Valuing Life Over Death
Life should always be the sovereign choice for all patients questioning whether life or death is best, even if the physical and mental suffering is extreme. Euthanasia is a topic that has been speculated all over the world for several years. It is defined as ‘dying well’ or ‘good death’ in Greek (Ahmed 306), and it was discovered to help give patients another way to ease their pain and suffering. It has only been legalized in four states and three countries, but has been considered by several others. People question if euthanasia is killing or caring for those that are coping with terminal illnesses, but how can killing be considered as caring? Supporters believe that euthanasia will provide medical independence for patients by allowing them the right to death. Non-supporters believe that ending someone’s life, before God intends, is only destroying any form of independence that person has to begin with. Allowing patients to choose death over life will generate other issues that will strongly influence and hinder the medical society and the lives of those dealing with this unfortunate decision. Although it can be argued that patients deserve the right to end their lives, legalizing euthanasia will not cultivate greater medical freedom, but it will lead to influenced and unnecessary deaths, devaluation of life, and less encouragement towards the beneficial options of treatments.
By allowing patients to choose to end their lives early, there will be
One of the highly controversial topics in today’s society is the idea that euthanasia has many effects on the world’s stance on whether someone should be allowed to die on their own terms. Euthanasia can end the suffering of those who need it, but may have long term effects on people outside of the patient. People do not have a right to euthanasia because it is viewed as unethical, may have negative emotional effects, and is currently illegal in the world.
In the debate over euthanasia, the opponent concludes that euthanasia should be illegal because it is goes against nature, dignity, personal-interests and has a practical effect. On the other side of the debate, the supporter concludes that euthanasia should be legal because moral principles, what it really mean to kill, end suffering, the difference between injury and not injury. In this essay I will conclude that euthanasia should be legal.
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.
Death is one of the few inevitable events in life; it’s something everybody must face in their lifetime. Many fear it but for some, it’s an opportunity to embrace freedom and tranquility from their suffering. For the terminally-ill, they want to liberate themselves from their illness but modern medicine, sometimes, can only reduce their pain to a certain degree and others want to have the right to die. Doctors trying to salvage their patients’ lives could possibly cause more harm than giving them what the patients’ wants, Death. As medical professionals, they abide to do no harm to their patients, to only reduce their pain and cope with their suffering but it’s damaging them even more. The last option for many terminally-ill patient is to die and allow medical professionals to help them, which is considered Euthanasia. The practice of Euthanasia should be legalized and provided in the United States as a last resort for the terminally-ill.
If you are constantly in pain, struggling through each day, would you want to wait in hopes of getting better, or do what you can to find instant relief? Patients faced with this decision are conflicted because in most places the act of physician assisted suicide is illegal. According to the author, Andrea Nakaya, “The word euthanasia comes from the Greek word for ‘the good death,’ and it is generally understood as taking deliberate action to end a life, usually to relieve intolerable suffering” (Nakaya 6). Patients suffering from an illness do not always have the option of “the good death” because of those who find assisted suicide morally wrong. People who are against assisted suicide believe that if it is legalized, it will be abused, but
Patients suffering from terminal illnesses, battle feeling worthless and hopeless on a daily basis. This is due to our jurisdiction forcing them to live. The number of people suffering continues to increase. Although a doctor’s position is to prolong life, euthanasia should be considered in certain cases. Because of the advances in technology euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are now an option for terminally ill patients who are going to suffer from an incurable and painful disease or are in an irreversible coma. Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide should be legalized because the public supports it, it would only be used for patients who are terminally ill, and it alleviates unnecessary suffering. The word euthanasia originates
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 and physician-assisted suicide are actions at the core of what it means to be human - the moral and ethical actions that make us who we are, or who we ought to be. Euthanasia, a subject known in the twenty-first century, is subject to many discussions about ethical permissibility, which date back to as far as ancient Greece and Rome. It was not until the Hippocratic School removed the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide from medical practice. Euthanasia in itself raises many ethical dilemmas – such as, is it ethical for a doctor to assist a terminally ill patient in ending his life? Under what circumstances, if any, is euthanasia considered ethically appropriate? More so, euthanasia raises the argument of the different ideas that people have about the value of the human experience.
Euthanasia can be considered one of the most prevalent problems when dealing with the ethics of patient treatment. Should people have the right to end their own lives when prolonging it will only cause them more pain? Should families who love someone so much, that they don’t want to lose them, cause them more pain by keeping them alive. What makes that more ethically correct then letting them die? The more you look into this issue the more you see how contradictory people are when it comes to making these decisions. This paper shows the issue in a more detailed manner, gives some background, shows the effects on modern society and explains briefly my standpoint on the
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are actions that hit at the core of what it means to be human - the moral and ethical actions that make us who we are, or who we ought to be. Euthanasia, a subject that is so well known in the twenty-first century, is subject to many discussions about ethical permissibility which date back to as far as ancient Greece and Rome , where euthanasia was practiced rather frequently. It was not until the Hippocratic School removed it from medical practice. Euthanasia in itself raises many ethical dilemmas – such as, is it ethical for a doctor to assist a terminally ill patient in ending his life? Under what circumstances, if any, is euthanasia considered ethically appropriate? More so, euthanasia raises
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
Currently, there is many conflicting opinions of whether euthanasia is morally right or wrong in society. This act of euthanasia is used on patients to end their suffering of terminal illnesses. It is sometimes requested but also, being that there is multiple types such as voluntary, involuntary, Nonvoluntary, active, and passive euthanasia, in some cases is given without the patient’s actual request and consent. In some ways, it has seemed to become an alternative for people who are suffering and feel they have no other options. Although some may argue that euthanasia is a gift that should be a choice given all around the United States for people to
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.
The term Euthanasia was originated from the Greek word “good death”. However, there is constant debate on whether or not this “good death” is morally right and thus has become an issue of much controversy. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of a hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (Mirriam-Webster). This topic is especially sensitive among the general public because it involves a choice of life and death for a single person. There are two types of euthanasia, voluntary euthanasia, where the patient has the ultimate decision, and involuntary euthanasia, in which a third party makes the decision for the patient. In this paper I will discuss the details of voluntary euthanasia and why it is considered such a big moral issue. After talking about voluntary euthanasia I will delve into how both Aristotle and John Stuart Mill would view euthanasia. This paper will bring about the ethical theories of both Aristotle and Mill and relate these theories to the topic of euthanasia.
More than likely, a good majority of people have heard about euthanasia at least once in their existence. For those out there who have been living under a rock their entire lives, euthanasia “is generally understood to mean the bringing about of a good death – ‘mercy killing’, where one person, ‘A’, ends the life of another person, ‘B’, for the sake of ‘B’.” (Kuhse 294). There are people who believe this is a completely logical scenario that should be allowed, and there are others that oppose this view. For the purpose of this essay, I will be defending those who are for euthanasia. My thesis, just by looking at this issue from a logical standpoint, is that if someone is suffering, I believe they should be allowed the right to end their