Euthanasia: Murder or Mercy?
Suppose I am terminally ill. I have no hope for the future, no hope for survival, no hope for happiness. I wish to die and I am incapable due to my disability to end my own life. I am in indescribable paid and torment all day long and my only wish is to end this misery. Should I have the option of euthanasia existent to me?
Put under such broad and pitiful circumstances, most Americans would say yes to the previous question. Indeed, statistics continually show, dating back to 1978, the two thirds of Americans support euthanasia when asked a question that has been phrased similarly to the one I have given here. This misleading statistic shows only
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Take into account these are actual terminally ill patients who must seriously consider this option for their own well-being that gave the previous results. These are not the opinions of bystanders who try to pretend they know what the reasons are for patients undergoing euthanasia or PAS.
One other interesting result that came of this survey was the precariousness of the patients’ decisions to undergo euthanasia for themselves. In the initial interview of 988 terminally ill patients, 71 had seriously considered euthanasia for themselves. In a follow-up interview six months later, 35 patients still seriously considered euthanasia for themselves, 36 patients changed their mind and 29 new patients were seriously considering it. This alarming statistic is the most pivotal reason why opponents
be fed orally because of blistering in the mouth and throat. Any movement of the
If the option of euthanasia were available the sufferer could say their final goodbyes, savor precious moments with the ones they love, then, with the help of their physician, slip slowly into a peaceful sleep from which they would never awake. Ending the life of the patient would not only ensure that their suffering would finally be over, but it would give the family the peace of knowing that their loved one ended their life in a state of comfort. I am not saying that we should encourage someone to give up the fight of their life. Euthanasia is not to be forced onto someone. Euthanasia is an option to be given to those who have no other choice and are in desperate search of a solution to their suffering. Euthanasia is something to be turned to when the quality of life is so poor that the patient isn’t living, they are merely existing.
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.
Euthanasia should be considered in all aspects of the medical field because people need to be in charge of their lives, statements from critics, and the serious evaluation process when chosen. Euthanasia can reserve all rights towards an individual’s choice towards death or not, because it is the person who has to endure and agonize through the incurable illness. An individual’s perspective on a situation is through their eyes and no one else, that is why euthanasia produces the choice of being alive or
People make decisions every single day of their lives. Although, people with a terminal diagnosis still have the capability to make decisions, they are not given the legal right to a physician assisted suicide. A choice some may desire in their final days. Once the person with the terminal diagnosis has met the specific criteria he or she should decide what would be optimal decision for both themselves and their families. Palliative care will always be available to terminal patients; however, not all patients will wish to wait and wonder. Nevertheless, some terminal patients will wish to take death into their own hands. People should be allowed to choose how they will die this would reduce the overall healthcare cost, decrease the emotional toll of the patients and their families, and allow there to be dignity within death.
Thesis Statement: Euthanasia for humans must be legalized in America because less patients will have to endure a tragic and painful death for the remainder of their life. REASON #1: Euthanasia ends unbearable suffering. “Suicide, self-deliverance, auto-euthanasia, aid-in-dying, assisted suicide—call it what you like—can be justified by the average supporter of the so-called 'right to die' movement because advanced terminal illness that is causing unbearable suffering to the individual. This is the most common reason to seek an early end”(Humphry). “Euthanasia used to be limited to patients in the terminal stage of an illness, but it is now thought to be appropriate in some cases of nonterminal patients, for example, those in a persistent
A research conducted by Robert Pearlman and Helene Starks,Professor of Medicine at the Departments of Medicine, have found that the strongest reason for choosing physician-assisted suicide from various categories are tiredness from continuous treatment (69%), fear about future quality (60%) and desire of having control over his/her own body (60%) (Camosy). Which, all seems reasonable thus being used as a solid support for euthanasia supporters. However, all of the reasons listed above exhibits the
Voluntary or assisted euthanasia is a complex issue that is often “not fully understood by clinicians” (Ersek, 2004). Currently four states have legalized voluntary and assisted euthanasia for the terminally ill, granted that a predetermined criteria has been meet. While other states that have not legalized euthanasia offer patients the option
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
As patients come closer to the end of their lives, certain organs stop performing as well as they use to. People are unable to do simple tasks like putting on clothes, going to the restroom without assistance, eat on our own, and sometimes even breathe without the help of a machine. Needing to depend on someone for everything suddenly brings feelings of helplessness much like an infant feels. It is easy to see why some patients with terminal illnesses would seek any type of relief from this hardship, even if that relief is suicide. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is where a physician would give a patient an aid in dying. “Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on the question of whether, in certain situations,
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 legalization of euthanasia has always been a highly debatable topic since it causes philosophical, religious, moral and ethical controversy where some people believe it reduces our respect for the value of human life and it will be a gateway for other immoral actions to be normalized even though it is a basic human right that patients all over the world are denied to this day.
I would like to begin by defining the issue of the article by Patrick Nowell-Smith. The issue of his article is legalizing euthanasia and giving people a right to decide when and how to die.
Humans, like all animals, attempt to evade death. Though death is usually seen as an unwanted end, some see it as an alternative to suffering. Most people cringe at the thought of suicide, but is euthanasia the same thing? Do human beings have the right to choose death?
A teacher I once had in high school would often talk about her father who lived in hospice care. Her father suffered from dementia and had been for years. She would often talk about how on his “good” days he would plead her husband to put a pillow on his head and suffocate him, to take him out of his misery. If it was legal, her husband would have willingly helped her father and put him out of his misery, however in the state of North Carolina, physician-assisted suicide is illegal. Luckily, her father passed away this year and is finally free of pain and suffering. However, if physician-assisted suicide was legal, her father would not have had to suffer as long as he did.