PURPOSE
The purpose of this paper is to talk about the process Euthanasia. This topic has been hotly debated for some time now. Some people do not necessarily know about the process and just assume that since you are “assisting a patient to die,” that it is wrong and should be illegal. My paper helps to give better insight into the world of euthanasia and how the people of this generation view it by including some statistics. This paper also highlights some case studies involving euthanasia as well as the reasons given by some people during the arguments for and against euthanasia. Frequently asked questions concerning euthanasia will also be covered in this paper.
INTRODUCTION
Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering from an incurable disease or an irreversible coma. Euthanasia can also be referred to as mercy killing. It can also be described as the intentional painless killing of a patient by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit.
Brief History
It is believed that euthanasia started in ancient Greece and Rome around the fifth century B.C. Even though doctors were supposed to follow the Hippocratic Oath, “I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan,” many did not and therefore would end up giving patients poison if they asked them to. During the Middle Ages, euthanasia was pretty much out of the question. If a person committed suicide, the law
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
Euthanasia the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. Many people believe euthanasia is wrong and cruel. Euthanasia is not inhuman because the patience asks or wants the doctor to do the process. Patients that are bed ridden and in constant pain can choose to die on their own terms.
Euthanasia, the proper term for mercy killing, is the practice of intentionally ending a life, it usually takes place in order to relieve pain and suffering. This definition only pertains to the patients who are aware that they are going to die and have expressed a wish to do so. This practice is also called assisted suicide. Regardless of what the practice is called, it is as old as human history. Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician of the 5th century, B.C., said that a doctor's first obligation is to do no harm. Doctors have taken that oath for centuries, it is still an oath that they take today. The question of whether euthanasia means doing harm has been debated by doctors and laymen alike over the course of centuries. Some governments
Before continuing with this topic it is important to define the term euthanasia and how this topic caused so much controversy. The term euthanasia comes from the Greek "Eu" (good) and "Thanatos" (death). Euthanasia is any act or omission of treatment, this decision causes the immediate death in order to avoid unbearable suffering or artificial prolongation of life, this responsibility many times lies in the hands of medical staff or individuals close to the ill “The word "euthanasia" was first used in a medical context by Francis Bacon in the 17th century, to refer to an easy, painless,
Envision one of your family members being diagnosed with end-stage cancer that has spread throughout their entire body. They are helplessly suffering from pain that cannot be controlled with any type of treatment or pain medications. Meanwhile your cousin has been watching her father slowly die and lose all quality of life. While some doctors believe that assisted suicide is morally wrong, it is the right way to end the pain and suffering of terminal illnesses in certain situations. If that family member could have been given the option of assisted suicide, they wouldn’t have to go through so much unnecessary suffering and they could die with dignity.
This so called euthanasia, started in 5 B.C. in Ancient Greece. Hippocratic Oath believed to have been written by Hippocrates. The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians stating they will practice medicine ethically and honestly. However, most doctors tend to ignored this rule and basically did whatever they wanted. Euthanasia was not accepted in American colonies during the 17th century. This believed to be morally wrong and unnatural. The majority of people that lived in the American colonies were Christians. Euthanasia was against their morals and others. Euthanasia in the United States was still believed to be wrong and was unaccepted in the late 18th century. A few states decriminalized it during the Revolutionary War. Even with it being decriminalized, many people were still very against it. People would take drastic measures to try and heal their family, but suicide or mercy-killing was not an option for them. Finally, during 1828, New York makes the first law
Assisted suicide is when the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, affected by the taking of lethal drugs provided by a doctor for this purpose. It’s a personal decision and no one should make that decision for them. It’s their life and they should be able to decide what to do with it.
As stated before, euthanasia is the act of ending the life of a patient to alleviate intolerable and incurable pain or suffering. Euthanasia can be classified
The history of euthanasia and assisted suicide starts from Ancient Greek, physicians used to perform frequent abortions, voluntary and involuntary mercy killings. People supported voluntary death and physicians often gave their patients the poisons on their request. The ancients supported the voluntary killing, if it was done for the right reasons. For centuries physician-assisted suicide had been understood to mean the process where the relief of pain for the dying was the best way to ensure an “easy death”. By the nineteenth century euthanasia was then described as actual mercy killing. It is a controversy today whether or not euthanasia is inhumane or not.
.Debates about the ethics of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide date from ancient Greece and Rome. In the 4th Century BC, the Hippocratic Oath was written by Hippocrates, the father of medicine. Euthanasia comes from the Greek words, Eu (good) and Thanatosis (death) and it means "Good Death, "Gentle and Easy Death." This word has come to be used for "mercy killing." In this sense euthanasia means the active death of the patient, or, inactive in the case of dehydration and starvation.The first recorded use of the word euthanasia was by Suetonius, a Roman historian, in his De Vita Caesarum--Divus Augustus (The Lives of the Caesars--The Deified Augustus) to describe the death of Augustus Caesar.
Euthanasia, one of the most debatable topics in our time, has slowly gained approval by some countries. The first country to accept euthanasia was the Netherlands and little by little has gained some momentum. According to an article in Medical News Today the definition of euthanasia is “assisted suicide by a physician or doctor with the intent of ending someone’s life to relieve persistent suffering” (Nordqvist, 2016). In the United States, there are only six states that consider euthanasia legal and they are California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the DC area, with Montana allowing it with the approval of the courts. In the remaining states, it is still considered illegal to practice euthanasia and assisted suicide (ProCon.org, 2017).
Euthanasia has his roots back in the antient Greeck and in the Roman Civilisations, when it was seen a existed from long time,
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, also known as assisted suicide, is the act of providing assistance to end a life of an individual that is suffering from an incurable disease or that has suffering. Euthanasia has been around for quite some time but it has recently become topic in the United States and has gained a controversial reputation from the media. This topic needs to be fully evaluated for people to understand the void that has been put together by the modern society. A person can choose death by euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. It is understood that euthanasia is for a good cause. Various religions offer holistic opportunities that deal with the challenges presented by death, suffering and pain, freedom and responsibility in health care as an independent individual of a "free society", but some religions are against the process.
The debate over the use of euthanasia is ever growing. This is due to the fact of constant increases in medical advances. Medical advances are growing the number of medicines one can be given before palliative care is an option. The main concern of the debate is whether trying new treatments and medicines are necessary before palliative care is given. Two articles will be analyzed using the Aristotelian method. Both articles are valid, but the New York Times article written by Haider Javed Warraich offers a complete perspective using all three persuasive appeals compared to the article written by Terry Pratchett for The Guardian, which the majority is written on emotion.