...114 The Ethics of Euthanasia The ethical nature of euthanasia, or assisted suicide, in the United States has been contested for decades, which brings about the proliferation of biomedical morality. According to the New Health Guide, as of June 2015, euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia and Luxembourg. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Albania and in American states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana. Because euthanasia is not legal throughout the United States, there is a divisive public controversy over the moral, ethical, and legal ramifications. In order to establish a clear understanding of these issues, I will define the terms in question and provide an all-encompassing interpretation. There are only slight differences between euthanasia and assisted suicide, and that is a disparity in the degree of involvement and behavior. Assisted suicide entails making the lethal mechanism available to the patient to be used at a time of the patient’s own choosing. By contrast, euthanasia entails the physician taking an active role in carrying out the patient’s request, and usually involves endovenous, or within a vein, delivery of a lethal substance. For the sake of this paper, I will consider both of them equal issues in the bioethical paradigm, and use them interchangeably. The objective of this paper is to outline two ethical theories, utilitarianism and Kantianism, in regards to the concept of euthanasia and bring...
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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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...Dynamics of Ethics L. M. BSHS/322 Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues In Human Service June 23, 2012 Dynamics of Ethics In today’s society many individuals are faced with having to choose between what is ethical and what is not. One thing that a remains pressing as it relates to ethical issues are the dynamics that surrounds them. In this paper I would like to discuss the current issues surrounding euthanasia. Implementing euthanasia comes with many compelling arguments, often times this issue involves individuals rights, politics, ethics, and religion. Although this debate is far from over I would like to take an objective view and discuss the ends and outs of euthanasia. Attempts to authorize euthanasia and assisted suicide have occurred in “the U.S for the last twenty years (Euthanasia in the United States Wikipedia, 2012).” For illustration in 2005 Religious Leaders committed to standing firm in their beliefs by stating “assisting suicide and euthanasia will radically change the social air we all breathe by severely undermining respect of life (Euthanasia in the United States, 2012).” Clearly leaders at this time strongly opposed allowing suffering individuals the right to end their life. “In 2006 The House of Lords blocked a bill that would allow terminally ill people to be helped to die” (BBC Ethics, 2012). This particular bill led to a heated discussion on whether or not it is right to allow people to take their own life. Joffe stated in a pressing debate that...
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...EUTHANASIA- The “Right” to Die ABSTRACT Euthanasia is one of those Taboo topics that individuals try to distance themselves from due to the fact that it’s a sensitive issue. Most individuals try to take a politically correct stand without evaluating the impact it has on the aggrieved party’s life. Euthanasia in itself may seem a simple issue at the first instance, but by probing deep into the issue we are made to ponder a lot about not only its ethical aspects but also the stakes involved in exercising Euthanasia as a fundamental right of an individual. The dilemma in this issue is a lot more complicated if we were to compare it to other conventional ethical dilemmas because both the stands seem morally right, but there’s a legal perspective which opposes one school of thought and supports the other. Is an individual allowed to determine his death if survival is more of a formality? If so what is the basis of qualifying a case to be a suitable contender for euthanasia? Is the judiciary ignoring this since Euthanasia is an issue faced by a minority? SOME FAMOUS VOICES ON EUTHNASIA: 1. Mr. Ravi B Naik, former High Court Judge and Senior Advocate: (deccanherald.com) “When it is not possible for man to give life, who is he to take it away? We should leave death in the hands of God who gave life. There is no law that allows killing by force till a man dies naturally, nor should there be one. In a situation where it is ‘impossible to live’, people die naturally. When they don’t...
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...Euthanasia Euthanasia - Deep sympathy for the suffering Introduction Euthanasia is the deliberate killing either by omission or commission of a dependent person for their benefit. Arguments against euthanasia claim that the concern for happiness and human life and not their obliteration is the objective of any good governance. They say that the terminally ill are people who require protection from social, economic and family pressures, and who are particularly prone to this pressure as a result of chronic depression, pain and effects of continued medication. Arguments for euthanasia say it is impossible to maintain quality of life if a patient is dead. While there have been massive arguments, debates and campaigns against euthanasia, this paper will seek to support euthanasia because of the moral issues that relate to the topic. This paper supports that when a personal is physically dead, the only reason anybody wishes to keep them alive is for their selfish clinging onto them with the hope of a miracle and the fear of closure without regard to the wishes of the person. It supports the practice of euthanasia and seeks to evaluate the reasons why euthanasia should be legalized. This paper will have a general audience because of the controversy that it sparks every time it comes up Death is a dreaded subject for all human beings because it signifies leaving the known to go to the unknown. This is the reason why by its nature euthanasia is a hugely hushed up topic...
