...people’s pain are the reason for euthanasia. Euthanasia is when the terminally ill people want to end their life, this is also known as assisted suicide or mercy killing. Euthanasia is legal is some places but illegal in most, but there is much debate whether it should be or not. Euthanasia should be legal everywhere because it relieves the terminally ill people from their unbearable pain, and it is also violating their rights. Dr. Jack Kevorkian has participated in many assisted suicide with lethal injections. They were all from his patient’s request. These terminally ill people want to kill themselves but were unable to. Sadly has been sent to prison because of this. He has been in prison for eight years and has been released in June 2007. He has promised not to do another assisted suicide again. Kevorkian “I intended to do my duty, not murder.” The terminally ill people are in extremely and unbearable pain, physically and emotionally. Their wish is to be finally relieved from this awful pain. They are ill, suffering and may even end up being depressed. There is usually not any medication that can make them get better. There are medications to make them drugged out, and may feel less pain or even no pain at all, but who would ever want that? To be drugged out of your mind for you do not know how long! Also all these medications leaves side effects. It is just wrong and unacceptable. Not letting terminally ill people end their own life is violating their own rights. Not the...
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...Seminar 5 First Draft – Physician Assisted Suicide INTRODUCTION In my term paper I am going to be answering the question is Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) ethically justified? The debate on Physician-Assisted Suicide has been a topic of debate for many years. Born and raised in Michigan I remember all of the news on Dr. Jack Kevorkian assisting terminally ill patients in their death and the controversy on it. The dilemma is whether or not a physician should be allowed to assist a person in ending their life even if they are terminally ill. According to a recent article on The New York Times website, New Mexico just legalized Physician-Assisted Suicide for terminally ill patients. This ruling would make New Mexico the fifth state to allow physicians to prescribe to their terminally ill patients a fatal dose of medications to end their life (Eckholm, 2014). Proponents of Physician-Assisted Suicide believe that terminally ill people should have the right to choose go to the doctors and ask for their help to end their lives and stop their suffering. Of course there would have to be certain steps taken to make sure they were making the right choice. Many supporters of Physician-Assisted Suicide believe that there should be some psychiatric evaluation to make sure that the patient is of a sound mind in their decision to end their life. Opponents of Physician-Assisted Suicide believe that a person does not have a right to end their own life and that it goes against...
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...wrestling match, two opponents fight until one holds the other down for ten seconds. If the one being held down has an emergency or wants to give up, they can “tap-out.” However, if they do this, their opponent automatically wins the match. If you were wrestling and could tap-out and win, would you bother putting up a fight? Euthanasia is the ultimate way for someone to give up, and it has become a debatable topic today. I believe whole heartedly that it is wrong and should be illegal. If euthanasia was legalized across the United States, doctors would have too much power, people who are incapable of making or verbalizing decisions would be at risk of being murdered, and it would...
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...Against Assisted Suicide Physician Assisted Suicide is met with much opposition from medical professionals and patients alike. Some of the main arguments people have against assisted suicide is based solely on the idea that it is “morally wrong.” There are arguments about how doctors could potentially kill the wrong people, (Feldman, 1998) referring to assisting suicide for mentally ill patients rather than terminally ill. Some argue that doctors are supposed to be healers and it’s not a healer’s job to end a life. (Feldman, 1998) Arguments about how legalizing assisted suicide for the terminally ill could potentially mean legalizing suicide for whomever requests it. (Feldman, 1998) The number one argument against assisted suicide, however, is that assisting in another person’s suicide would be playing God. (Feldman, 1998)...
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...The Right to Die Vicky Perry Writing Workshop 100W Section 5 Mary Juno San Jose State University May 8, 2012 Abstract Euthanasia, the act of killing oneself in order to end pain and suffering, is illegal in the majority of the states in the nation. Euthanasia should be legalized in order to promote autonomy, personal decisions, and the quality of life. Oppositions to legalizing euthanasia include morality, religious beliefs, concern for medical staff violating the Hippocratic Oath, and fear of abuse of the act. Some states have made euthanasia legal under strict circumstances; the rest of the nation should soon follow. Introduction “Dogs do not have many advantages over people, but one of them is extremely important: euthanasia is not forbidden by law in their case; animals have the right to a merciful death” (Kundera, 1999). Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. It is a common practice among household pets as a humane way to end their lives if they are suffering. Euthanasia in relation to humans is illegal in the United States as well as many other countries across the world. It is bizarre to think that animals have the right to die when their owners believe they are suffering and in distress, but humans are not granted that same opportunity. Euthanasia, practiced most commonly on animals, has three distinct types in relation to the euthanasia of humans. Voluntary euthanasia, which requires consent...
