Euthanasia:
Is it moral?
The term euthanasia comes from ancient Greek and it means “easy death” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Compared to the ancient times in which this word originated, it seems much harder in today’s society to achieve this epitome of a good death. In the ancient times, people died due to diseases that doctors could not cure, and their lives were ended earlier because it was considered cruel to watch a person die a slow and painful death. Today, thanks to the great advancement of technology, more and more diseases are becoming easier to cure and create a better living environment for the person affected. However, there are still many patients who have incurable diseases and disorders that disallow them to have a
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Another important question that is repeatedly debated about with euthanasia is does it devalue human life? When putting the arguments for the affirmative and the negative side by side, one would see that euthanasia does in fact devalue life. It deteriorates society’s respect for life because people could in theory pretend to be extremely sick and then have a doctor legally kill them. With the acceptance of euthanasia, society also accepts that some lives, as in those who would be candidates for euthanasia, are values less so than others, or the healthy and strong people in the world. As said earlier, there are two types of euthanasia; involuntary and voluntary. With the acceptance of voluntary euthanasia, there would be a slippery slope that would undoubtedly lead to involuntary euthanasia and the slaying of people who are considered to be objectionable. Then there is also the true thought that euthanasia may not actually be in the patient’s best interests. The patient could ask for euthanasia too prematurely, and if they are killed and the doctor realizes something could have been done, the blame would be placed on that doctor.
Additionally, how would the government’s role in euthanasia play out? Does the government have the right to tell people who are deemed
[1]Euthanasia, derived from Greek literally means good death. It is the act or practice of killing someone who is terminally ill or injured in order to prevent any more suffering. Some people could call it mercy killing. But is killing someone prematurely right? Why haven't more countries legalized euthanasia? Ask someone involved in caring of the terminally ill, they would simply argue that it is a slippery slope to assisted murder.
Pro-life groups contend that if we allow any type of euthanasia, sooner or later, we would begin killing off not only the terminally ill, but also the handicapped, the poor, the elderly and anyone else who becomes troublesome. The view that we should not make a decision because it could lead to other less prudent decisions later is not a reasonable foundation for setting policies, unless later decisions are definite, and are absolutely wrong. I would hope that the virtue of society would lead us to know where to draw the line between going far enough and going too far. At the present time, it is not clear if where the line is drawn now is where it should be drawn. 5. Euthanasia is killing. Most people believe that there are circumstances when killing is allowed, such as self-defense. The only question is whether or not the killing is justified under the circumstances. In the case of self-defense, killing is justified. The same is true of euthanasia. 6. People who request euthanasia may be requesting it because they are depressed and they may change their minds. I believe that psychological evaluation will detect the mental condition of a patient, and depression, if it exists, can be treated. Patients can be given
On the medical side there is questions to be answered. Like, is it ethical to take someone 's life even when they asked you repeatedly? A doctor takes the Hippocratic Oath to best treat their patient 's life. The question is, should we release them from suffering or continue in trying to help the individual during their time on earth? In the article "A problem for the idea of involuntary euthanasia", Neil Campbell analyzes ethnic and moral question of involuntary, voluntary and furthermore the restraints of physician assisted suicide. Campbell believes involuntary euthanasia may not exist because, "When a person asks to die under such conditions there is good reason to think that the decision to die is compelled by the pain and hence not freely chosen" (Campbell, 242) Is that request what the patient wants, or is it to end the pain? Another point to examine is their quality of the person 's life. Has their life disintegrated to the
“Death is not the enemy doctor. Inhumanity is” (Rebman 5.) This quote was said by 78 year old Eli Kahn. He placed on a respirator machine in order to keep him alive but against his wishes. Eli Kahn was among countless people in this world that face an inevitable death who are not given the choice of preventing the pain and suffering. Euthanasia is a word that most people avoid because it is very controversial. But why? Euthanasia is a way of ending the prolonging of suffering, while leaving life in peace. Euthanasia is derived from the Greeks where Eu means good and Thanatos means death. When these phrases are combined the word euthanasia is created; meaning “good death” (6.) There are three types of euthanasia although only two
To begin with, legalisation of euthanasia gives an option in people’s lives. According to a survey which was taken by Australians, 40 percent of Australian agree with euthanasia as it will lift their quality of life and dignity (Australian Doctor, 2011). In Chilli, 2015, there was a teenage Chilean girl who was suffering from cystic fibrosis. She uploaded a YouTube Clip saying, “I urgently request to speak to the president because I'm tired of living with this illness... I want her approval so I can get a shot that will make me sleep forever.” (Jay Akbar , 2015) Her dad also said, “...Now my daughter just wants to die in a dignified way,” (Jay Akbar , 2015).However, her request was rejected, so she had to die painfully after two months. If euthanasia was allowed to her, she could have ended her life as she asked for, ‘die in a dignified
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.
The author states that “it is never justified to intentionally bring an end to human life in order to relieve one of a burdensome existence” (Doug). A human life should be sacred. To take away someone’s life breaks that sacred bond that a human has with another. Life should not be consider something that a person can take away. Euthanasia disregards the value of a human life, and it is a treatment that can act a double-edge sword.
“Euthanasia is known as mercy killing [or assisted suicide] in order to painlessly terminate one’s life with the humane motive of ending his or her suffering,” states Dr. M. Maisie. Even though it can be argued that euthanasia is no different from a homicide, euthanasia is no the chance to alleviate agony of terminally ill patient. It is unfair and inhuman to force suffering upon any living thing, and we see animals being shown the compassion that many patients wish they had. Euthanasia saves money that could be used to cure patients. Furthermore, death is inevitable for everyone; it is one of the few things promised in life. But isn’t
The topic of euthanasia has caused much controversy, It has been a subject of debate due to its seeming infringement of a person’s fundamental right to live. As a law, Euthanasia is legal in some countries, even in some parts of the United States. The topic of Euthanasia is a huge debate and a very researched subject in bioethics to this day. It is the right of any living human being to see the many benefits that the use of euthanasia provides. Euthanasia should be legally allowed in the United States because it interferes with the concept of ordered liberty, and ultimately makes death with dignity a real option.
Humans and human life should be valued. Immanuel Kant, a philosopher says, people shouldn’t use each other for a means to an end. Humans have dignity and are therefore valued. Life is a sacred gift from God. People should not have the ability to take someone’s life so suddenly and abruptly. “Therefore the deliberate taking of human life should be prohibited except in self-defense or the legitimate defense of others” (Seale). The use of euthanasia does not fit this quota; it is not used in self-defense.
Euthanasia is one of the most complex and morally critical health care practice and policy issues that doctors and nurses must face and advocate for (Gardner). Even though doctors and nurses must follow some sort of code of ethics, following those codes can be difficult for some because their personal feelings about end-of-life care come into play making it problematic for them to truly rationalize the situation. Doctors are required to take the Hippocratic Oath, which in relation to euthanasia, states, “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this
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
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.
Firstly, one of the main arguments for euthanasia is autonomy and patients’ rights to make their own decisions.
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.