...Active and Passive Euthanasia James Rachels was an American philosopher who specialized in ethics and animal rights. Over the course of his career has written six books and over 85 essays. In 1975, Rachels wrote the article “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, in which he argued that the distinction so important in the law between killing and letting die which was based on the principle of double effect. He argued that if we allow passive euthanasia, we should also allow active euthanasia because it is more humane and that there is really no moral difference between the two. In my paper I have chosen two questions to answer concerning the article written by James Rachels. Rachels offers two principal arguments against the distinction between active and passive euthanasia. What are these arguments? Passive euthanasia is when the doctor does not do anything to bring about the patient’s death because the patient ends up dying at whatever illness they may have. While active euthanasia is when the doctor does something to bring about the patient’s death, for example, the doctor gives a patient with cancer a lethal injection which causes the death of the patient. Rachels claims that "killing is not itself any worse than letting die." What support does he offer for this claim? Do you agree? Why or why not? Rachel argues that there really isn’t a moral difference between the two because many believe that killing someone is morally worse than letting someone die...
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...Moral Ethics Name Course Date Essay 1 Impact moral reasoning about the rights of animals Animal rights cover all aspects on wellbeing and how human beings are supposed to relate with animals. There are several theories that are introduced to present ethical relationship that exist between animals and human being. Moral equality theories develop equal considerations and other status of moral aspects that are accorded to animals. This is through refuting some of the moral relevancies of fore mentioning the special characters or properties of human perception as a being. Therefore, through the support of different theories, moral equality is also supposed to be extended to animal rights (Tännsjö, 2008.). This is on the ground of similarity of characteristics and qualities such as physiological and mental level in capacities. Therefore, through the moral impacts, reasoning about the animal rights is approached from different dimensions and concrete conclusion shows the need of having morals and ethical framework considering the rights of animals. Examples compact impacts ethical decisions about animals There are different examples that are used to illustrate the relationship that exist among animals and human being (Tännsjö, 2008.). The ethical morals are supposed to cover positive relationship that enhances better life of the animals. Therefore, the major ethical factor is ensuring safety of the animals. It helps to identify their health and ethical relationship through...
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...Medical Ethics and Euthanasia In his essay “When Medicine Is Futile” Barron H. Lerner talks about how dying patients in America, in his opinion can not have a peaceful death. Important role in his writing represents his dad and his thinking. He has a big influence on Lerner`s opinion about the medicine in general. He argues that people die too many times connected to all kinds of machines and tubes that don`t really help them. Lerner describes some of the stories that his father kept in the journals. They have one common thing, and that is that event though the doctors knew the patients is going to die, his family was still hoping for a miracle and they did not want to accept that there is nothing that the doctors can do, to save the patient`s life. Reading and thinking about Lerner`s article lead me to ask myself; is it really true that there are no chances at all to save any patient? I think we should all still keep faith and stay optimistic that things will go better, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. In connection to that when we think about medicine, here comes the controversial problem about euthanasia. Should it be legalized and what are the pros and cons of it? Euthanasia is one of the most pressing issues of modern society. The development of medicine has put humanity against serious dilemma where the use of medical resources no longer offers the cure. As it is developing in many areas, there are still those areas where we ask ourselves; what to do...
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...Euthanasia Legislation surrounding both euthanasia and assisted suicide sparks much debate in Queensland’s legal and political systems. Despite a society largely proponents of euthanasia, political and legislative institutions rear firm in their stance against its legalisation. It is evident that as a society progresses, so too do the ideological views of those within; so why is it that Queensland legislators have done nothing in the way of legalising euthanasia? Much of this notion can be attributed to a mere political debate; however, euthanasia and assisted suicide are extremely controversial and in order to delve deep enough into the issue, the religious, legal, cultural, ethical and medical ramifications need to be explored. Often referred to as ‘mercy killing,’ euthanasia is defined as the ‘deliberate causing of death of a person suffering from an incurable disease or condition.’ (‘Euthanasia’ 2009) Although advocators see it as a way to relieve immense pain and suffering, many see euthanasia not as a ‘right to die’ but as a ‘right to kill’- ultimately ‘weakening society’s respect for the sanctity of life.’ (‘BBC’, 2013) In recent years, state and commonwealth governments have made significant changes and reforms to euthanasia law, although the effectiveness and validity of such changes are somewhat questionable. The purpose of this essay is to address the legal principles and relevant legislation regarding euthanasia, any issues surrounding the efficacy of such law...
