Position Essay Euthanasia - 1284 Words

The Good Death Euthanasia has been a hotly debated social question for many years. For many reasons people ask for assistance to end their lives. It is legal in most states for a person to end their own life, but if someone helps someone carry out that wish, then that is a crime. It shouldn’t be illegal to help someone end their life if they wish to die to end their pain. The only sensible thing would be to legalize physician assisted suicide so that people can feel comfortable and pass away in a controlled environment. Assisted suicide is becoming more acceptable in American culture. Euthanasia has been a medical, moral, and even religious issue over the years and is slowly moving towards legalization. Euthanasia means the good†¦show more content†¦Their psychological pain can go away unlike the real pain the terminally ill experience which is why there are guidelines to who should be eligible for an easily exit this world. Most people die what would be consi dered a bad death where the quality of life is poor and they are painfully awaiting the moment of their death. Doctors are only able to prescribe medicine to help patients cope with the pain, but why should those patients keep living if their lives hold nothing more than agony and pain while their friends and family wait for them to die. Some elderly patients want to die with what little dignity the have left. Physician assisted suicide is a way for people to end their suffering when there is no hope of getting better. Death does not need to be painful; there is an easier way. Attempting to commit suicide was once a criminal act. The act of suicide has been decriminalized since the 1960’s. Assisted suicide is still illegal in the United States, with the exception of Oregon, where it is only allowed under strict circumstances. In 1991, the Netherlands was the only country that allowed doctors to assist in suicide (Humphry 29). Jack Kevorkian, a doctor in Michigan was m ade famous by assisting his patients to commit suicide. When he first started helping people, he hooked his patients up to a machine that gave them measured doses of medications and had the patients push the button that delivered theShow MoreRelatedThe Morality Of Euthanasia By James Rachels1086 Words   |  5 PagesID: 3339147 Active Euthanasia Does James Rachels in â€Å"The Morality of Euthanasia† successfully argue that in at least some cases active euthanasia is morally acceptable? Explain his view and respond to it. In this essay, we are going to analyze the main ideas included in â€Å"The Morality of Euthanasia† by James Rachels to provide a response to the following question: Does James Rachels in â€Å"The Morality of Euthanasia† successfully argue that in at least some cases active euthanasia is morally acceptableRead MoreEuthanasi The Issue Of Euthanasia1427 Words   |  6 Pages Euthanasia: The main purpose of this essay is to focus on the controversy surrounding the issue of euthanasia and analyse the pros and cons arguments regarding euthanasia. 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While doing so I will highlight the main objection to Rachels argument, and illuminate my own objections to further prove that Rachels position is falseRead MoreEuthanasia: Not Morally Acceptable Essay1646 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract In the following essay, I argue that euthanasia is not morally acceptable because it always involves killing, and undermines intrinsic value of human being. The moral basis on which euthanasia defends its position is contradictory and arbitrary in that its moral values represented in such terms as ‘mercy killing’, ‘dying with dignity’, ‘good death’ and ‘right for self-determination’ fail to justify taking one’s life. Introduction Among other moral issues, euthanasia emerged with modern medicalRead MoreBeliefs of Different Religions About Euthanasia1569 Words   |  7 PagesDifferent Religions About Euthanasia For this essay I have decided to study the two religions Christianity and Buddhism. Buddhism has no major denominations, unlike Christianity, which has many denominations around the globe. However, I am only going to focus on Christianity as a whole, quoting teachings from the Bible (Old and New Testament), and then referring to the two major denominations of Anglican and Roman Catholic when their points on euthanasia are absolute. I haveRead MoreEuthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide938 Words   |  4 PagesOthers take the position that we didn’t choose our birth therefore our death isn’t ours to choose either. This has caused considerable debate as moral, ethical and legal ramifications come into the mix. This in turn has led to defining the process under two different terms for legal purposes. They are euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. Internationally, assisted suicide is when a doctor prescribes a drug that ends life, but the patient is responsible for taking them. Euthanasia is defined byRead MoreEuthanasi Ethical And Legal Issues Within The Australian Context1550 Words   |  7 Pagesis more challenging to reconcile than that of euthanasia. The legalisation of euthanasia continues to be passionately debated. It has been a pertinent issue in human rights discourse as it affects ethical and legal issues pertaining to both the patient and the hea lth care practitioner (Bartels Otlowski, 2010). The following essay will define euthanasia and make the distinction between active, passive, voluntary, non-voluntary, involuntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Relevant legalRead MoreTaking a Look at Euthanasia1733 Words   |  7 PagesEuthanasia, also commonly referred to as ‘mercy killing’, and ‘assisted suicide’, has been and continues to be the subject to moral, legal, religious and political debates around the world. At the core of debate lies to competing values between the right for every individual to decide to die with dignity when suffering, and the need to uphold the right to life. (Australian Human Rights Commission. 1996) The purpose of this task is to critically analyse the nature and extent of euthanasia and whetherRead MoreEssay on Untimely Death578 Words   |  3 Pagesto end their suffering? Many people have different views on this situation, but I believe that it is the patients decision because the patient knows how much pain they are in, and if they can not take it any longer. In the essay Active and Passive Euthanasia James Rachels wrote that he thinks that it is a better choice morally to withdraw life support, and let a person die, rather than ending a persons life through other means. I do not believe that if a patient is about toRead MoreExamination of the Main Issues of the Euthanasia Debate Essay example1337 Words   |  6 PagesExamination of the Main Issues of the Euthanasia Debate Introduction Talk of suicide and euthanasia has long been the focus of media attention. Recently this debate has been furthermore justified with the advent of European clinics that specialise in professional mercy killings for the terminally ill and those suffering incurable pain. To add to this, suicide rates in this country are ever increasing, with this being one of the ten most common causes of death in