The Controversial Issue Of Euthanasia

An incredibly controversial issue clouds the minds of millions of people everyday as death confronts them. The problem revolves around the ethics of euthanasia. Should medical assisted suicide be outlawed in all situations or under certain circumstances, could it be considered ethical? Do humans violate nature’s course with science and advanced technology by playing God? Why should doctors and families witness their loved ones suffer when the solution of euthanasia promises a painless death? Authors Andrea E. Richardson and David Miller of the articles “Death with Dignity: The Ultimate Human Right” and “From Life to Death in a Peaceful Instant” reflect upon their experiences and feelings

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.

The “Right to Die” (Euthanasia) should be further looked into as an option for terminally ill patients and not considered unethical. There has been an issue concerning the topic of “Human Euthanasia” as an acceptable action in society. The research compiled in conjunction with an educated opinion will be the basis for the argument for voluntary Euthanasia in this paper. Patients suffering from an incurable illness, exhausting all medical treatments, should be given the freedom of choice to continue their path of suffering or end it at their own will. “The Right to die” is not suicide, as you are fully aware that death will be certain, as Euthanasia spares the individual of additional pain.

Euthanasia and the closely related procedure, assisted suicide, are some of the most highly debated topics in ethics. Although the procedures are different in name, their definitions are quite similar. Euthanasia can be defined in two ways: passive or active. Passive euthanasia is defined as allowing the patient’s illness to kill them; refusing medical treatment. Active euthanasia, however, is defined as killing through lethal injection, which also happens to be known as assisted suicide. From the perspective of the deeply religious to those who just value the life of both themselves and others, euthanasia and assisted suicide are fancy terms for murder. From my perspective, euthanasia and assisted suicide are procedures that should only be allowed for those who are suffering from incurable and physically painful illnesses that incapacitate them to the point where they cannot properly function in society. What constitutes “proper function in society” will be discussed later on, but it plays a pivotal role in the decision that one makes to die or not. Now some may disagree and say that no matter the circumstance, one does not have the right to end their own life; this too will be discussed in further detail. This essay will focus on the aspects mentioned above and will provide the necessary answer to this debate between life and death.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are actions at the core of what it means to be human - the moral and ethical actions that make us who we are, or who we ought to be. Euthanasia, a subject known in the twenty-first century, is subject to many discussions about ethical permissibility, which date back to as far as ancient Greece and Rome. It was not until the Hippocratic School removed the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide from medical practice. Euthanasia in itself raises many ethical dilemmas – such as, is it ethical for a doctor to assist a terminally ill patient in ending his life? Under what circumstances, if any, is euthanasia considered ethically appropriate? More so, euthanasia raises the argument of the different ideas that people have about the value of the human experience.

Euthanasia is an act of helping death to relieve the suffering of patients with incurable diseases. Euthanasia has been a controversial issue for a long time and has been partially accepted by some European states, such as the United Kingdom, and some states in the United States. However, our group opposes the euthanasia because it has problems in ethical dimension and medical aspect. The reason for this is as follows.

259). Even though the issue of proper definition of euthanasia seems to be 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) (Rachels, 1978, p. 78). Euthanasia differs also from assisted suicide. The former means to help someone to, the latter means to help a person kill him or

The controversy of a doctor assisting their patient who is already dying, end their life sooner to save them from continuous unnecessary pain and agony has been the topic of controversy for years. The practice of euthanasia is in my opinion a mercy and should not be banned because in reality it doesn’t physically hurt anyone. You could say it hurts the patient but then again that patient is already in tremendous pain or in an incapacitated state of no recovery, as in paralyzed or brain damage etc., so in reality it would actually help them by assisting ending their pain by assisted suicide. A doctors job is also always help their patients and the practice of assisted suicide in many ways is actually helping the person. However there has and probably always will be people who do not agree with the idea of a dying person end their life for sooner than nature had intended. This demographic would suggest that by dying by your own hand or assisted by a physician for medical reasons is still considered plain suicide. And for the religious people it is a sin by their beliefs. The people could also argue that it is not a person’s right to make that decision.

Over the past decades, many people have argued their opinions about the acceptability and the circumstances of euthanasia whether it should allow or not. World widely, this topic

Some may argue that the idea of assisting a terminally ill patient who wants to end his or her own life is morally and ethically correct. After deliberating on this important topic, we all have chosen why we are either against or for this proposition. Before we begin discussing this topic, we must first define the name and the aspects related to this topic. The medical term is known as euthanasia. Euthanasia comes from the Greek work Eu meaning “good” and thanatos meaning “death” (a good death). Good death, in this case, refers to a painless death. All painless deaths aren’t necessarily euthanasia. It only occurs when another individual directly causes the death another person. In other words, euthanasia can be defined as the intention of

Euthanasia is the termination of terminally ill person’s life in order to relieve them from suffering. A person who undergoes Euthanasia usually has a terrible condition. Mostly it is carried out at patient’s request but sometimes they might be terribly ill and decision is made by family members, medics or courts. This issue is at the centre of debates for years and is surrounded by ethical and religious conditions.

Euthanasia has been a well discussed issue in the arena of biomedical ethics. Many are against it; as well as many also favor it. This is evident with the fact that some countries and states have already legalized it or had made laws with regards to its practice. Ever since I can remember, euthanasia has been a very delicate issue since it really involves the one thing which we regard as the most important in this world: life. But we must also be aware that the issue of euthanasia really involves so many layers than just the taking away of a life. In this paper, I would aim to answer the question of whether or not euthanasia should be legalized and be introduced as an option for patients who really need them the most.

This article describe ethical justification on euthanasia for those who are informed and not ignorant to the issue. It then goes on in detail to explain why an individual’s choice should not be questioned, if their disease has completely captivated the body. It also demonstrates the considerations a patient has to achieve a rational voluntary death because of a hopeless and painful disease. This is useful to state different viewpoints and it does not include the author’s point of view which gives little bias. This will be a beneficial source because it conveys the clear reasons why a patient is able to have the authority to be euthanized. It also provides that if a patient is knowledgeable about the choices they have they will be able to have

For most of human history, there was no need for us define death. (Colby 74). With the recent advancements to technology, the lines are being blurred. Until around 15 years ago there were few cases of individuals wanting to refuse treatment and therefore there was no basis for rights involving refusal of medical treatments or euthanasia (Colby 83). The concept of euthanasia is nothing new, but with the evolution of medical technology, the arguments for and against it are advancing. No matter the circumstance, death is an excruciating process. Euthanasia is described as the induced death of terminally ill patients with the intention of alleviating pain and suffering (Nordqvist). Because death is so grim and final, euthanasia is among the most extensively debated issues. While the discussion of euthanasia is naturally controversial, the use of language has undoubtedly affected its dynamic. Language has impacted the discussion of euthanasia through legislation, Measure 16, and the words and

This has three subgroups: Nonvoluntary euthanasia, which is done when the patient is incapable of deciding, involuntary euthanasia, which is done to end the suffering of a capable patient, and voluntary euthanasia, which is done at the patients request (Yount). A broader term many people assign these two acts to is suicide. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines suicide as “the act of killing yourself because you do not want to continue living.” Euthanasia is a form of suicide, but the two differ in their motives for death.