Preview

Mercy Killing

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1503 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mercy Killing
Mercy Killing or Just Plain Killing: The Euthanasia Debate For as long as people have been around, we have been dying. While this very well may seem to be pointing out the obvious, so many of us forget that we, as humans, are mortal beings. Our life span is definitely finite, and it should be. Just think what would happen if nobody ever died. Even though we are mortal, we try to hang onto our lives as long as we can. Fear of death and wanting to live forever are, after all, part of human nature. Sometimes, however, medicine takes advantage of this aspect of humanity and, to a great extent, capitalizes on it. While it is certainly true that one goal of medicine has always been to prolong life, another goal has been the alleviation of pain and suffering. One point at which these two views collide, often violently, is over the hotly debated issue of euthanasia. Euthanasia, or “mercy killing,” as it has been called, is certainly not an issue with just two sides, there are many side to it. Euthanasia, after all, ranges from simply allowing an individual to die naturally without life support or “pulling the plug” (passive euthanasia), all the way to Jack Kevorkian’s suicide machine (active euthanasia). To complicate things further, there is also voluntary euthanasia, “Cases in which patient requests to be killed, and dies as a result of action taken by another person,” involuntary euthanasia; “cases in which no action is requested because the patient is unconscious, senile, or otherwise incapable of making a request, but the person is allowed to die or is killed,” and nonvoluntary euthanasia; “cases in which a conscious, terminally ill patient states that they do not want to die, but is allowed to die or is killed anyway” (http://valdosta.peachnet.edu). While an individual may advocate one form of euthanasia, it is not uncommon for the same person to be completely against another form. There are cases in which euthanasia is wrong, especially


Cited: “Murder” American Heritage Dictionary on CD-ROM, 1991. Internet: Http://www.ieatf.org.McCord, William. Internet: Http://valdosta.peachnet.edu. “Moral Dilemmas.” Society 29 July-August 1992: 22. Pallone, Nathaniel. Society 29 July-August 1992: 35.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Of Mice And Men Lennie's Suffering
    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Of Mice And Men Lennie's Suffering

    Some may say that mercy killing is murder, and should not be done. People might say that mercy killing is not fair the victim has no say in whether they live or die. One article against euthanasia states “ the decision allows euthanasia and assisted suicides. but not also psychological suffering without limiting it to clear parameters.(Warren R.M)” Mercy killing is the most humane thing to do for a patient who is in a vegetative state. It would be unfair to make them suffer. “ choosing a pain free death demonstrates an act of love and compassion.(Preiss,…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reg Crew Euthanasia
    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Reg Crew Euthanasia

    The main argument for euthanasia to be legal is that many people believe that everyone should have the right to decide when they want to die. Many argue that because we can determine the course of our lives by our own free will, we have the right to live our lives and determine our own course. It then follows that we also have as human beings, the fundamental right to determine how we die. The argument of people who are very anti-euthanasia is that euthanasia is immoral because life must be preserved and protected. For something to be immoral, it would have to violate moral laws or norms. The preservation of life is, however, the decision of the patient who has full control and not the physician.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Euthanasia
    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Euthanasia

    Euthanasia is very controversial and in most countries illegal. Even though it is illegal there are a lot of people who think that it should be legalized. Euthanasia is when a medical professional administers medicine that will end the patient`s life. People would make the option to have this done if they were suffering or if they had someone in their life who come make the decision for them when they could not , then that person would. This would put them out of their misery and they would pass away shortly after.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Daniel Callahan's Article 'When Self-Determination Runs Amok'
    • 2172 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Daniel Callahan's Article 'When Self-Determination Runs Amok'

    The debate around euthanasia is a tricky topic from the perspective of both patients and doctors. Should it be allowed, and if so, when is it appropriate to practice? Should doctors be held to moral standards when practicing euthanasia, and if so, which ones? Is killing a patient any different than letting a patient die? Daniel Callahan has responded to philosophers such as James Rachels in his article, “When Self-Determination Runs Amok,” and insists that recognizing the moral distinction between killing and letting die is crucial in evaluating whether euthanasia is permissible. Callahan discusses how euthanasia should not be permitted under any circumstances based on three important turning…

