Preview

Euthanasia (the Right to Die) Essay Example

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1423 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Euthanasia (the Right to Die) Essay Example
The Right To Die

Who has the right to decide weather someone should continue living or not? The person themselves, the government, or the physician. Whose life is it anyways? In today's world, people are asking that same question about euthanasia and assisted suicide. The definition of euthanasia is the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medial treatment. Should euthanasia be a choice given to an ill person? Although " We do have the right to die", " A Crime of Compassion", in my opinion death should not be substituted for relieving pain and suffering.

The term "euthanasia" means "good health" or "well dying"; it is derived from the Greek "eu" and "thanatos". In its classical sense, it is a descriptive term referring to an easy death as opposed to an agonizing or tormented dying. In Greek literature, euthanasia connoted a " happy death, an ideal and coveted end to a full and pleasant life." The concern to die well is a old as a humanity itself, for the questions surrounding death belong to the essence of being human. Dame Cicely Saunders (Founder of Hospice) states " You matter because you are you. You matter t the last moment of you life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully but also to live until you die"

Some feel that a terminally ill patient should have a legal right to control the manner in which they die. Physicians and nurses have fought for the right to aid a patient in their death. Many families of the terminally ill have exhausted all of their funds caring for a dying patient and would prefer the option of assisted suicide to bankruptcy. While there are many strong opposing viewpoints, one of the strongest is that the terminally ill patient has the right in a humane, dignified manner. However, dignity in dying is not necessarily assured when a trusted doctor, whose professional

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The word Euthanasia derives from the Greek words Eu and Thanatos which means easy or good death. Euthanasia is is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma[1]. Euthanasia exists in various forms, each one specific in its criteria. Firstly there is active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia involves the use of direct action in order to end the patient’s life whilst passive euthanasia is the withholding of medical aid in order to allow the patient to die naturally such as not performing life-extending surgery or turning off a life support system. The next distinction is between Voluntary and Involuntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia involves the patient’s termination at their own request whilst involuntary euthanasia occurs when the patient is unable to ably make a decision and therefore a suitable person makes the decision for them. Indirect euthanasia involves treating the patients pain but with the side effect of death, the primary intention is often used to justify the outcome. This is often referred to as the doctrine of double effect and in reality is not considered euthanasia given that the real purpose of the treatment is pain relief and death is merely seen as the side-affect. Finally there is assisted suicide which involves a patient incapable of committing suicide themselves asks for assistance in doing so. Euthanasia is a controversial topic that contradicts the age old moral injunction “thou shalt not kill”[2]. But similarly denying patient’s of this choice is defying medical practice cornerstones such as the patient’s autonomy and promoting their best interests. Different countries hold varying stances on Euthanasia but it is currently illegal in the UK. Most recently the case of Tony Nicklinson, a man totally paralysed by locked-in syndrome requesting euthanasia, has come to the forefront of the debate. Given the right to take his case to…

    • 5500 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia means gentle or easy death for those who are incurably ill and in pain. So should a person have the right to take another person 's life or his own when he or she is incurably ill and in pain? That is Australia is trying to decide. The N.T already has passed a law that legalizes euthanasia in that state. Now other government leaders and members are in support of this are pushing for an Australian euthanasia law. Christian Groups and Anti-Euthanasia have seen euthanasia as a sin and a choice that no-body should make. Some doctors have taken ill patients life 's as a request from the patient should this now be openly done. Would you want to be kept alive, with little hope ahead, when you were in pain? Some might answer no, and those people should deserve the choice to end it when that pain becomes unbearable.…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not all terminally ill patients will choose this option, but it should be available for those who want it. Coping with the diagnosis of a terminal illness is difficult for both the patient and the patient’s loved ones and it only becomes more difficult as the disease progresses. Being given the ability to decide when to die allows the patient to feel a sense of dignity and control during a time when he or she may not have control over anything else in life. Not only does physician-assisted suicide provide a sense of relief to the patient, it provides relief to family and friends. Watching a loved one die is one of the most challenging things to endure in life. It only becomes more challenging when forced to watch a loved one die a slow and painful death. Physician-assisted suicide can provide closure to everyone involved in a situation dealing with a terminal illness; therefore, it must become legal in all fifty…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia is another term for mercy killing. It is said to be the act of putting to death painlessly a person suffering from such incurable or painful disease. Meanwhile, in the 21st century it has been argued that euthanasia is one of the famous social concerns nowadays. Moreover, it is usually done by doctors to their patients who are terminally ill. Although euthanasia ends the suffering of the patients, it can damage the teachings of some religions, principle of medical ethics, and the patients trust.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Should a person with a terminal illness be allowed to die with dignity and take their own life with the help of a medical doctor? The right to die is being able to take one’s life in a painless way with assistance from a medical doctor when that person has a terminal illness. When you are dying from an illness such as cancer, end stage kidney disease, end stage heart failure, and so on, ending your life in a painless manner with professional assistance is a very dignified way to die. In our society there are many debates being brought about by this subject.…

