Pro Euthanasia Research Paper

Today, there is a large debate over the situation and consequences of euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act of ending a human’s life by lethal injection or the stoppage of medication, or medical treatment. It has been denied by most of today’s population and is illegal in the fifty states of the United States. Usually, those who undergo this treatment have a disease or an “unbearable” pain somewhere in the body or the mind. Since there are ways, other than ending life, to stop pain caused by illness or depression, euthanasia is immoral, a disgrace to humanity, according to the Hippocratic Oath, and should be illegal throughout the United States.

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

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.

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.

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

Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide, is the painless killing of a patient, suffering from a painful or incurable disease, like cancer, or alzheimer 's, the practice is illegal in most countries, including the United States, although in the United States, it is a state decision, the only state in the United States that it is legal in is Oregon. Oregon passed the Death with Dignity Act in 1994, making euthanasia legal for chronically ill patients, the only caveat is that the doctor is allowed to prescribe the medication, but they are not allowed to administer the drugs, the patient must do that themselves (Arnold, 17, 2004). Euthanasia is a controversial topic that can spark many different feelings. Some people may feel that if they are suffering that they want to end their pain, or if they have a fatal illness that they just want to speed the process along. Others, generally not a patient that is in the situation that would be in a position to consider euthanasia as a real option, feels that it is murder and morally wrong. As a potential social worker, I must say that I feel that euthanasia is wrong and should not be practiced in any form. I feel that palliative or end of life care that would make the patient more comfortable in their final days is a more valuable option than ending a life prematurely with the assistance of a doctor.

Voluntary Euthanasia is the one in which the consent of the patient is usually taken and all actions are taken with the permission of the patient. The term is also referred to as ‘assisted suicide’ at times. This kind of euthanasia is legal in some countries.

Today, voluntary euthanasia is getting closer to being legalized in more than just one state in the United States. “‘Voluntary’ euthanasia means that the act of putting the person to death is the end result of the person’s own free will” (Bender 19). “ Voluntary euthanasia is an area worthy of our serious consideration, since it would allow patients who have exhausted all other reasonable options to choose death rather than continue suffering” (Bender 19). The question of whether or not voluntary euthanasia should be legalized is a major debate that has been around for years. Because the issue of whether people should have the right to choose how they want to live or die is so complex. With the advances in technology today we have made

Much of the discussion around euthanasia is based heavily on patient’s right to live. It is often heavily implied that by helping to end an individual’s life, we are stripping them of the basic human right to live. What people often fail to see is the hypocrisy behind such claims.

Being that one in every fifty deaths are accounted for by the use of euthanasia, it has become a serious controversy on whether or not it should be outlawed or not. Multiple accounts of assisted suicide clearly display this debate. Whether it is a botched surgery, a chronic pain, or a terminal illness, there are better treatments that spare the life of a patient, also making the time and money invested in said patient well worth it. Religions across the globe, no matter how different, all agree, that life is about a connection with others, as well as a connection to yourself. To purposely give up on this freedom, is simply ludicrous. While euthanasia can be viewed as an easy solution to end the pains of the suffering, this immoral practice

Arguments that are in favor of active euthanasia by physicians as stated by, Gregory Weiss, author of The Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness are, “that death should be peaceful and comfortable, people have the right to self- determination, laws could require safeguards, suicide already exist, and majority of American are in favor. Arguments that oppose euthanasia by physician are, “physician should sustain life, patients are depressed and thinking irrationally, interferes with good physician- patient relationship, making suicide acceptable, hospitals can help patients deal with pain and have palliative care (Weiss). Physician’s arguments such as Dr. Jack Kevorkian can be compared and relative to the arguments in favor of active euthanasia.

The facts have shown that some doctors and nurses do believe that euthanasia should be legalized and used effectively in the healthcare system. Under certain conditions there must be restrictions; however, there are many ways to go about the situation when legalizing euthanasia for which the doctors and nurses would be able to advocate these circumstances. Given their personal relationships with the patients and the strong dedication to health care suitable for every case a doctor or nurse would be a very useful asset in the cases focused upon legalizing euthanasia. For example, a cure for cancer is constantly being looked for as a way of saving lives but when there is no way to save those patients after strenuous searches for relief one must

Opponents of euthanasia insist that it is vital to stop people from making the decision to euthanize themselves. Many times, sick patients are, sadly, guilted into euthanasia. Debbie Purdy, a victim of multiple sclerosis and ignorance by doctors, states her emotion to the topic by profoundly stating, “When a scared and depressed patient ask for poison pills and their doctor’s response is to pull out the lethal prescription pad, it confirms the patient’s worse fear- that they are a burden and are less worth loving”(Smith). Doctors will put the thought that they are a strain and a chore to take care of, resulting in the patient making the choice to die. Contemplate this, you have cancer, you are drowning in medical bills, and you want to

Euthanasia debate opposes two sides in which one side argues that letting someone suffer is not ethical and the other side defend that to help someone to die is not ethical based on the morality that no one should kill or help someone to die (fundamental right that everyone is allowed to live), they judge that euthanasia should compromise the criminal code. For my own morality, I am for the euthanasia possibility for the people in need to die for the reason of the person’s well-being.

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.