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...This essay will demonstrate that it is not “always morally worse to kill than it is to let die”. It will be argued that passive euthanasia (i.e. letting someone die) is not morally wrong and that active euthanasia (i.e. accelerating their death) is no less moral. However, the many complications associated with the legalisation of active euthanasia (and euthanasia in general) must be identified and addressed. These identified complications may be eliminated with an appropriate regulatory regime. Assuming that identified complications can be overcome, and having established that it is not always morally worse to kill than to let die, it will be demonstrated that active euthanasia should not be banned. Morality, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour”1. Hinde states that the principles are influenced and changed by one’s society and culture but also “based in human nature”2. As morality is influenced by society, public opinion is important when it comes to controversial issues. Morality differs from place to place and evolves over time. To compound this diversity, changes in medical treatment, and discoveries which enhance medical knowledge evolves rapidly and what was not even conceivable in some cultures or at certain points in history are now commonly accepted. Developments in end of life care fall within this category. With our increased ability to prolong life, arguments can now be made...
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...INTRODUCTION Euthanasia is defined as the intentional killing, by act or omission, of a human being for his or her purported benefit. This definition is quite wide-ranging and a number of types of euthanasia and related activities have been defined. These include physician-assisted suicide and involuntary/non-voluntary euthanasia. While participation in the death of another—desired or otherwise—is usually defined in terms of a criminal act, a number of jurisdictions have established lawful protocols permitting such outcomes. By the same token, other jurisdictions, the Netherlands, have adopted what amount to non-punitive protocols in the face of existing legislation to the contrary when certain medical procedures are undertaken by licensed physicians. All of these acts have created considerable debate, extending to such issues as physician responsibility, duty of care, extent of individual responsibility, and personal integrity, to name just a few. This paper considers aspects of euthanasia and the moral factors that pertain. At the conclusion, this paper will recommend that certain types of euthanasia be permitted under the general supervision of a trained physician. EUTHANASIA AND PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE Physician-assisted suicide (PAS), like euthanasia, has been forbidden since the creation of the Hippocratic Oath. However, as a practical matter, physicians have had a measure of latitude in the specific application. For example, a fatal dose of an opium...
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...16th, 2012 Persuasive Essay Euthanasia, Mercy Killing or Murder? Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are the methods for helping patients to release their pain and suffering by using either medication or other comfortable methods. There are many arguments about these issues had been rising up from many different aspects, such as the actual definition of euthanasia and its practice; the physicians’ responsibilities and opinions; and ethics and religions stance of euthanasia. In my opinion, euthanasia and physician assisted suicide should be prohibited completely in all hospitals. Euthanasia is a physician purposely kills a patient by drugs with the approval from that person. Euthanasia can divide into two categories: passive and active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia is withdrawing any life-sustaining treatment (Palliate Medicine - 2011). In the other hand, active euthanasia is using drugs under administration of a physician. It can be voluntary, with the permission of the patients; involuntary, without a permission of a patient; and non-voluntary, with the permission of the second party due to the physical or mental condition of a patient (Health Policy – 2010). Involuntary is performing against the patient’s will, which is completely illegal. Active voluntary and non-voluntary are the main consideration of the society nowadays. One of the studies has shown the estimation of the percentage of deaths in the United Kingdom that involved euthanasia to be 0.16% (Palliative...
