The World Today Is Filled With Pain. Much Of This Pain

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.

“Dr. Death and his suicide machine”. Jack Kevorkian, also known as Dr. Death, was an American pathologist who was also a painter, a composer, an author, and an instrumentalist. He is best known for publicly championing the belief that it is morally correct to put terminally ill patients out of their misery through a practice called euthanasia. Dr. Kevorkian assisted around 130 patients to suicide and went to jail because of what he believed in. In 1999 Dr. Kevorkian was charged with second-degree murder, he was sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison but he only did a time of 8 years. Even after he went to jail for this practice he continued to believe in it. Euthanasia isn’t acceptable unless it’s in extreme circumstances. Usually a doctor has to do

Out of the 196 countries in the world, only nine countries have legalized euthanasia or assisted suicide,” a quote brought up by Storypick. (). Euthanasia is one of the most controversial topics currently, but what can euthanasia offer patients and people all around the United States? People have different opinions and facts about euthanasia; so what are the pros and cons? In the end, euthanasia should be legalized because people will face pain mental and physical, people’s opinions should not be deterred as well with a death that will contain dignity, despite the moral thoughts it goes against. 10.2

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.

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

Firstly, the use of Euthanasia is an unethical method in the ending of one’s life because it is considered murder according to psychiatrist Greg Hamilton, the fifth commandment, and the purpose to all types of Euthanasia: to kill. Referring to the act of euthanasia, psychiatrist Greg Hamilton states, "[...] That's not helping a patient during his dying process[;] that's murdering the patient" (Rudden 255). The right way to treat a dying patient is to aid him or her by giving any type of helpful medication to the patient that may actually save him or her from death. Injecting lethal drugs into an ill patient could possibly make the patient suffer even more and for a longer period of time depending on what type of drug is used. Additionally, "Thou shalt not kill" and "Man should not play God" are oppositions that are based on religious belief (Kastenbaum 532). Breaking this commandment is a grave sin in the Catholic Church. Also, killing a patient no matter what the situation is considered immoral. Christians believe that if one does not repent for a sin as serious as this one, one may not enter the kingdom of Heaven- despite which type of euthanasia is used. Specifically, the other type of Euthanasia, Passive Euthanasia, occurs when an action that may prolong life is withdrawn, such as choosing not to connect a dying person to a life support machine (Kastenbaum 531). 'Pulling the plug' is not considered to be a more gentle way to

Dr. Jack Kevorkian was charged with second-degree murder and served an eight year prison sentence. (Fridstein. 1). This accomplished physician graduated from the University of Michigan with an impressively high IQ. He was a writer, inventor, movie producer and classical composer. (Kevorkian). Why would a man so intelligent and successful end up in jail for murder? Well believe or not he purposely challenged the legal system in a one man crusade to ignite a national discussion on the subjects of assisted suicide, Euthanasia and one’s constitutional right to choose. Euthanasia is a medical procedure that involves a person being induced with a soothing, relaxing medicine that allows them a peaceful passing. Dr. Kevorkian’s attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, summed it up best when he said, "We’re just talking about the right not of children and not of mentally incompetent people but the right of mentally competent adults to make decisions about their own bodies as to how much suffering they have to undergo.” (Kevorkian). Euthanasia is not for people experiencing temporary illness or unhappiness. It’s for people who are imprisoned by their own unbearable physical pain for the rest of their lives with no way out. Is it fair to not give those people a choice? Is it fair to make them slowly deteriorate while losing their dignity? I think not. That is why I support euthanasia being legalized, “Dying is not a crime.” (Fridstein. 1).

“Dying is not a crime” stated Jack Kevorkian. Dr. Jack Kevorkian, also known as Murad Kevorkian or Dr. Death, had strong opinions on euthanasia. Kevorkian was, simply put, obsessed with death. His eccentric passion made him the most famous activist for physician-assisted suicide. Kevorkian committed his life to aiding those who suffered from acute medical conditions. Kevorkian made statements under oath and to the press that he considered it his duty to assist persons in their death. He also indicated under oath that because he thought laws to the contrary were archaic and unjust, he would persist in civil disobedience, even under threat of criminal punishment. (Wikipedia.org). Laws were unclear on the subject of assisted suicide so, Kevorkian forced the courts to face the issue of whether assisted suicide should be a legal option in certain instances. Kevorkian is said to have over 130 “victims” who were all terminally ill patients.

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

Imagine: you are terminally ill and faced with less than six months to live. These six months for you will be incredibly painful. However, you are faced with two choices: to endure this pain until it is your due time, or to die on your own terms with the assistance of a doctor's prescribed medicinen. Whatever you choose, note that you were given the choice. This provides a choice to do with your life what you will. This choice is not something that is available for many Americans due to the denial of the legalization of euthanasia. Since euthanasia deals with life and death, it will clearly be controversial, like all topics of this manner. The type of Euthanasia I will be arguing for will be that of voluntary-euthanasia. Euthanasia, from the Greek word meaning “good death,” is a painless way to provide the opportunity for a patient to end their own suffering from an incurable and painful diseases, as well as an irreversible coma. In this context, the patient requests a lethal dose of medication in order to die with dignity on their own terms, allowing them to choose the fate of their life. Euthanasia should be allowed with very high thresholds such as terminal illness or a major paralysis and have very strict regulations. Consider Tony Nicklinson, who requested euthanasia multiple times but every time got denied. “Tony Nicklinson was diagnosed with a disease that prevented him from moving any and all muscles in his body. After his bid was denied, he decided to starve himself to death, which took a week without food.” Tony Nicklinson wanted the pain to stop, anything was better than how he was living. For instances like these, Euthanasia should be available. To deny this right is to prolong the suffering for individuals and families, something that I can simply not condone. Though controversial, Euthanasia should be legal for three reasons: because people should have the right to die just as they should have the right to live, it protects selfhood and dignity, and because the law of Euthanasia is and will remain properly regulated.

In cases of involuntary euthanasia, the patient is able to provide informed consent, but does not do so. For example, a young man is in agony after being severely injured in a car accident. He begs the doctor to do anything to save him. Knowing that the young man’s pain is only going to get worse and that he will die in a matter of hours, the doctor gives the young man a lethal dose of medication in order to spare him additional pain and end his life. Despite the fact that someone’s motive for euthanizing another person against their will could seem moral, I believe the practice of involuntary euthanasia is highly immoral and equivalent to murder. Not surprisingly, involuntary euthanasia is almost universally condemned in civilized society.

First of all, what is euthanasia? It is something that not many people think about until they or a friend or family member is put in a position where they might actually have to consider it. Euthanasia, in the dictionary, simply is: the action of ending someone’s life in a painless way. It seems pretty simple but in reality it is a lot more complicated, not only for the people involved but for the society in general as well.

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.