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...Applying an Ethical Theory PHI208 Kristy Villone March 30, 2014 Should assisted death, or euthanasia be an option for the terminally ill? In 1994, the Oregon Death With Dignity Act was formed, making Oregon the first state to legalize physician assisted deaths with restrictions. As of today, Washington, Vermont, New Mexico, along with Oregon are all legalized in euthanasia. The individuals wanting to end their life must be at least 18 years of age with a terminal illness, be a state resident, and have less than six months to live (Procon.org 2014). The question is, is euthanasia ethical? In this paper, I will be focusing on euthanasia and how it relates to the Deontology Theory. The Deontology Theory relates to the rights and wrongs of actions themselves. It is defined as "the focus on the duties and obligations one has in carrying out actions rather than on the consequences of those actions” (Mosser, 2013). Meaning, the act is right or wrong, depending upon the action in which it was brought upon. In general, Deontologist tend to focus on the the will of the person and their intentions. Euthanasia is a very debatable topic. It is a heated topic because it relates to death. Some may say euthanasia is allowing people to die, which is the same as killing. Whereas others may see it as the right to die, especially when one is suffering with a terminal illness …."life is a precious gift from God. To end it prematurely is to reject that gift; only God should determine when...
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...form of euthanasia in which a person wishes to commit suicide but feels unable to perform the act alone because of a physical disability or lack of knowledge about the most effective means (Medical Dictionary). Is Assisted Suicide ethical or unethical? Is it wrong to decide what we want to do with our own body or are we obligated to do what others say or tell us what to do? Who will suffer the most; will it be me, you, family or friends? We could say everyone will suffer in their own way but the real question is could we do what we want to do or do we need to think about others before taking action, who has more of the right to choose? We are born free, we are born to have our own opinions, and we are born to make choices for ourselves whether they were right or wrong for us at that time, at that moment or in our lives. We have the right to choose what we want done with ourselves not anybody else but us. There is no reason on why our freedom of choice is to be taken away just because someone wants to intervene. If we are the one who is suffering the most in pain and being miserable what happiness is there? Yes loved ones will be upset but the one who is hurting the most is the one who is suffering the most pain and being the most miserable. No happiness could come about so let me choose what is best for me don’t choose for me. Many argue on why assisted suicide is good and why it is bad. Assisted suicide is good because it allows individual control, it ends suffering, it is...
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...that you have no chance of survival, now it’s just a matter of time before you make the final decision. It would only make sense to end the suffering, retain your dignity, and lessen the overall cost of your medical care and life support. Being able to choose what you do with your life, especially in a terminally ill state, should be a fundamental human right and a legal option for anyone around the globe. One major benefit of physician-assisted suicide is that it ends suffering. According to "Doctor Assisted Suicide Pros and Cons List," as death nears, a lot of physical pain can occur from terminal...
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...incurable. And these medical conditions and diseases are unpredictable and may cause us to have to make some difficult decisions to want ease the patient from suffering. There are ethical issues surround anything that is done in the medical field, particularly concerning the treatment and voluntary euthanasia of a patient that is dying. There are strong controversy whether voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, of a patient that is dying, is morally right or wrong. Should it be up to the patient and their family to make the decision for end-of life care? The choice for end of life a mission for many individuals, “the nineteenth-century philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that individuals are, ultimately, the best judges and guardians of their own interests”, (Singer, 2005). In this essay, I will discuss the difference between euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, and the utilitarian ethical theory for this topic and how it results in the happiness for several people. After being diagnosed with a serious terminal illness, the body can begin to deteriorate causing physical pain and trauma before death. As the patient with serious illness gets closer to the end of life their symptoms and pain may intensify. Watching...
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...and with dignity. This topic is very controversial because there are so many people who can argue for either side. Also not everyone can agree to the point of it is or it is not a good thing. Granted assisted suicide is helpful, there are some people who believe it to be bad. It is important to realize assisted suicide would provide terminally ill patients with the chance to die in peace with less suffering. To point out everyone knows being terminally ill...
