Euthanasia Your Right Essay - 1261 Words

INTRODUCTION It is hard to open a newspaper in the United States today without finding at least one article that has some bearing on the end-of-life debate. Perhaps Dr. Jack Kervorkian, a retired pathologist, has helped another person commit suicide, or a famous person with AIDS has written about the agony of the terminal stages of this terrible disease. Maybe the Pope has threatened to excommunicate any catholic that joins a right-to-die organization or a court has overturned another law banning physician assisted suicide. We are constantly bombarded with stories of peoples end-of-life decisions and sometimes these issues may strike close to home and we must make a choice. Euthanasia, one of the words associated with the†¦show more content†¦Today many terminally ill people are requesting euthanasia because modern medicine can keep them alive but it cannot give them a quality life. For a long time death was determined by the absence of heart function. Now that doctors can keep the heart functioning, death is determined by absence of brain function. The technology that has made it possible for doctors to maintain the body has created as many problems as it has solved. Many people do not want their bodies kept alive if they cannot enjoy the things that made their lives meaningful. Others are in such unbearable pain that death is a welcomed release. These people want the choice to end their lives when their situation becomes unbearable.(Roberts / Gorman 1-2) Recently, a Canadian woman has brought the issue of physician assisted suicide to the front pages of North American newspapers. Sue Rodriguezs story posted the question that is at the forefront of the euthanasia debate. Should people unable to commit suicide be able to enlist the help of a doctor to do so? Sue Rodriguez was diagnosed with ALS(Lou Gehrigs disease) in the early 1990s. ALS is a disease that attacks the nervous system but leaves the mind alone. Rodriguezs doctor predicted that she would probably have two to five years to live. She faced a death of either choking or suffocation when she finally lost control of her neck muscles. Sue decided she wanted to live as long as possible, but when death was inevitable, she wanted to dieShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia: Your Right to Die632 Words   |  3 Pageswish death, death should be given to them. Activists for the Right to Life dont stop to consider the right to die. I believe that the Right to Die is as sacred a right as the Righ t to Life. People who believe in the Right to Die are not alone. The Hemlock Society, which advocates the right to die for terminally ill patients claims to have 28,000 members in forty chapters nationwide (Derr 3). One of the controversies over the right to die is: who should choose? If the patient is comatose orRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Euthanasia1302 Words   |  6 Pagesbehind Euthanasia In an ethics class I took in high school, I have learned about many controversial topics. One that caught my attention specifically was euthanasia or the â€Å"right to die† as some call it. There are many types of Euthanasia, including active and passive. In class we debated the difference between the two and why passive euthanasia is legal and active is not. Active euthanasia is defined as â€Å"a person directly and deliberately causing the patient s death.† (Forms of euthanasia) PassiveRead MoreShould Euthanasia Be Legal? Essay1449 Words   |  6 Pages Euthanasia: The Right to Die Euthanasia is a concept that has been around for a very long time. It has been practiced since ancient Greece. We all have different opinions towards it; some of us might be for it and others against it. In most parts of the world Euthanasia is illegal. Many countries have denied the right to euthanasia, but is that fair and ethical? It is the painless killing of a patient’s agony from an incurable and painful disease. Euthanasia should be legalRead More Exemplification Essay: Euthanasia Should Be Legalized1113 Words   |  5 Pagescountries, the answer is no; however, there is method allowed in some states to stop the pain and suffering for both the patient and his family. This method is called euthanasia. Euthanasia is the deliberate, painless killing of persons who suffer from a physically or emotionally painful or incurable disease or condition. Euthanasia is illegal in most countries and few doctors practice it, but it is a decision that seriously ill or injured people and their families should be allowed to make. JackRead MoreEuthanasia . Your Elderly Grandmother Had Recently Contracted1094 Words   |  5 PagesEuthanasia Your elderly grandmother had recently contracted a ruthless disease which rendered her terminally ill. She has now only have a few weeks left of life but she is considering the option of euthanasia as an ultimatum for the near future. She wishes to die with dignity but most of her family members don’t support her. Would you? Voluntary euthanasia has to be legalised because not only do humans have the right to live, they also have the right to die. There are numerous arguments as toRead MoreThe Bible And The Teachings Of Jesus1491 Words   |  6 PagesBible and the teachings of Jesus? Whilst the bible does not specifically mention euthanasia, it does address closely related topics. Euthanasia is essentially killing out of mercy, hence the name ‘mercy killing’. The bible tells us that we are not to murder (Exodus 20:13) and any form of taking a life is seen as killing. It says that we die when God chooses us to, and to murder is an attempt to deny God his right of appointing death. Therefore, ‘mercy killing’ is going against God’s will and isRead MoreThe Dilemma Of Euthanasi Whose Life Is It?1165 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dilemma of Euthanasia The Dilemma of Euthanasia: Whose Life Is It? Andrea R Burroughs Ethics for the Health Care Professionals Dr. Ferhat Zengul November 8, 2014 Abstract The practice of euthanasia is one of the most debatable topics in many countries today. It’s been a pertinent issue in human rights because it affects both legal and ethical issues. This paper will include an overview and clarification of the euthanasia issue. It will also include legal and ethical debates thatRead MoreEuthanasia Is Not An Acceptable Form Of Euthanasia1556 Words   |  7 Pagesof patients by physicians, whether called â€Å"active euthanasia† or simply â€Å"euthanasia,† is a topic of long-standing controversy† (Mappes, Zembaty, and DeGrazia 59). â€Å"Although active euthanasia is presently illegal in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, proposals for its legalization have been recurrently advanced. Most commonly, these proposals call for the legalization of active euthanasia. There are some who consider active euthanasia in any form intrinsically immoral and, for this reasonRead MoreEuthanasia Essay1508 Words   |  7 PagesE uthanasia: The Liberty to Die With Dignity The Pro-Life Alliance defines Euthanasia as: â€Å"Any action or omission intended to end the life of a patient on the grounds that his or her life is not worth living.† (ProCon.org). So the question stands, should an individual who is terminally ill, is in unbearable pain, can no longer function independently, who feels their life is so intolerable that it is no longer worth living, and who is of sound mind, be permitted the right to end their own life? CanadaRead MoreEuthanasia Essay : Physician Assisted Suicide1566 Words   |  7 Pagesdetermine the status of your health while you’re attempting to get what little rest you can through the suffering your feeling, weakness and pain endlessly throughout your body. On top of that you re experiencing symptoms from numerous medications, blockage, wooziness, you can barely breathe and the fact that you’re continually ill. The doctors have given you a zero percent chance of survival; and your demise is inescapable, i t s simply a question of when? You ve said your farewells. Presently in