    • 2172 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Is Euthanasia Ethically Wrong
    • 1537 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Is Euthanasia Ethically Wrong

    Living is more valuable than dying and threatening to diminish the value of life is dangerous. Euthanasia, also called mercy killing, is the practice of doctors intentionally ending a terminally ill patient’s life in what is purportedly a gentle and dignified manner. The term originated in ancient Greek and means “easy death.” Doctors perform euthanasia by administering lethal drugs or by withholding treatment that would prolong the patient’s life. Physician-assisted suicide is also a form of euthanasia, but the difference between the two methods is that in euthanasia, doctors end the patient’s life with lethal injections, whereas, in physician-assisted suicide, patients kill themselves with a lethal amount of drugs prescribed by the doctors.…

    • 1537 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Active and Passive Euthanasia - Paper
    • 3008 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Active and Passive Euthanasia - Paper

    Abstract The traditional distinction between active and passive euthanasia requires critical analysis. The conventional doctrine is that there is such an important moral difference between the two that, although the latter is sometimes permissible, the former is always forbidden. This doctrine may be challenged for several reasons. First of all, active euthanasia is in many cases more humane than passive euthanasia. Secondly, the conventional doctrine leads to decisions concerning life and death on irrelevant grounds. Thirdly, the doctrine rests on a distinction between killing and letting die that itself has no moral importance. Fourthly, the most common arguments in favor of the doctrine are invalid. I therefore suggest that the American Medical Association policy statement that endorses this doctrine is unsound. (N Engl J Med 292:78-80, 1975) The distinction between active and passive euthanasia is thought to be crucial for medical ethics. The idea is that it is permissible, at least in some cases, to withhold treatment and allow a patient to die, but it is never permissible to take any direct action designed to kill the patient. This doctrine seems to be accepted by most doctors, and it is endorsed in a statement adopted by the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association on December 4, 1973: The intentional termination of the life of one human being by another -mercy killing is contrary to that for which the medical profession stands and is contrary to the policy of the American Medical Association. The cessation of the employment of extraordinary means to prolong the life of the body when there is irrefutable evidence that biological death is imminent is the decision of the patient and/or his immediate family. The advice and judgment of the physician should be freely available to the patient and/or his immediate family. However, a strong case can be made against this doctrine. In what follows I will set out some of…

    • 3008 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Should Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide Be Legalized in Canada?
    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Should Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide Be Legalized in Canada?

    Pro-euthanasia people portray euthanasia as a case of individual liberty. The individual has their own right to do as they wish with their own bodies so long as it does not harm others. Laws against euthanasia are not only unjust because they violate individual privacy, but they are also unconscionable because they prolong a person's suffering against his or her will. It is not fair that the government should decide their death. "Whose life is it, anyway?" A plea by the late Sue Rodriguez, a high-profile, terminally-ill…

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Civil Argument Against Euthanasia
    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Civil Argument Against Euthanasia

    One side of this issue trusts that if helping somebody in suicide they are held blameworthy of executing a man. They are stating euthanasia is authorized murder and murder ought to never be advocated and legitimized. Individuals trust that regardless of the amount of torment one experiences "there is no such thing as an existence not worth living" (ProCon.org). On the other side there are the individuals who trust that "the privilege to kick the bucket ought to be a matter of individual decision" (Michael Irwin). Individuals trust that helping somebody enduring ought to have a…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Differences Between Passive and Active Euthanasia
    • 3367 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Differences Between Passive and Active Euthanasia

    The debate over euthanasia centers on the sanctity of human life and rights that are given to live that life. Supporters argue that the practice of euthanasia gives the…

    • 3367 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Effects of the Death with Dignity Act
    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Effects of the Death with Dignity Act