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...conditional statement, antecedent, consequent. You should be able to give precise definitions of validity and soundness, and be able to evaluate whether an argument is valid or sound. You should be able to recognize the following forms of an argument, and know whether they are valid: Affirming the Antecedent (Modus Ponens), Denying the Consequent (Modus Tollens), Denying the Antecedent, and Affirming the Consequent. Ethics • • • • • • • You should know what the following words mean: ethics, right, wrong, permissible, obligatory, impermissible. You should know the difference between ethics and axiology, and the difference between ethics and law. You should understand: Ethical Relativism, Personal Relativism, and Cultural Relativism. o You should understand the objections to these views that we discussed in class. o You should understand and be able to assess the Cultural Differences Argument and the Provability Argument. You should understand: Divine Command Theory, the Euthyphro Dilemma, and the limitations of religious guidance in ethics. You should understand: Ethical Darwinism, and the Naturalistic Fallacy. You should understand: Utilitarianism. o You should be able to give the proper formulation of Utilitarianism, and be able to explain why the other formulations that Feldman considers...
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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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...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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...Euthanasia: Live and Let Die April 11, 2013 Euthanasia: Live and Let Die In 2004, Pope John Paul II said “A man, even if seriously sick or prevented in the exercise of its higher functions, is and will be always a man… he will never become a ‘vegetable’ or an ‘animal’. The intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being does not change depending on their circumstances” (Pope John Paul II, 2004). Euthanasia or assisted suicide is the deliberate action of ending a life in order to relieve unstoppable suffering. Euthanasia is legal in Albania, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, as well as some US states. In some of these countries, euthanasia is generally executed by a medical professional taking into account his patient’s needs and desires; but sometimes a medical professional can dispense the last medication ending his patient’s life without the patient’s consent. However, euthanasia and assisted suicide is forbidden in the majority of countries and could be penalized by a fourteen years prison sentence. (“Euthanasia and assisted, intro”). Legalizing euthanasia is extremely controversial moral and legal issue throughout the world, but achieving that goal is extremely necessary. Although legalizing euthanasia could cause negative effects for society, the positive side of this controversy indicates that asking for death is important for those patients who have decided that after a certain point, the pain has exceeded the desire of living. On the one hand...
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...Emily Yapp Ms. Jones English 3A 11/22/2013 Euthanasia: Is it Right or Wrong? There are many topics that are passionately debated in our country. Abortion, capital punishment, and gay marriage are among the few that seem to be at the center of many news broadcast and political debates. However, one that seems is not on the front position would be Euthanasia, or Physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Currently, only four states have legalized PAS: Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. These states have strict guidelines one must follow in order to end their life with the help of a physician. They include eligibility requirements, physician protocols, and timelines that must be followed. Support for such a practice varies from person to person. Political and religious factors certainly play a role in the way people view euthanasia. Euthanasia should be the patient's choice. The word Euthanasia stems from a Greek word that can be translated "a good death." Euthanasia can be classified into two different categories, active and passive (The Free Dictionary)( Types of Euthanasia). Passive euthanasia is when a patient does not receive life sustaining treatments, such as medications, tube feedings or mechanical ventilation, that result in the patient's death. Passive euthanasia is legal in all states in the form of Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders. Patients are also legally allowed to refuse any types of treatment or therapy they would like, even if it results in their death. This...
