In the article, “When Living Is a Fate Worse Than Death,” the author Christine
In the article, “When Living Is a Fate Worse Than Death,” the author Christine
Euthanasia, the painless killing of a patient suffering from an agonizing disease, is a very controversial topic. Some argue that it is an act of murder and doctors should do all they can to extend life. Others argue that life should not be forced by resuscitation but patients should instead be relieved of their suffering through death. Barbara Huttman addresses the opposers of euthanasia in her essay, "A Crime of Compassion". Huttman tells the reader of her experience with Mac, a terminally ill cancer patient. Within the essay, Huttman explains how she watched the treatment take all he had, affecting Mac and those around him, and ultimately allows him die. Using rhetorical devices, she conveys the message that suffering patients should have…
The report “Inquiry into the Options for Dying with Dignity” , discusses the meaning of palliative care for the patient and the family. The report suggests that when death becomes inevitable an approach that emphasises relief, rather than the prolonging of life, palliative care should be taken away . The explanation by Dr Margaret Somerville in her book “The Ethical Canary, Science, Society And The Human Spirit” , conveys the difficulty of people accepting the patient’s decision. Also, the confusion between withholding water and food for a patient whose life depends on it or a terminally ill patient is very different and she believes that many people have mistakenly equated the two…
Euthanasia means “good death” but today the term is deemed as a merciful action to rid someone of suffering. In many cases we have seen terminally ill patients euthanized active or passive, yet for the sake of my essay I will discuss active euthanasia. End of life issues is a topic many families are faced with everyday more than one likes to imagine; however, imagine that you were a significant other who has a loved one in the hospital suffering from a terminal illness and their pain is unbearable that your loved one has decided to end his life and the subject of euthanasia comes up. What would you do? The…
There are two factors that have contributed to euthanasia’s distinction with how the world is today. They are both an increasing sense of self-determinism and medical revolution that have the potential of prolonging human life (Michigan, 2006). People think that just because there are things like hospice and medication that euthanasia shouldn’t even be an option. But what people don’t know is that even with the best medication and the patient being made completely comfortable, it is not the pain that causes people to ask for what people call a “hastened death”, but the humiliation and suffering that accompanies most terminal disorders.…
I think we would all agree that the primary objective of any business is to make a profit. While this may be true, there is a strong correlation between being financially successful and morally and socially responsible. It would appear that company Q has disregarded the latter. In order to succeed in any given environment, one…
The argument that has sent the world into a tailspin is whether or not people suffering from terminal or excruciatingly painful illness have the right to take their own lives by way of physician-assisted suicide. Proponents contend that what one does with one 's life is of no consequence to anyone else -- that it is humane to allow someone to be relieved of constant – if not unbearable – discomfort. On the other hand, critics claim that the act of euthanasia is nothing more than a fabricated form of murder. Indeed, both sides have pertinent points when it comes to understanding and assessing the conflict, but euthanasia supporters have a significantly stronger argument when considering the bigger picture. Clearly, physician-assisted suicide is not only the right thing to do for someone seeking such a decision, but it is ethical and humane for a physician to abide by the patient 's wish.…
Euthanasia is a social issue in today’s world because not only does it affect the lives of those who are terminally ill and/or comatose, and the physicians who have been entrusted with their care, but it also affects the patient’s ability to have control over their own life, whether they are aware of this decision or not, which is one of the reasons why euthanasia has become such a controversial issue around the globe. Caddell and Newton (1995) define euthanasia as “any treatment initiated by a physician with the intent of hastening the death of another human being who is terminally ill and in severe pain or distress with the motive of relieving that person from great suffering” (p. 1,672). Even though the concept of great…