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...Legalizing Euthanasia: A Practical Approach Theressa Thacker RN Excelsior College Abstract We are all in the process of dying from the day we are born. The prevalence of catastrophic diseases that once killed swiftly such as pneumonia, cholera, and massive heart attacks, have been replaced by chronic and, often, degenerative diseases such as advanced cancers, diabetes, lung disease, and Alzheimer’s, leading to a slow death for most (Gardner, 2012). This places a great financial burden on the Medicare system as well as patient’s families. Atul Gawande (2010) reports that twenty five percent of all Medicare spending is for the five percent of patients who are in their final year of life, and most of that money goes for care in their last couple of months, which is of little apparent benefit (p. 3). Even more concerning is the suffering that many patients are forced to endure due to the lack of other options. Patients must have the right to make autonomous decisions regarding the end of their lives. They need to be confident that those decisions will be upheld, even if they conflict with the wishes of their families or physicians. However, patient confidence in knowing that their final wishes will be met is complicated by a lack of education and empowerment for those who face these difficult decisions (Frank & Anselmi, 2011). The purpose of this essay is to discuss the benefits to patient autonomy and the Medicare budget, by the legalization of physician-assisted...
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...WORKING OUTLINE I. Introduction A. Euthanasia is defined as a “good and painless death” B. Active Euthanasia, Passive Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide or Mercy Killing are the different kinds of euthanasia that most people consider to be immoral C. The reasons of people in favor of euthanasia bases on the situation of the patients 1. The patient’s inability to afford expensive medication 2. The patient requesting to end his life 3. Families who could not bear the pain of seeing their loved ones suffer D. THESIS: Among the factors that affect the decisions of people engaging in euthanasia, poverty, specifically the inability to afford medical services and medicines, is the greatest. II. The different cases of euthanasia presents the contrasting views of society A. Most physicians feel painful in maintaining their vegetative patients’ medications despite the fact of them knowing that these persons could no longer survive and even if they would survive, would not have a worthy life. B. The Philippines being a Christian country prohibits euthanasia because it sees it as a form of suicide, but gives an exception to those people who are emotionally distressed due to expensive medications. III. The depressing economic crisis and the high budget coverage of health care expenses lead states to consider the acceptance of euthanasia. A. Health care expenses for patients with terminal illnesses are currently covering the largest percentage of...
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...2 April 2014 Rhetorical Analysis: Euthanasia Particular Analysis There are three key audiences of the text for William F. May's “Rising to the Occasion of Our Death.” The first audience, in this case, would be legislative organizations or lawmakers who have researched and studied similar cases regarding euthanasia. Since May was as an ethics professor at Southern Methodist University, his tone is decidedly intellectual. An uneducated individual would find it more difficult to read his essay; for example, in declarations such as “Advocates of active euthanasia appeal to the principle of patient autonomy,” May's syntax and tone is formal, informative, and utilizes heavy technical jargon (May 662). In other words, it is authoritative, and enables the audience to view him as a credible source due to his syntactical confidence. Other organizations, lobbyists, or lawmakers who are researching evidence on euthanasia would certainly benefit from reading his expert opinion on the matter. Moreover, his desire to develop a “judicious, regulated policy” is a certain acknowledgement that he is attempting to legally call for regulations on euthanasia (May 662). The second audience that May is appealing to are conservative Christians, who are distinctively pro-life. As his article was originally published in well-circulated The Christian Century magazine, addressing this audience exposes members of May's audience who are unfamiliar with euthanasia to its technicalities by debating...
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...IssUEs Of EUThANAsIA: ARGUmENTATIvE EssAy Bilal S. H. Badr Naga Majd T. Mrayyan (1) Bilal S. H. Badr Naga., MSN, RN, Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Qassim, Saudi Arabia (2) Majd T. Mrayyan., Prof, RN, The Hashemite University, Jordan Correspondence: Bilal S. H. Badr Naga., MSN, RN, Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Qassim, Saudi Arabia Email: Bilal_badrnaga@yahoo.com Case scenario Abstract Euthanasia is one of the issues that has been the subject of intense debate over time. It has been a pertinent issue in human rights discourse as it also affects ethical and legal issues pertaining to patients and health care providers. This paper discusses the legal and ethical debates concerning both types of euthanasia. It focuses on both the supporter of euthanasia and the opponent of euthanasia. Several statements for the Euthanasia argument arediscussed: a merciful response that alleviates the suffering of patients which is sometimes wrongly perceived to be otherwise unrelievable; the autonomy in which the patient has the right to make his own choices; the regulation and legislation of existing practices of euthanasia to protect health care providers and patients. In this heated debate religious, political, ethical, legal and personal views are also included. Among all these, those who desperately want to end their lives because they simply cannot go on in any way, are the ones who suffer. Every individual or group has a different viewpoint regarding euthanasia. Euthanasia is considered...
