning, ballot measures, bills, and litigation in other states in attempts to legalize one or both practices. Supporters increasingly urge either absolute legalization or another form of legitimation, through claims of “mercy killing” when compared to homicide. As stated by representatives of the Ethics and Human Rights Committee, “Many people fear a painful and protracted death or desire more control over the dying process” (209).

Guthrie, P. (2006). Assisted suicide debated in the united states. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 174(6), 755-6. Retrieved January 31, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204835513?accountid=39340

Obviously, the proponents and opponents of legalizing euthanasia/assisted-suicide are fighting for what they believe is right. On the side of the proponents, they believe that patient’s should have the freedom to end their own life if they choose. They believe in the right-to-die and that everyone should have the ability to choose what they do with their own body. Contrasting this viewpoint, the

Albert Camus once quoted, “But in the end, one needs more courage to live than to kill them self.” Today I will be discussing the topic of Euthanasia also known as “assisted suicide.” The word originated from the Greeks, meaning “good death”. Euthanasia refers to the ending of one’s life, primarily to end suffering and pain. Euthanasia is a controversial topic and generates many political and religious debates. Although euthanasia is illegal in Canada, in some jurisdictions such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and the American states of Washington, Oregon and Montana, euthanasia is a legal and common practice.

Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide: The Right to Die with Dignity (The Legalization, At Risk Groups, and Rebuttal)

Suicide is a very hard issue to deal with in this world. Just thinking about any individual case raises so many questions. What causes these people to deem their lives useless? Do they really have no one? Are their day-to-day lives that miserable? And of course, is the act of suicide ever justifiable? The last question is probably the toughest to answer, and has been debated for a long time. Is it selfish to take your own life? Some would believe that everyone in this world has a special place in it. Others believe that we’re all disposable. After all, life goes on. There is no law in America that punishes a person for trying to commit suicide. That person may be taken to therapy, or talked to by his/her loved ones, but at the end of the day, it’s his/her choice to continue living or not. Suicide is rarely an easy choice, but it’s even harder to find a way to do it comfortably. Few people have ever held a real gun, let alone used it. It must be terrifying to end life through such forceful means. The fear of self-inflicted pain is only natural and of our basic human behavior. There are of course many ways to commit suicide. The trouble is finding the right one. Probably the most painless tool for doing so is euthanasia.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are great evils in our society that sets a dangerous moral precedent that affects people of all ages and conditions. According to the 2017 USCCB article, “Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: From Voluntary to Involuntary”, euthanasia is defined as, “[the] direct killing of patients by doctors” and physician-assisted suicide is defined as, “providing lethal drugs so patients can take their own lives.” There is a quintessential distinction that needs to be made in order to understand the gravity of the issue at hand. “Deeply embedded in our moral and medical traditions is the distinction between allowing to die, on the one hand, and killing, on the other” (Arkes, Berke, Bradley, et al.). This moral distinction lays the foundation for the argument against the immoral practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are practices that should never be used, regardless of the condition of

In many countries, including the United States, active euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide, raises public controversy with issues concerning morality, ethics and legality. Regardless of whether or not a person is in favor of, or opposed to active euthanasia, all people would agree that they would want a dignified death for themselves and their loved ones. The problem then starts when people cannot agree to the definition of “dignity”.

A newlywed diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, Brittany Maynard, lived in California. California is one of the many states in the United States that prohibits euthanasia and assisted suicide— euthanasia is the act of assisting in the death of a person suffering from an incurable disease (Macionis 402-403); however, assisted suicide and euthanasia are not the same thing. The law denying euthanasia and assisted suicide brought conflicts because Brittany wanted to pass peacefully. In order to fulfill her wish, Brittany and her husband moved to Oregon, a state that allows euthanasia and assisted suicide with the “Death With Dignity Act.” Brittany joined a non-profit organization named “Compassion & Choices” to make a video on her choice and to become an advocate for the “Death With Dignity Act.” Millions have watched the video, and since her death, four states have introduced end-of-life bills (Sanburn). The controversy over the legalization and the requirements of euthanasia and/or assisted suicide has been debated for many years. To understand the issues, one must know the ethical point of views in both religious and in the workplace, the laws and requirements currently in place.

United Stated has always had a great debate over the topic of assisted suicide and euthanasia and whether or not it should be legalized. In 1997, President Clinton signed the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997 which clearly stated that using Medicaid, Medicare, military and federal employee health plans, veterans’ health care system and other federally funded programs to commit assisted suicide was restricted and taxpayer money also could not be used in support for legal assistance on the issue of assisted suicide.

Should euthanasia assisted suicide be allowed in certain particular cases, such as when an individual has a non-standard or non-terminal conditional?