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...Sanchez Instructor: Gwen Remington Com/220 Death is an evitable part of life. Death is also the only guarantee we come into this world with. Facing the end of life may not be so clear. There have been numerous debates about the morality or assisted suicide and euthanasia for at least generations. Is it right or wrong for a physician to assist in ending the life of a terminally ill patient? The argument here would be whether for or against euthanasia and whether it is ethical or unethical act. When dealing with physicians assisted suicide, or euthanasia and society, there are many issues to discuss. But first let us define the two key words “Suicide and “Murder.” Both of these terms will play a significant role in determining whether or not physician assisted suicide is right or wrong. The word “Suicide” means to deliberately kill oneself, which could stem from several factors such as a mental and bipolar disorder, depression, drug abuse, schizophrenia, financial, relationships and alcoholism. According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary third edition defines “Murder” as an “unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another; kill inhumanly or barbarously, as in warfare.” When she or she is convicted of committing murder is punished by serving a life sentence in imprisonment or death by a lethal ingestion. When a self inflicted injury is caused by oneself, which results in suicide, they were crying out for help, looking for...
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...Euthanasia Should Be Legalized Euthanasia should be legalized? As human beings we should all have the right to end our suffering and to choose a dignified, quiet death. Euthanasia is the hastening of death for a suffering, terminally ill person. It is a quiet and easy death. Indeed, the term euthanasia quite literally means in Greek a good death. Euthanasia should be made a legal procedure within Australia as any such legalisation would give people the legal right to choose a ‘good death’, a dignified death for themselves. As human beings we have the right to vote, to take responsibility for our actions and to make our own choices. We are an autonomous people with a right to self-sufficiency, independence and to self-regulation, so why should we not have the right to choose whether or not our lives should end if there is little or no hope of recovery? We all should have the right to choose to die if our circumstances are completely intolerable. We grant animals these rights yet we currently do not offer humans the same opportunity. Who are we, as a civilised society, to force a competent, yet terminally ill person to endure a lingering and painful death? Every person should have the legal right to make choices regarding their own lives and according to their own values as long as these choices do not impinge on the liberties of others. The choice of a terminally ill person to die does not impinge on the liberties of others – only their own. When the only alternative is suffering...
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...home in pain. This woman is 80 years old and has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her heart cannot withstand treatment via radiation or chemotherapy. She has less than six months to live. Day in and day out you pass her room and hear her crying out from the immense pain. The pain medications are no longer working. She’s tired of fighting, tired of hurting, and tired of waiting to die. After consideration and discussions with her family she has decided to ask the doctor to help and end her life. The doctor feels remorse for the elderly lady and wants to help but cannot decide if it is the ethical thing to do because he knows that what he’s being asked to do is considered physician-assisted suicide. How is physician-assisted suicide any different than regular suicide? Does the fact that a person is terminally ill make it right? Who gets to decide if it is right? These are questions people may ask themselves when deciding whether or not they think physician-assisted suicide is ethical. Whether it is requested or not, many would say it is unethical for a physician to deliberately cause death to a person. Physicians take an oath to first do no harm. Others may say that a person has the right to make his or her own decisions about his or her life. In this paper, I will explore each side of physician-assisted suicide and how it relates to virtue ethics, along with how I feel relativist would see the issue. Does physician-assisted suicide differ from regular suicide...
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...Liberals Believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems. Liberal. There is injustice still. But look at how much we've accomplished in the last 50 years. We just have to keep working at it. Both the liberal and the radical positions seek to make the infrastructure more effective in the equality of access to resources and rights. For Jeanne, the liberal sees many of the problems with the system and the injustice it produces. She wants to change the system to make it more just, more equal. She does not want to examine deeply those aspects of our culture that have not changed: such as "economic growth achieved by corporate politics." But she also fears that radical change brings chaos, and has a vested interest in the system that exists. Thus, she is less critical than a revolutionary, and more pleased with results that make the system just a little better. The liberal is more likely to see improvements in race, class, and gender issues, while still recognizing that much more needs to be done. Libertarianism view • Variation of conservatism that believes government should be small and should play only the most minimal possible role in social life • ...
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...are reversible whereas others, such as Physician Assisted Suicide, are concrete. While some view it as a solution or being a form of relief from intolerable pain, Physician Assisted Suicide should not be legalized. The reason for this is because patients shouldn’t make final decisions filtered by frustration. Other reasons are that Assisted Suicide can also give patients the idea that losing all hope is Ok. Although It’s fair to feel hopeless. The positive mindset can have great benefits to our health. Finally, many times it is the wrong approach to a much deeper problem. Hidden mind altering moods or emotions such as Depression can cause illogical reasoning. These are only a few reasons while Physician Assisted Suicide should be legalized. Frustration is an emotional state that a person experiences while under distress. It is also one of the many leading causes for attempting to find an “easy way out”....
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