For Euthanasia Persuasive Essay
“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 are authentic forms. The first type is active euthanasia. It is described as death by a person through direct action. The second form is passive euthanasia, or the act of removing a life supporting system such as a feeding tube or respirator resulting in nature to taking its course. The third type of euthanasia is called involuntary euthanasia which means euthanasia committed against a person wishes; it is more commonly considered murder (7.) I believe that active and passive euthanasia should be allowed in terminally ill patients. After examining to pros and cons as well as actual cases, it is clear that active and passive euthanasia should be allowed in terminally ill patients despite the issues people may have with it.
There are four common issues that people have with euthanasia. First, it allows doctors to play “God” because the most common form of active euthanasia is doctor assisted suicide (Atwood-Gailey 61.) This is done by doctors giving a lethal dose of medicine to a patient resulting in their death (Rebman 7.) This leads to the second prolife argument which is that euthanasia violates the Hippocratic Oath that every doctor must take in order to have a profession in any medical field. The Hippocratic Oath is as
There are four common issues that people have with euthanasia. First, it allows doctors to play “God” because the most common form of active euthanasia is doctor assisted suicide (Atwood-Gailey 61.) This is done by doctors giving a lethal dose of medicine to a patient resulting in their death (Rebman 7.) This leads to the second prolife argument which is that euthanasia violates the Hippocratic Oath that every doctor must take in order to have a profession in any medical field. The Hippocratic Oath is as
Cited: Rebman, Renée C. Euthanasia and the “Right to Die”: A Pro/Con Issue. USA: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2002. Print. Atwood-Gailey, Elizabeth, Write to Death: News Framing of the Right to Die Conflict, from Quinlan’s Coma to Kevorkian’s Conviction. Westport, CT, Praeger Publishers, 2003. Print. Brody, Howard. “Kevorkian and Assisted Death in the United States.” British Medical Journal, 1999. Web.