Pro Euthanasia for the Win
What is euthanasia? Euthanasia is a medicinal action used to relieve pain bearing, terminally ill patients in a peaceful way. In fact, in Greek, euthanasia means “good death.” Who wouldn’t want a harmonious death opposed to the unbearable painful death their illness would cause? It seems, from my point of view, inhumane to argue on this question.
Euthanasia is categorized in different ways, which include voluntary and involuntary, and is further divided into active or passive variants. Voluntary euthanasia is euthanasia performed at a patient’s explicit request and with fully informed consent. Involuntary euthanasia is euthanasia conducted when the patient is competent but without the patient 's explicit request and/or fully informed consent. (Boyd) Active euthanasia is the intentionally administering of medication or other interventions to cause a patient 's death, i.e. lethal injection. Passive euthanasia entails the withholding of treatments necessary for the patient’s continuance of life, i.e. medication or life support. There is also a category termed non-voluntary euthanasia which is when the patient is incompetent or not able to explicitly request death. (Boyd) Euthanasia is also referred to as physician-assisted suicide often. The main terms I will focus on in this paper are voluntary active and passive euthanasia as well as involuntary passive euthanasia.
Proponents of euthanasia usually take a stance by expressing that death is inevitable and so imminent. They believe the pain that will precede death is so unbearable that the only morally appropriate response is to end the life of the person by voluntary, active means. Opponents contend that euthanasia is nothing more than suicide and murder. I compare illness or some sort of ailment to a murderer. The ill person is the victim. The victim is running down a long alley with the murderer (the illness) closing from behind. Therefore, death for the victim is inescapable. Comparing the illness to the
Euthanasia is categorized in different ways, which include voluntary and involuntary, and is further divided into active or passive variants. Voluntary euthanasia is euthanasia performed at a patient’s explicit request and with fully informed consent. Involuntary euthanasia is euthanasia conducted when the patient is competent but without the patient 's explicit request and/or fully informed consent. (Boyd) Active euthanasia is the intentionally administering of medication or other interventions to cause a patient 's death, i.e. lethal injection. Passive euthanasia entails the withholding of treatments necessary for the patient’s continuance of life, i.e. medication or life support. There is also a category termed non-voluntary euthanasia which is when the patient is incompetent or not able to explicitly request death. (Boyd) Euthanasia is also referred to as physician-assisted suicide often. The main terms I will focus on in this paper are voluntary active and passive euthanasia as well as involuntary passive euthanasia.
Proponents of euthanasia usually take a stance by expressing that death is inevitable and so imminent. They believe the pain that will precede death is so unbearable that the only morally appropriate response is to end the life of the person by voluntary, active means. Opponents contend that euthanasia is nothing more than suicide and murder. I compare illness or some sort of ailment to a murderer. The ill person is the victim. The victim is running down a long alley with the murderer (the illness) closing from behind. Therefore, death for the victim is inescapable. Comparing the illness to the
Cited: 25. June. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. Exit International. 14. Mar. 2011. “Primary Research: Survey on Euthanasia.” Survey “The Cost of Dying.” 60 Minutes. 22 Nov. 2009. CBS News. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. Weir, Robert F. Physician Assisted Suicide. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1997. Print.