Grand Canyon University: PSY 357
Professor Joseph Keefer
Euthanasia and End of Life Issues After being diagnosed with debilitating diseases, such as one of the multiple forms of cancer or being in a Persistent Vegetative State, (PVS), many consider euthanasia to end the suffering of that individual. Euthanasia is defined as "the act of painlessly ending the lives of individuals who are suffering from an incurable disease or severe disability" (Santrock, 2012). The whole idea of euthanasia is to end the pain and suffering of a person instead of letting them go through the rest of their life awaiting a slow, painful, and oftentimes, undignified death.
The act of euthanasia is separated …show more content…
By evaluating how a person wants to live out the rest of their life, they can establish an advanced directive, or living will, which would indicate whether or not they wanted life-sustaining procedures used to prolong their life if death were imminent. Any living will should only be signed by an individual that is in a coherent state of mind and able to think clearly (Santrock, 2012). The ethical issue raised by active euthanasia is that it could be considered used as a way to rid society of elderly or terminally ill patients whether they want to die or not. Patients may begin to fear that if they go to the hospital for even routine exams, they might not leave because a person on the medical staff might deem them unable to recuperate from whatever reason brought them to the hospital in the first place. Proponents however, say that people are autonomous, that they have the right to make their own decisions about important issues in their lives such as death. An ethical issue raised by passive euthanasia is that it causes a person die slowly and painfully, instead of giving them the opportunity to pass away comfortably and on their own …show more content…
The state of Arizona believes that life is very important and nobody should be able to take that right away from any individual, barring any medical emergency procedure.
I believe that euthanasia has its place in society. While I do not condone murder, I believe if a person is dying from an incurable disease or is in a persistent vegetative state where there is no chance of recovery, allowing that person to die painlessly and with dignity is more moral than not doing so. Although human life is a precious gift from God, I feel that it would be the duty of the patients ' family and doctors to take all the information about the health of the patient and make the best decision for their loved one, even if the end result means the death of that person.
Euthanasia has many angles to evaluate before a person commits to such an ultimate and final act, whether for a loved one or their own ending. A