    Euthanasia not only gives the patient the opportunity to stop their suffering, it also gives them autonomy. According to Thomas Preston, professor of medicine, a retired cardiologist and a former board member of Compassion in Dying “society must protect the right of terminally ill patients to choose euthanasia.” (Euthanasia 53) By euthanasia being legal, we have been unconsciously giving the patient the autonomy of whether they want to continue living or not. We as human beings can only perceive the outside of a person, however, we could never really know what they may be going through or suffering. Sometimes, individuals are so self-centered that would prefer to have their loved ones alive and in pain than giving them the freedom to choose between life and death. After all, each person is the owner of his or her life and should be able to decide what is best for them.…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide
    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Euthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide

    When talking about either Euthanasia or Physician-assisted suicide it is considered taboo and it is not with a so-called normal and sane persons reasoning. The issue is that we really don’t know much about it or what pain that the person who has chosen one of these path to come to the decision to end their life on what can be on their own terms. I personally never been affected this or known anyone who has been affected by the controversial subject. When it comes to how I might personally feel about the issue, I am always pro-choice. People should have the right to make their own choice if they are mentally competent in doing so. Not all choices might be good choices but this is where helping services come into play. Euthanasia is a deliberate…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Active Euthanasia: Dignity or Murder
    • 3029 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Active Euthanasia: Dignity or Murder

    An ongoing argument in the world of medicine concerns euthanasia and the right to die. There is an important distinction to make that will be useful later on in describing the difference between active euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, because they are not the same thing. Euthanasia, more specifically voluntary or active euthanasia, pertains to an intervention, such as lethal injection, requested by a mentally competent patient so as to precipitate death. Physician assisted suicide on the other hand is when a doctor prescribes a lethal dose of medicine that the terminally ill patient requests and ingests at their time of choice that will end their life (Scherer and Simon 13). Many arguments have been made as to why this should be legally permissible. Some say that it helps end one’s suffering. Others say that the act is abiding by doctor’s oath to help patients. Robert Young claims that it does not go against moral codes by stating, “It is sometimes morally permissible unintentionally to occasion harm despite the harm being foreseen, provided there is a sufficiently grave reason” (Young 84). On the contrary, legalizing active euthanasia is morally wrong, many physical complications almost always occur, and it goes against the Hippocratic Oath. For those reasons, we believe active euthanasia should not be legalized. This issue is pertinent in many people’s lives and if Euthanasia is legalized, it could lead to the de-valuation of human life.…

    • 3029 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia Essay: Physician Assisted Suicide
    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Euthanasia Essay: Physician Assisted Suicide

    The alternatives to euthanasia that people end up using/doing are horrifying. By refusing people the right to end their own lives, we’re increasing that pain and indignity to a such a horrifying extent. There are multiple cases of human beings that have tried taking their lives in other ways, such as starvation, because they were denied this painless death. If humans really want to end their lives, they will and sometimes in the most horrific, most painful ways, so they might as well have a painless option. They deserve to die painlessly with their dignity and self-respect still in…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Ethics Of Euthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide
    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Ethics Of Euthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide

    The decision for euthanasia is a pure moral decision; one that brings with it both positive and negative consequences. The main leading argument is that it allows those who will severely suffer to alleviate their pain before they ultimately pass. This assisted death puts less of a strain on medical supplies and allows the patient to die rather than remain in pain. Contrary, some argue that we do not have the humane…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Persuasive Essay ProEuthanasia
    • 752 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Persuasive Essay ProEuthanasia

    The word “Euthanasia” deprives from the Greek word, Euthanatos. It comes from two Greek words: “Eu” which means good and “Thanatos” which means death. Literally meaning “good death”, it’s used when a patient or someone in the patient’s family makes the decision on whether or not they want to continue living. This decision usually comes up when the patient has an incurable illness or disease and the known outcome is death. Euthanasia, a controversial medical practice, has been an issue for people who are either pro or anti-Euthanasia. Citizens who are pro-euthanasia feel that it’s the patients’ decision on having a dignifying death, while anti-Euthanasia protesters feel the practice is a cop-out to doctors not doing their job. Euthanasia is a medical decision that is helpful to patients, their family and their doctors because it’s their right to what they want to do with their life, regulating euthanasia, ends pain and suffering and saves money in the process.…

    • 752 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics