Euthanasia English Paper
Ceniceros 1
Héctor Ceniceros
English IIIB
22 May 2009
Euthanasia
People have the right to stop suffering. Freedom of choice. These are probably the most common reasons people give for being in favor of euthanasia, and although their arguments are valid, how many of these people, who claim euthanasia is right, know euthanasia’s role during World War II? For example, do they know Hitler started his massive killings by doing “racial cleaning” which basically was to euthanize the sick or handicapped? How many of them know infant euthanasia is about to be approved in the Netherlands? Doesn’t that baby born with what they call “intolerable deformity of illness” has the right to decide if it is truly intolerable? Yet worse, do they know that, for example in France 74% of the population agrees with infant euthanasia as well as 68% of the Dutch? How far will society go? Is it possible to know if euthanasia is right or wrong? First of all, before attempting to judge euthanasia we must have a clear idea of what it is. Merriam-Webster online dictionary describes euthanasia like this: Euthanasia (from the Greek=eu + thanatos=death) is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy. Euthanasia may be conducted in 3 different ways:
Active Euthanasia: Active euthanasia entails the use of lethal substances and forces to kill the “patient” and is by far the most controversial of them all. The role of the so- called patient may be involuntary, which might be taken as a murder, or voluntary, in which the physician helps in an assisted suicide.
Ceniceros 2
Non-active Euthanasia: This kind of euthanasia entails the withdrawing of life support, such as mechanical respiration or feeding tubes, in order to let the patient die, this kind of euthanasia is pretty controversial.
Passive Euthanasia: it entails the withdrawing of common treatments (such
Héctor Ceniceros
English IIIB
22 May 2009
Euthanasia
People have the right to stop suffering. Freedom of choice. These are probably the most common reasons people give for being in favor of euthanasia, and although their arguments are valid, how many of these people, who claim euthanasia is right, know euthanasia’s role during World War II? For example, do they know Hitler started his massive killings by doing “racial cleaning” which basically was to euthanize the sick or handicapped? How many of them know infant euthanasia is about to be approved in the Netherlands? Doesn’t that baby born with what they call “intolerable deformity of illness” has the right to decide if it is truly intolerable? Yet worse, do they know that, for example in France 74% of the population agrees with infant euthanasia as well as 68% of the Dutch? How far will society go? Is it possible to know if euthanasia is right or wrong? First of all, before attempting to judge euthanasia we must have a clear idea of what it is. Merriam-Webster online dictionary describes euthanasia like this: Euthanasia (from the Greek=eu + thanatos=death) is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy. Euthanasia may be conducted in 3 different ways:
Active Euthanasia: Active euthanasia entails the use of lethal substances and forces to kill the “patient” and is by far the most controversial of them all. The role of the so- called patient may be involuntary, which might be taken as a murder, or voluntary, in which the physician helps in an assisted suicide.
Ceniceros 2
Non-active Euthanasia: This kind of euthanasia entails the withdrawing of life support, such as mechanical respiration or feeding tubes, in order to let the patient die, this kind of euthanasia is pretty controversial.
Passive Euthanasia: it entails the withdrawing of common treatments (such