People are afraid of death. It is this innate fear of the end of life causes our subconscious minds to reel at the idea of hastening its arrival. We can only live until we die, so we live, and we live as long as we possibly can, until we die. When presented in this black and white perspective, suicide is nothing short of a crime against nature, a disgrace to the death-avoiding purpose of human existence. Furthermore, the idea of physician-assisted suicide triggers this response to an even greater degree; we hear assisted suicide, and our subconscious screams murder. Here lies the difficulty in understanding the modern debate over physician-assisted suicide with a clear, open mind. Often, it takes a personal experience, perhaps a suffering family member or friend, to fully understand the weight of the right to assisted suicide, and how humane and merciful the practice truly is for those with terminal…
Medical professionals already have many burdens throughout their medical path, adding the guilt of killing someone to the list is not fair for the healthcare professionals and the family members. Euthanasia is ethically and morally wrong because the doctors have to continue to find possible ways to treat the patient not to give the patient the option of choosing to die. The incident in “Britain with the nurses technically killing the patient could have been avoided” (Fenigsen, “Other People’s Lives: Reflections On Medicine, Ethics, And Euthanasia”). Although, some people might believe that ending the patient’s pain is ending their suffering, but many fail to realize the actual outcome if euthanasia were to be practiced. For instance, “If terminating life is a benefit, the reasoning goes, why should euthanasia be limited only to those who can give consent? Why need we ask for consent” (ProCon.org, “Top Ten Pros and Cons)”, the slippery slope a reality to…
Who are we to say when we should die? Are we trying to play God, or do we just want the right to end the inevitable a little sooner than God’s plan for us? This paper will discuss pros and cons of euthanasia with stories and research. Such as the case of a ninety five year old comma patient, whose family receives the news that she could live for months, years even in a vegetative state on life support; leaving the family questioning whether or not to pull the plug and put an end to what otherwise would be like the “death of a hundred deaths.”…
Without understanding the compassion for assisted dying, it’s a challenge to get past the stigma. Opponents assert it’s unethical, but in reality, assisted dying is the basis to having a righteous ending. When we grant people the right to die, we promise them a dignified death. By offering a choice we give way to an escape from the pain, and the unnecessary suffering that would otherwise lead to the same fate. There’s more to the surface than just life and death. The mindset that goes behind it is what it means to have a dignified death.…
Ekland-Olson, Sheldon, and Elysian Aseltine. How Ethical Systems Change: Tolerable Suffering and Assisted Dying. E-book. New York: Routledge, 2012.…
As we discussed in class and also frequently mentioned in Dr. Rachel Remen’s book, is the refusal of doctors to recognize treatment is not always the best option for someone who is dying. There comes a moment in a dying individual’s life when continued treatment may only do more harm than good. Rarely, do medical professionals ask their patients how would they like to live the last moments of their life. For many individuals dying of terminal illness, six weeks of high-quality life is much preferred in comparison to six months of low-mobility degradation. This aspect of our culture prohibits individuals from dying while they are still fully themselves and instead creates a long, protracted, and painful degradation of life and…
An elderly person in a nursing home, who can barely understand a breakfast menu, is asked to sign a form consenting to be killed. Is this right or wrong? Assisted suicide also known as euthanasia is defined as “the practice of ending someone’s life in order to release incurable suffering.” (“Euthanasia” 711) Many people who seek help in ending their lives have an agonizing disease and are in great pain. It may also occur when incurably ill people ask their physician or friend and or relative to put them to death or allow them to die. Some believe medical practitioners may cause harm to patients if they are given high doses of pain-killing drugs that could cause death. Euthanasia is categorized in different ways: voluntary, non-voluntary, active and passive (involuntary). Active euthanasia is the injection of lethal drug. “Active euthanasia involves direct action by a physician or caregiver to induce death in a patient.” (“Euthanasia” 711) Passive euthanasia takes place when a physician with holds or with…
In this text I am going to write about illegal immigration in United States. First I will talk about what illegal immigration is and give you some facts about it in U.S. I will also discuss for and against illegal immigration. I will give you some of mine point of view in the end. When you go to a country without permission and stay there for a long time, that´s illegal immigration. Many of these people search for visa and as an answer they get no, but still they stay in the country anyway.…