History Of Euthanasia

In fact, according to a recent poll almost 42% of surveyed supported euthanasia and 37% opposed (Fig 1). A lot of controversy surrounding this issue stems from the fact that euthanasia has been analyzed not only from juridical perspective, whether or not it should be legal, but also from various medical, social, philosophical, religious points of view. The topic seems to be extremely relevant not only because it is related to the basic principles of society regarding life and death, but also it affects every person, especially who suffers from a terminal illness. This study tries to indicate possible solutions for some questions related to euthanasia in order to show that in many cases euthanasia can be avoided by adequate treatment and that proper and clearly legislation is necessary to protect patients. For the purpose of this paper, euthanasia can be defined as “conduct that brings about an easy and painless death for persons suffering from an incurable or painful disease or condition” (Muckart, Gopalan, Hardcastle, Hodgson, & McQuoid-Mason, 2014, p. 259). Even though the issue of proper definition of euthanasia is still debatable, the question of classification of euthanasia seems to be less problematic. In fact, many scholars agree that euthanasia may be classified as voluntary (because of the will), non-voluntary (without specific will), involuntary (against the will) and divided according to active (use of lethal substances) and passive options (termination of treatment). Euthanasia differs also from assisted suicide. The former means to help someone to die, the latter means to help a person kill him or

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.

Euthanasia, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is considered to be, “the act or practice of killing someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any more suffering” (2015).Within this can be found different methods of euthanasia including passive or indirect euthanasia which requires withholding of basic life-saving measures such as oxygen, nutrition, hydration, or resuscitation. Another form is direct euthanasia which can be caused by administered drugs, injections, or suffocation. In its entirety, euthanasia has been debated as an ethical issue through its many forms and reasoning (Methods of euthanasia, 2011).

In the article “Attitudes of Terminally Ill Patients Toward Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide,” seventy terminally ill patients were interviewed on three different topics: the patient’s general attitude on legalizing euthanasia, the patient’s personal circumstances, and the patient’s personal situation.

The families and carers of patients wish for their loved ones to experience a good death. A study of 87 relatives of people who died by euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide were interviewed in the Netherlands. They found 92% felt euthanasia was a positive contribution, either by preventing or ending suffering of their loved ones. (8) This positive experience of euthanasia is reflected in the views of Australian community members, where 910 people were surveyed, with the majority (70%) for legalising euthanasia. (9)

Euthanasia or Physician-assisted suicide as some call it has been done for centuries. The controversy of this has also existed since those times. Back in Greek and roman times as today regular suicide, as in a person who is not dying or incapacitated, was not accepted and I agree but that’s a whole different topic. But back in

The first society established in the United States came soon after, in 1938 (Finsterbusch 246). It was called the Hemlock Society, and it now consists of more than 67,000 members (Finsterbusch 190). This group gained so much support advocating legalization that the issue became a large debate splitting the country in half. The purpose of this society is to support your decision to die. Also it offers support when you are ready to die. As generations passed, it became more and more requested from relatives that their loved ones die peacefully. It became less possible to watch a loved one hooked up to machines that carry out daily tasks as simple as breathing until the end approached abruptly. Euthanasia is a way to spend the last moments of life with family and friends, not with machines, procedures, and most definitely not pain.

The cultural, historiographical and historical development of euthanasia has been paralyzed since the end of antiquity by the choreography and revisions of the philosophy of Hippocrates, the Latin Christendom creation of scripture, and severe social consequences of opposing opinions created by both. The concept of Euthanasia was prevalent, debated and accepted Throughout Antiquity. It was ritualized, discussed in poems and philosophical writings. ?Hippocrates of Kos? who was the first person credited with creating formal teachings against euthanasia with an intention to alter the course of history. He is also credited with the formal teaching against euthanasia and organized the fist known school of medicine against the self-ending of

The lack of consensus; thereof, in American society on the ethical question of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide could be attributed solely to the incredibly complexity and gravity of the issue. Therefore, in this study I will suggest, explore, and discuss that part of the ethical problem with euthanasia is under what circumstances, if any,

Euthanasia is often called “mercy killing”. It is intentionally making someone die, rather than allowing that person to die naturally. It is sometimes the act of ending someone’s life, who is terminally ill, or is suffering in severe pain. Euthanasia is mostly illegal in the world today. Euthanasia can be considered a form of suicide, if the person afflicted with the problem actively does it. The person volunteering to commit the act to that person can also consider it a form of murder.

Euthanasia has been a matter of debate from many years all over the world. The word “Euthanasia” has derived from the Greek language, which refers to “good death”. It is a wilful act undertaken by one person with the intention of either painlessly putting to death or failing to prevent death from natural causes in the cases of terminal ill persons or persons irreversible comas. Euthanasia has been divided in different categories such as Voluntary involuntary and non-voluntary euthanasia, which can either be active or passive (Johnstone, 2008). This case study is an example of voluntary euthanasia where a person asks her friend to assist her to be euthanized. This case study will focus on the legal implications as well as the ethical principles for both the patient and friend who may accompany her friend to Switzerland at Dignitas to be euthanatized. It will also explore the arguments in favour and against euthanasia and the course of action. To be more precise the patient will be referred as Mary.

Euthanasia is the practice of painlessly putting to death people who have incurable, painful, or distressing diseases or handicaps. It comes from the Greek words for good and death, and is commonly called mercy killing. It may occur when incurably ill people ask their physician or a relative or even a friend to put them to death. There are two procedural classifications of euthanasia. Active euthanasia refers to someone taking active steps to give a dying person their final request, a lethal dosage of drugs in order to accelerate death. This is illegal in the United States, Canada, and almost all other countries. Most religious groups consider it to be a form of suicide or murder and thus immoral.

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.

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

Nurses play a very important role in the care of their patients, however, not all of this care is without controversy. This paper addresses the role that nurses have in the process of euthanasia and how this role is directly impacted by one’s own ethical and moral beliefs. Several studies looked at the importance of the nurse’s role during euthanasia and what nurses deem important and necessary during the process. Common factors that have a role in how a nurse addresses and participates in euthanasia include: the nurse/patient relationship, the ability to communicate with the patient, patient’s family and other health care