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...ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY – EUTHANASIA By Troy Jacques Euthanasia is known as the practice of deliberately ending a life which releases an individual from an incurable disease or intolerable suffering. This mercy killing is often referred as an easy and painless death. This can be done from the request of a dying patient or that person’s legal representative. When this is done it is known as Voluntary Euthanasia. Not doing something to prevent someone’s death is known as passive or negative Euthanasia. Active or positive Euthanasia is when someone takes deliberate action to cause a death. Currently Euthanasia is not allowed by law to be practiced on people. My opinion on Euthanasia is that it should be legalised because the patients get to die in less pain and suffering as possible, the majority of the public believe that Euthanasia should be allowed morally and in a free society an individual should be able to choose their time of death. Patients with such diseases as cancer should be allowed to choose their time of death. This is because cancer is the most common cause of death in Australia, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths. There is major pain that is associated with cancer suffers and it is a severe and intractable form of chronic pain. Patients with advanced cancers often experience multiple symptoms like fatigue, weakness, mental haziness, anxiety and nausea. Many of these symptoms can not be eliminated and any may widely affect the function...
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...been long simmered beneath the surface in legal and political circles: under what circumstances do terminally injured and ill Americans have the right to choose to die? The Supreme Court made a definitive statement in the landmark 1990 case Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Dept. of Health that severely injured patients have a constitutional right to refuse medical treatment and die. But the court also ruled that states can require "clear and convincing" evidence of a patient's intent to forgo medical treatment, a rather high evidentiary standard to meet. History The actual word for “having a right to die” is Euthanasia. According to Dictionary.com, euthanasia is defined as the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. The concept of Euthanasia goes as far back as 1870, when Samuel Williams, a schoolteacher, initiated the contemporary euthanasia debate through a speech given at the Birmingham Speculative Club, which was subsequently published in a one-off publication...
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...Axia College Material Effective Persuasion Part One While reading the essay written by Jerry Fensterman, “I See Why Others Choose To Die”, I was touched because it was written on personal experiences as opposed to those written by medical experts. His writing did persuade me that people should have the choice of euthanasia while in the final stages of a terminal illness, knowing there is no further relief for the excruciating pain they are experiencing or no additional medical treatment can be administered. During his essay, I recalled being in my mother’s hospital room during her final days before death. She was already on life support and was put into a medically induced coma to prevent her from feeling the pain her body was enduring. In the final hours of her life, it was decided that she would be removed from life support. The doctor ordered medications to be sent up from the hospital pharmacy that would be administered to help her slip away peacefully. God and my Mother obviously did not agree with this because, with the entire family crowded into the room to say our final good-byes while waiting for the doctor to disconnect the machines, my Mother died. I suppose from this experience, in certain circumstances, it is logical for individuals to provide consent for euthanasia when there is absolutely nothing else that can be done for them. If it is conducted without an individual’s consent, or if there were other alternatives for that individual, a medical professional...
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...ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTH To evaluate the impact of moral philosophy on medical practice we must first look at what a moral philosophy is, also which philosophies that will be included. Moral philosophy is the area of philosophy concerned with theories of ethics, with how we ought to live our lives. Deontology and utilitarianism are the two philosophies that I shall be evaluating and applying throughout this essay. These are two time-honoured philosophical positions that apply to a wide variety of topics. Deontology is an ethical system that is attributed to the philosophical tradition of Immanuel Kant. Deontology demands that the actions, or means themselves must be ethical. This philosophy is based upon principles of duty and obligation, we have the freedom to act morally (right) or otherwise (wrong) based on General Universal Laws. To respect life means that you must not kill, to respect others is not to steal these moral laws are black and white as you must do what is right and do not do what is wrong regardless of circumstance or outcome. Deontologists argue that there are transcendent ethical norms and truths that are universally applicable to all people. Deontology holds that some actions are immoral regardless of their consequence; these actions are wrong in and of themselves. We should not act out of feeling, inclination, love or compassion, but out of our moral duty according to the universal moral laws. Kant gives a ‘categorical imperative’ to act morally at all times...
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