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...Patricia Weenolsen makes a strong case for euthanasia. Even though only a pages deal directly with euthanasia directly, the overarching theme of The Art of Dying deals with a “good death” and thusly exerting no small amount of influence on ones departure from this life and surrounding circumstances. In dealing with the emotions surrounding the death process, the reader is given tools that result in some small measure of control that inevitably leads to contemplation of euthanasia. In what I would term a most compassionate manner, Patricia Weenolsen takes the reader on a journey through the end of life, helping the reader to prepare for the final pages of this life. Keywords: euthanasia, death, dying, Patricia Weenolsen Introduction In her book, The Art of Dying: How to Leave This World With Dignity and Grace, at Peace With Yourself and Your Loved Ones, Patricia Weenolsen, Ph.D. delivers a compelling argument for euthanasia that will cause readers to consider the manner in which they choose to leave this life both physically and mentally. While arguments can be made against euthanasia, the ability of terminally ill patients of sound mind to make an autonomous decision concerning their death cannot be ignored, and the case should be made that euthanasia should be an option available in certain instances. Utilizing the thematic approach of Ms Weenolsen, this paper will analyze euthanasia and advance a moderate view of euthanasia, integrating the principles of autonomy and...
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...know conditioned to believe this same rope will hold them. So they never try to break free.” I was amazed, these animals could break free at any time but because they believed they couldn’t they were stuck right there. In the resent past euthanasia has been frowned upon but I believe it is necessary as long as it is properly regulated, the patient willfully decides, and that the resources saved from the euthanasia would go to another patient. Currently euthanasia as no regulations in the United States, since euthanasia will accrue either legally or illegally I believe it would be better to have a set of guide lines established. Currently with no guide lines there is a pressure set on patients to make a decision alone. This means they could attempt euthanasia themselves or with the help of a loved, causing even more bodily harm to themselves and mental harm to the loved one. If there was a formal procedure, this would mean the patient think about euthanasia would have a support system and a formal procedure to fallow make their final decision much easier and less painful for themselves and loved ones. As part of this formal procedure like in many other countries today, there would have had to be a physical and mental evaluation. Euthanasia only is allowed as a last resort to save the patient from suffering physically or mentally. Most people believe in the right of free will. I believe...
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...can become complicated. Also since we have other issues such as euthanasia involved things will only get even more complicated. Euthanasia, definition of death, living will decisions, and ethical issues surrounding these subjects will be discussed. End of Life Decisions No one living on this earth will live forever. It comes a point in time when we all must go. Our bodies are not made that way and they start to break down. Once deterioration happens or if a person comes into physical contact that causes the body too much trauma then death occurs. In the past twenty years four concepts of death have emerged, traditional, whole-brain, higher-brain, and personhood. Each one of these versions of death has ethical issues surrounding them and complicate important end of life decisions. Ethical issues surrounding when a person is dying is euthanasia and end of life decisions such has a person being on life support or having a feeding tube. Euthanasia is define as “The act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy” (n.d. Merriam-Webster). There are different types of euthanasia such as active, passive, involuntary, and voluntary. “Active euthanasia is the deliberate action of a person to end the life of a dying patient in order to prevent additional suffering. Passive euthanasia is deliberate cessation of treatment or disconnection of life support...
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...Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma (Part Three) Euthanasia as a dilemma is convoluted, controversial and a sensitive matter for the reason that it concerns a person’s life, concerns his/her culture, belief, religion and their outlook about life and death. Euthanasia is a term that describes engaging in deliberate action, directly or indirectly, with the intention of ending one’s life to relieve them of their pain and suffering (Levy, Azar, Huberfeld, Siegel, & Strous, 2013). To the majority, this meaning lacks lucidity and uniformity which results in serious debate. This paper will provide a brief overview of euthanasia, discuss autonomy as a resolution to this dilemma and also recount the perspectives of three individuals who agreed to be interviewed...
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...the right to decide whether she continues to live her miserable life or to grant her wishes and put her to sleep? Should it be your decision to make? Of course not! It is Meggie’s life that is in question, and for that reason it becomes her decision, whether she chooses to end or continue living her life. Meggie’s decision to orchestrating her death by refusing medication is a parallel representation to a wide-spread argument across the world today, known as Euthanasia. While it is viewed as an unethical and demoralizing act to most people, euthanasia must become legal and recognized as a possible solution to those with terminal and catastrophic diseases within the United States of America. Euthanasia, also known as physician assisted suicide, is defined by taking deliberate action with the express intention of ending one’s life to relieve persistent and unstoppable suffering; “A quiet, painless death” (Medilexicon). There are two different types of euthanasia, known as passive and active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia refers to “A mode of ending life in which a physician is given an...
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