Imani Henry
Mr. Dowie
Honors English 9
1/13/17
Pro Euthanasia Argumentative Essay
Euthanasia is the act of intentionally killing someone to end suffering, with and without their consent. This practice has been around since the beginning of time and has been practiced by different cultures all over the world. In the United States currently, only 5 states allow the option of euthanasia. All states throughout the USA should allow the act of euthanasia. Considering it is within the 1st amendment due to it being a choice, which is a way people express themselves, it is unfair and unlawful for it not to be given. Banning the act is overall doing more harm than good. If you were a citizen suffering from a terminal illness, undergoing all the
…show more content…
Arguably, if most people were diagnosed with a terminal illness, they would rather end their suffering than trying to find the strength to try and survive another day, attempting to get better, even though no matter what they’re going to die in the end. According to the health research funding organization, “When asked if those who are terminally ill or on life support should have the right to choose euthanasia, 86% of the general public agree that euthanasia should be an option.” Doctors won’t give this option to individuals who wouldn’t benefit from this act, or if it wasn’t necessary. They also don’t carry out the procedure without the patient or patient’s family’s consent. If a personal choice like this is made by someone that only affects them overall, as an outsider there is no reason to worry/be upset by another’s opinion and decision, as it won’t affect or change anything for your life. You have to learn to respect other’s conclusions. People have the right of choice and expression, and not being able to choose an option like this is an invasion of their first amendment right and is blatantly unfair. Euthanasia is a personal, painless and peaceful decision given to terminally ill patients to end their pain and suffrage based on the logic and intensity of their situation and given that they are going to die in the end anyways.
The
Furthermore, euthanasia is a disgrace to humanity. An individual person or group shouldn’t decide how, when, and if another person should die. The act of ending someone’s life just because another decided that the individual’s life gives no worth to the person or to society is unjust. That is simply the person’s opinion, and their opinion shouldn’t end a precious human life. Usually, people with disabilities who request euthanasia, do so because of how others treat them, not because of their actual disability. If we were to respect those with disabilities, that would remove hardships, not death. Another reason why euthanasia is wrong is that a person who can’t think straight or is a human vegetable, a person who does not have mental or physical abilities (O’Steen). She/he can be killed by a guardian’s request according to law, even if the patient never showed a desire to die. The Declaration of Independence states our rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” and euthanasia goes against that. If the right to live is reduced, all over rights are worthless (“Euthanasia Statement”).
Today, medical interventions have made it possible to save or prolong lives, but should the process of dying be left to nature? (Brogden, 2001). Phrases such as, “killing is always considered murder,” and “while life is present, so is hope” are not enough to contract with the present medical knowledge in the Canadian health care system, which is proficient of giving injured patients a chance to live, which in the past would not have been possible (Brogden, 2001). According to Brogden, a number of economic and ethical questions arise concerning the increasing elderly population. This is the reason why the Canadian society ought to endeavor to come to a decision on what is right and ethical when it comes to facing death.
Many people would argue that it’s okay to end your life or someone else’s life, if they do not have the possibility of getting better and are terminally ill. Another reason is that maybe they have a mental illness or are a harm to themselves and others. On the other hand, some people believe that life has value and great worth and that being euthanized takes away that value in having life. There is much argument and debate over whether or not Euthanasia is ever justified. At the end of the day, it’s based on what a person believes is right. Everyone has the right to believe what they want to. However, Euthanasia can never be justified because it makes people believe that life is not worth living if you are terminally ill, deformed, in a coma, have a disability, feel that you are a burden to someone, in unbearable pain or have the right to commit suicide. No matter how bad life gets, people should know that life is always worth living. When someone consents to being euthanized or having someone else be euthanized, they may miss out on memories and life’s joys. There is a lot of pain in life that people have to deal with, but that does not mean that anyone has the right to decide that they or anyone else should die. This also does not give anyone the right to inject drugs into someone in order to kill them peacefully. It doesn’t matter if you are just trying to help
Laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are in place to prevent abuse and to protect people from unscrupulous doctors and others. They are not, and never have been, intended to make anyone suffer. Activists often claim that laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are government mandated suffering. This claim would be similar to saying that laws against selling contaminated food are government mandated starvation. In a society as obsessed with the costs of health care and the principle of utility, the dangers of the slippery slope are far from fantasy.
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, can legally help end terminally ill patients lives if they have no chance of getting better, so they are not forced to be in pain anymore. Not only is the patient suffering but the family is as well. Some people don’t have the money to keep giving their loved ones treatment to make them feel better. Not only this, but there is no point of giving the loved one treatment if they have no chance of getting better. In the United States there are only a few states that legalized euthanasia. Some of these states are Washington, Oregon, Colorado, California, Vermont, Montana, and DC. This is a really controversial topic still and the laws are so different country to country, like the Netherlands and Belgium.
Euthanasia is ethical when a person clearly understands what it is and then makes an informed decision about it (Humphry 2) and 86% of people who choose euthanasia are well informed about it “(Euthanasia Statistics” 1). This shows people ae aware of their choice and all that comes with it. If a person is knowledgeable about euthanasia and still wants to end their suffering then it should be allowed. They are making a well-informed decision for their own well-being. Euthanasia is also ethical when a person has tried their best to get medical help but there is no cure and it is the only thing that will help them. According to Derek Humphry “Euthanasia has not been carried out at the first knowledge of a life threatening illness, and reasonable medical help has been sought to cure or at least slow down the terminal disease” (Humphry 2). When a person gets diagnosed with a terminal disease, no one jumps directly to euthanasia. The doctors try giving them the best care possible but sometimes nothing can cure them. Their life becomes unbearable. And since there’s no chance that the patient would get better, they should have the right to end their lives instead of going through all that pain every single day. What people also don’t realize is that knowledge is comfort (Humphry 4). What this means is that when someone knows exactly when and how they are going to die, they can prepare for it. They get a chance to say goodbye to all their
Imagine that you have stage 4 lung cancer. The doctors say you only have 2 months to live. Every morning you have to get chemo and surgery to try and fight the cancer, and you cough up blood and you're just in pain. Wouldn't you like to know that you have a painless way out if your life becomes unbearable? That's what Euthanasia is. It’s a painless death that a doctor can prescribe for you if you’re terminally ill. So far it’s only legal in Washington, DC, California, Colorado, Oregon, and Vermont. Thats only 5 out of 50 states. If you’re terminally ill and In immense pain that means if you don’t live there, you’re going to have to move to one of those states to go peacefully. Euthanasia should be legal in all 50 states so people can be at peace knowing they have an exit slip. Plus, in greek it literally means, good death.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are never acceptable acts of mercy. They always gravely exploit the suffering and desperate, extinguishing life in the name of the ‘quality of life’ itself. - Pope john Paul
Euthanasia as one of the ongoing controversies emanating from its diverse definitions has been debated since the mankind came up with the idea of ending one’s life for different purposes. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary fully defines euthanasia as the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (“Euthanasia”). Similar to euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide would be the act of taking one’s life purposely, with the aid of a physician (McDougall 1). Depending on the patient’s consent, euthanasia may be voluntary, non-voluntary or involuntary. Patient’s consent qualifies the practice as voluntary; it may be non-voluntary
In that sense, the legalization of euthanasia in the Netherlands has affected innocent patients who didn’t ask the physician to end their life. To illustrate, numerous physicians have not followed the law, and there will be no guarantee that they will if euthanasia is legalized in the USA or anywhere
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.
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
America’s founding fathers declared that every person had certain inalienable rights they are born with and cannot be separated from. They listed citizens’ rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Today's government must decide if a right to life equates to a right to death.
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.