Speech On Euthanasia

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.

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

It has been argued that for people on life support systems and people with long standing diseases causing much pain and distress, euthanasia is a better choice. It helps in relieving them from pain and misery. In cases like terminal cancers when the patient is in much pain and when people associated with them also are put through a lot of pain and misery, it is much more practical and humane to grant the person his/her wish to end his/her own life in a relatively painless and merciful way.

As for its historical account, euthanasia was widely accepted in its conceptualization by the ancient Greeks and Romans. From there on out, however, there has been much controversy regarding this ethical matter. Many religious

In his book Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Killing or Caring? Dr. Michael Manning M.D breaks euthanasia into further subsets: voluntary active euthanasia, involuntary active euthanasia, passive euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. He states that the debate between euthanasia and physician assisted suicide can be defined as such: “Is it morally acceptable, and so ought it be legally permissible, for a physician to take the life of a competent, terminally ill patient who requests it, or for a physician to assist the competent, terminally ill patient in taking his or her own life” (4). The Oregon Legal Glossary website defines a terminal illness as “an incurable and irreversible disease that has been medically confirmed and will, within reasonable medical judgment, produce death within six months”. Some might wonder why an individual diagnosed with a terminal illness would want to hasten their time of death instead of using the time they have left to be with their family and do what they had always wanted to do. The answer to this can be traced to the ancient Greeks. Manning, notes that during classical Greek antiquity and before the Christian era of the Roman Empire, euthanasia did not mean what it means today. For the individuals of this era, euthanasia was “focused not on the act of hastening death itself, but rather on the manner of one’s

Albert Camus once quoted, “But in the end, one needs more courage to live than to kill them self.” Today I will be discussing the topic of Euthanasia also known as “assisted suicide.” The word originated from the Greeks, meaning “good death”. Euthanasia refers to the ending of one’s life, primarily to end suffering and pain. Euthanasia is a controversial topic and generates many political and religious debates. Although euthanasia is illegal in Canada, in some jurisdictions such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and the American states of Washington, Oregon and Montana, euthanasia is a legal and common practice.

In order to understand assisted suicide, it is necessary to first know about Euthanasia. Euthanasia refers to the act by which an individual is put to a painless and easy death. This term has been originated from the Greek expression for "fine demise". However, scientific advancements and progressions in the medicinal field have now increased the possibility of prolonged life in patients who are hopeless about recovery. Thus, life can be preserved by using extraordinary means like intravenous nourishment, respirators, and artificial life-saving machines. Thus, the term negative euthanasia has been derived referring to this life-saving process. On the other hand, the term positive euthanasia has arisen due to the actions that are taken to cause death actively. The third term i.e. passive euthanasia is used in conditions where antibiotics, drugs, or surgery (common treatment methods) are suspended. It is also used in situations when there is a supplication of a large quantity of lethal pain medication which is considered necessary. Passive euthanasia has been regarded as a common practice among U.S. hospitals and physicians since the beginning of the 20th century ("Euthanasia," 2009).

Active euthanasia should be permitted as a medical treatment to allow people the right to die with dignity without pain and in peace. Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide or mercy killing, takes on many different forms. When most Americans think of euthanasia, they think of a specific form that is referred to as “active euthanasia” which means to actively do something that will end a patient’s life with or without that individual’s consent. When euthanasia is performed in an involuntary manner it is usually because the patient is comatose, unconscious, or otherwise unable to communicate whether or not they want to have their life prolonged through artificial means. In such cases, the physician makes an

Taking the word euthanasia literally means “a good death” (Cavan 7). The definition of euthanasia is “the act of killing or permitting the death of sick or injured individuals (Cavan 12). The topic of euthanasia has become a very large debate ethically and legally. Only 3 states in the U.S. have made euthanasia legal since 2004 (Issitt and Newton). A man by the name of Dr. Jack Kevorkian also known as “Dr. Death” assisted in over one hundred and thirty euthanasia cases. He was eventually charged with second degree murder and out in prison (Pearson). The Ancient Greeks used methods like euthanasia before we ever did. They allowed any suicides to happen. The only thing was the doctors could not give out deadly poison to citizens (Doubissin). These doctors also took what is know as the hippocratic oath. This says that a doctor will not give nor suggest harmful medicines to patients (Pearson). Many people believe assisted suicide is acceptable in cases of terminal illness, but it is morally wrong and considered murder.

Euthanasia is one of the most controversial topics in modern society, and every human being has a different view on it according to their culture, their nation's

The term Euthanasia is derived from the Greek words, Eu (good) and Thanatosis (death) meaning a very gentle and easy death. The definition of euthanasia has now come down to “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.” Therefore, this term can be also called “mercy killing”. In this sense euthanasia means the active or inactive death of a patient. This form of “easy death” for hopeless and suffering patients has been around since ancient ages as, Mesopotamia strictly forbade euthanasia following the sixth commandment “thou shall not kill”, India practiced it by drowning incurable patients in the Ganges

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

Euthanasia, which is also referred to as mercy killing, is the act of ending someone’s life either passively or actively, usually for the purpose of relieving pain and suffering. “All forms of euthanasia require an intention to accelerate death in order to benefit patients experiencing a poor quality of life” (Sayers, 2005). It is a highly controversial subject that often leaves a person with mixed emotions and beliefs. Opinions regarding this topic hinge on the health and mental state of the victim as well as method of death. It raises legal issues as well as the issue of morals and ethics. Euthanasia is divided into two different categories, passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. “There are unavoidable uncertainties in both active and

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.