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician assisted suicide is a highly controversial ethical dilemma that is receiving a lot of press in society recently. The issue is an emotional debate whether a terminally ill or disabled person has the right to end their existence with the support of their physician, which affects not just the patient, but their families and health care providers. Physician assisted suicide has legal ramifications as well. One argument in favor of Physician assisted suicide alludes to that the patient has the right to end their life with dignity. An opposing argument is if a physician participates in assisted suicide this goes against the “American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Ethics”. A physician and nurse are respected within the community to…

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physician assisted dying is a very controversial issue and it is only becoming more controversial with more cases coming to light. Many people believe that assisting a patient in dying goes against the moral code that doctors should follow. Their job is to go to any measures to sustain the life under their care, but what about individuals suffering with no hope of getting better? Wouldn’t doctors then be obligated morally to relieve these individuals of their agony and put them to peace? Considering that, some argue in favor of the sick and believe they deserve a voice and a right to choose how much suffering is enough suffering. Should someone who is suffering from a terminal illness that…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine laying in bed, unable to do anything for yourself; your quality of life is slowly diminishing to nothing. Now, imagine having the worst pain imaginable. This is what life is like when having a life threatening disease, like terminal cancer. Terminally ill patients have the most unbearable pain, yet have to die suffering. What if there was an option to end one's life with dignity, to be able to still make a choice while you could? This option is called physician-assisted suicide, and people should have the right to make this type of very difficult decision if ever needed to. It goes against the Hippocratic Oath a physician takes (www.pbs.org); but, this oath is not required for modern medicine schools. As long as a person is of sane…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide, is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain or suffering. People may immediately be turned off by this idea when first presented with it, but in certain situations, euthanasia should be used to prevent further suffering for people diagnosed as terminally ill, which is a medical term to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in death of the patient within a short time.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Euthanasia or attempted suicide is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. In most countries this method is illegal. Euthanasia carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison in the UK. In the USA the law varies in some states.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Pro Euthanasia Essay

    • 1730 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The practice of euthanasia can be traced back to the darkest period in the twentieth century, the Holocaust. Hitler’s Aktion T4 program during the Second World War was created with the resolve to purge the Aryan race of congenital defects. Physicians ended the lives of some 100,000 persons across Nazi Europe. All of occupied countries, but the Netherlands participated in the killings. Recently there has been an ironic change of heart on euthanasia for the Dutch and Germans. In 2001, even as 10,000 Dutch citizens protested outside The Hague, the vote was 46 to 28 in legalizing the heinous practice. The world and especially the German response of horror to the Dutch allowing euthanasia was immediate. Doctor George Paul Hefty said in the Frankfurter…

    • 1730 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Euthanasia Informative Essay

    • 2293 Words
    • 10 Pages

    One of the biggest and most controversial topics throughout society today is the act of euthanasia in humans. In the medical field, euthanasia is commonly known as assisted suicide that is essentially for terminally ill patients only. When thinking about euthanasia, Americans tend to relate it towards the rights for animals, but in this specific example I will focus on the controversial topic of legalization on behalf of people who are professionally diagnosed with a life-threatening diseases. This will not include minorities under the age of eighteen or the elderly over the age of sixty. Thus when looking at the data in today’s society, euthanasia is clearly defined as taking action of ending a person’s life to relieve persistent and relentless pain. As of today, the majority of our nations population believes that euthanasia is immoral. Although euthanasia is illegal in the United States currently, some citizens argue in defense of dying peaceful with dignity rather then suffer in a hospital bed for months on end. After several decades of consideration, euthanasia is extremely difficult task to break down due to both disagreements within the choice for and against this practice.…

    • 2293 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Right To Die Essay

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Death is the unavoidable end everyone has to face eventually. It is argued about if we should be able to choose when this fateful event will occur. This has been a discussion for years and continues today especially in light of longer life spans. When it comes down to it one has to choose a side on the debate of euthanasia. The right to choose to die should be illegal because, it destroys the chance of recovery, people could be unwillingly pressured to do it and sometimes patients might request to die just because they're unhappy.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Freeman, S. (2011, May 9). How LSD Works. Retrieved March 16, 2013, from How Stuff Works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/lsd4.htm…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia is a simplistic, wrong, and critical response to the complex reality of human death. Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia involve taking people who are at their weakest and most vulnerable, who fear the loss of control or isolation and abandonment –who are in a state of intense “premortem loneliness”- and placing them in a situation where they believe their only alternative is to be killed or kill themselves (Miller,…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays