Grace (JiEun) Lee
AP Language and composition
Persuasive essay
6 October 2017
Euthanasia legalization
The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. Aristotle
Being one of the most fervid and controversial topic of all, euthanasia, also known as physician-assisted suicide, has initiated a very sensitive discussion on life and death under one’s ability to choose either side. Euthanasia is defined as a “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy” in Merriam-Webster dictionary. Euthanasia is often classified into three categories depending on having patient’s consent:
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Also at a time when health insurance coverage is in flux for millions of Americans due to health care laws such as ObamaCare, discussions of legalizing doctor-prescribed death under name of “patient’s will” seems dangerous. In the money-based world, assisted death might not be an alternative choice but a forced choice to make. If euthanasia is legalized, patients might rather suffer from “having” to choose to die by the invisible pressure of money and nearby people, which could ironically be against their will thus opposing one’s free right to die. Also, this financial pressure might also push families of unconscious people (who are qualified for non-voluntary euthanasia) to make irrational decisions. The poster below conveys similar idea.
(“Submission to the Committee on the Euthanasia Bill.”)
A research conducted by Robert Pearlman and Helene Starks,Professor of Medicine at the Departments of Medicine, have found that the strongest reason for choosing physician-assisted suicide from various categories are tiredness from continuous treatment (69%), fear about future quality (60%) and desire of having control over his/her own body (60%) (Camosy). Which, all seems reasonable thus being used as a solid support for euthanasia supporters. However, all of the reasons listed above exhibits the
Euthanasia is a controversial topic regarding whether or not physician-assisted suicide should be further legalized. Euthanasia is the act of a medical doctor injecting a poison into a patient 's body in order to kill them. Some argue that euthanasia should be legalized to put people out of pain and misery. However, others argue that some people with terminal illnesses would do anything to live longer and believe that it is a selfish and cowardly act. Euthanasia is disputable because of the various ethical issues, including, but not limited to: murder and suicide illegality, the Hippocratic Oath, and medical alternatives. As someone who has had many traumatic experiences and who wants to become a doctor, I am very passionate about the well-being of my future patients and the responsibility to do no harm to them. For these lawful, logical, and personal reasons, euthanasia should not be legalized.
As humans, we have the right to life. In Canada, in section 7 of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canadians can expect “life, liberty and security of the person.” This means not only to simply exist, but have a minimum quality and value in each of our lives. Dying is the last important, intimate, and personal moment, and this process of dying is part of life. Whether death is a good or bad thing is not the question, as it is obviously inevitable, but as people have the right to attempt to make every event in their life pleasant, so they should have the right to make their dying as pleasant as possible. If this process is already very painful and unpleasant, people should have the right to shorten the unpleasantness. In February of this year, judges declared that the right to life does not mean individuals “cannot ‘waive’ their right to life.” Attempting suicide is not illegal in Canada, but the issue here is for those whose physical handicaps prevent them from doing so, and to allow access to a safe, regulated and painless form of suicide. It is a very difficult, sensitive and much-debated subject which seeks to balance the value of life with personal autonomy. In this essay, I will argue that the philosophical case for pro-euthanasia is more complete than those arguments against it due to the
Arguments favoring physician-assisted suicide try to justify its legalization by suggesting that it is appropriate to have physicians and other health care professionals create a tranquil atmosphere for death to occur. These people believe that patients should not be required to endure emotional and physical pain. They suggest that laws may be in place to prevent abuse and guidelines must be followed before making a decision. For example, when there is unbearable suffering, the
Physician-assisted suicide is a prominent topic of discussion in the bioethical community. The main concerns of these discussions are the different types of euthanasia involved in physician-assisted suicide, as well as the legality of a physician’s right to aid in the death of a patient, and the patient’s right to choose death over life when there are no active treatments to forgo. The legalization of active physician-assisted suicide would coincide with a person’s right to self-determination, or autonomy, as well as a person’s right to their own well-being. However, there is concern that legalization would lead to abuse, and would also cause patients to feel pressured into choosing death. The arguments against active physician-assisted suicide are rooted more in hypothetical situation than fact and could be seen as blanket statements rather than cohesive thought. This topic has been unnecessarily broken down and analyzed to the point of exhaustion. After implementing specific guidelines for physicians to follow, the legalization of physician-assisted suicide would be plausible, ethical, and safe.
Millions of people suffer from terminal illnesses and diseases everyday. Many of those people, especially those living in uncomfortable facilities and those deteriorating, have a strong desire to die with dignity. The subject of physician assisted suicide goes hand in hand with self induced suicide and euthanasia. The issue with physician assisted suicide is that society is not willing to help the issue because a majority of society views it as unethical and morally wrong. The subject is more so focused on the practice of the doctor rather than the pain and the suffering of the
Those who are against the practice of physician assisted suicide cite various reasons. One of the main concerns is
Those in support of Physician Assisted Suicide could as well point out that death is a critical state of human life and certain conditions are indicators of its timing. It would be useless to spend heavily on medication when everyone is aware that the patient has no life to live. Forcing one to lead a traumatizing life by keeping him or her on oxygen is immoral because it is disturbing to the entire society more than it is to the patient. It puts the society in a state of tension which prevents them from focusing on issues which would benefit their destinies. “Advocates of voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide find it difficult enough to persuade legislators or the public to change the law to allow doctors to help people who are
Many people have different opinions on the debate of legalizing Euthanasia or Physician- assisted suicide. “The term assisted suicide has several different interpretations. Perhaps the most widely used and accepted is "the intentional hastening of death by a terminally ill patient with assistance from a doctor, relative, or another person". Some people will insist that something along the lines of "in order relieve intractable (persistent, unstoppable) suffering" needs to be added to the meaning, “(2) The major debate on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are: the slippery slope to legalized murder, the right to die, and the Hippocratic oath and prohibition of killing. “Proponents of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) contend that terminally ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and compassionate death. They argue that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that guarantee such rights as marriage, procreation, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment.” (1) I
A vast majority of the opposing force is against legalization of physician assisted suicide for “moral” or religious reasons. It is also commonly argued that participating in assisted suicide is incompatible with the physician’s duty as a healer, or that it is unnecessary to legalize it because suicide is already a leading cause of death in the United States. John Pearson, in his article “Assisted Suicide is Unnecessary”, states that “Assisted suicide invites compromise among caregivers or family members who might have economic or otherwise selfish interests in hastening another’s death…” He goes on to mention that it is unlikely that people are capable of making such a decision in the midst of crisis or severe pain.
According to Rachels (248), a proponent of euthanasia, states the act is justified if death is the only way out of one’s awful pain. On the other hand, Gay Williams (353), an opponent of euthanasia, views it as immoral to take someone’s life before his or her own natural death time reaches. Medically, euthanasia can be acceptable for those patients that are extremely suffering and their doctors have no idea on what to do to help a patient whose condition is only worsening. Often, it is administered on consultation with the family members of the patient in question. However, health practitioners are held within the bounds of professionalism where they are made to understand sanctity of life. Doctors are not supposed to decide the future of
The first argument for legalising euthanasia indicates to autonomy and fundamental right. Life is extremely precious and must be protected but not at any circumstances, like, a patient who is suffering from physical pain cause of terminal ill and wishing to eradicate from the endless pain. It is a fundamental right to everyone to make decision about those things are momentous to us, like, how we die (Short, 2016). Therefore, many supporters of euthanasia perceive that everyone has the right to control their body and life, and should be free to decide at what time, and in which manner they will die (Brooks,
As I stated earlier, many oppose physician-assisted suicide for many different moral and ethical reasons. Many people all around the world are against the legalization of physician-assisted suicide because according to Nargus Ebrahimi’s article “The Ethics of Euthanasia,”
Euthanasia is a controversial issue. Many different opinions have been formed. From doctors and nurses to family members dealing with loved ones in the hospital, all of them have different ideas for the way they wish to die. However, there are many different issues affecting the legislation and beliefs of legalizing euthanasia. Taking the following aspects into mind, many may get a different understanding as to why legalization of euthanasia is necessary. Some of these include: misunderstanding of what euthanasia really is, doctors and nurses code of ethics, legal cases and laws, religious and personal beliefs, and economics in end-of-life care.
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.
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.