...United Church of Christ: The Church affirms individual freedom and responsibility. It has not asserted that hastened dying is the Christian position, but the right to choose is a legitimate Christian decision. Mainline and Liberal Christian denominations: Pro-choice statements have been made by the United Church of Christ, and the Methodist Church on the US West coast. The 'Episcopalian (Anglican) Unitarian, Methodist, Presbyterian and Quaker movements are amongst the most liberal, allowing at least individual decision making in cases of active euthanasia The BBC wrote in an Aug. 3, 2009 online article titled "Religion & Ethics - Christianity: Euthanasia - the Christian View" on www.bbc.co.uk: "Christians are mostly against euthanasia. The arguments are usually based on the beliefs that life is given by God, and that human beings are made in God's image. Some churches also emphasise the importance of not interfering with the natural process of death... Christians believe that the intrinsic dignity and value of human lives means that the value of each human life is identical. They don't think that human dignity and value are measured by mobility, intelligence, or any achievements in life. Valuing human beings as equal just because they are human beings has clear implications for thinking about euthanasia: • patients in a persistent vegetative state, although seriously damaged, remain living human beings, and so their intrinsic value remains the same as anyone...
Words: 7225 - Pages: 29
...human freedom is to live, and die according to one’s desires and beliefs. Death with dignity is a national organization located in Oregon, which is non-partisan, non-profit that has led the legal defense and education of the Oregon law for nearly twenty years; however, the actual law for death with dignity was not passed until 1994 and due to legal issues, it became effective later in 1997. The Board of Directors for Death with Dignity Movements are some of the most esteemed medical, legal and scholarly experts, which are responsible for the political defense of the Oregon law and the promotion of death with dignity initiatives in other states. The Oregon Death with Dignity act has given patients what others might think or find deplorable a chance to die with dignity in their own terms. The Act allows mentally competent terminally ill adults who have six months or less to live receive, under strict safeguard, a prescription for life ending medication The goal of the Death with Dignity National Center is three fold: defend dignity, mobilize dignity, and preserve dignity. To Defend Dignity, the Death with Dignity National Center works with an “extensive and costly legal defense of the Oregon law, as well as coalition building providing the flexibility to rapid response to both legal and political challenges” (DWDNC, 2011). A second goal of the Death with Dignity National Center is to mobilize dignity. In mobilizing dignity, the Death with Dignity National Center “provides various...
Words: 1747 - Pages: 7
...is the deliberate killing of a person, usually in an attempt to end the person’s suffering” (Ondrey, James H., ed 7). Euthanasia, known as the right-to-die movement, derives from the Greek meaning of “good death”. Euthanasia is executed by a physician, while physician assisted suicide allows the patient to proceed the act of death (Ondrey 7-8). Legalization of euthanizing patients has been an ongoing discussion dating back to the beginning of the 20th century (Yount 25). Opposing views find total fault in this medical concept, while supporters see every possible benefit (Ondrey, James H., ed 8). Medical euthanasia, also known...
Words: 1217 - Pages: 5
...Euthanasia: Freedom to Die with Dignity Charletta R. Anderson Strayer University ENG 215 Dr. Aaron Miller December 12, 2011 Euthanasia: Freedom to Die with Dignity The word “Euthanasia” comes from a Greek phrase meaning “good death”. However, in today’s society it means killing a terminally ill person as a way to end that person’s pain and suffering (Cundiff, 1992 ). In the year 2007, my grandfather the Honorable Leon Davis was dying. This American war hero had made a request to die with dignity. He was dealing with a failed kidney, pneumonia, dementia, hypertension, MRSA foot infection, a broken hip, and terrible living conditions at a nursing home. All these problems left him weak and physically dependent on others. For terminally ill patients like my grandfather, where death was inevitable and would have been less painful than living, euthanasia should be a consideration or an option. Euthanasia is a way of relieving terminally or severely ill people's pain and save them from the agony of their illness. People claim that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that promise such rights as marriage, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment. This essay will discuss why or why not ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and merciful death by the means of Euthanasia. Legalizing Euthanasia In the 1970s , a movement that had tried to legalize some form of...
Words: 1093 - Pages: 5
...American Suicide Story: Your Right to Die Matthew Gregorie Pima Medical Institute American Suicide Story: Your Right to Die The year was 1776, the United States was on the brink of war with England and in an unwavering effort to be free from the tyranny of King George III, America’s fore-fathers drafted forth a Declaration of Independence. Included in this declaration was a line that still resonates in the hearts and minds of free thinking men and women: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal[->0], that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (US, 1776)”. Even during this simpler time, America’s ancestors realized the value and importance of an individual’s right to make decisions regarding their own fate. Flash forward to present day and these words still hold an incredibly strong value, possibly none greater than when discussing the terminally ill and the right to physician assisted suicide. While there are some who feel that people should not be in control of their own destiny, if the pursuit of happiness means that a person with an incurable sickness chooses they no longer wish to be alive, then they as human beings should be able to make that choice for themselves. Thankfully for them, there is a place in the United States that will consider and allow a person the right to die peacefully with the assistance of a doctor. Oregon, whom...
Words: 1079 - Pages: 5
...cured. Because euthanasia involves death, it is a very sensitive topic. The different viewpoints contribute to the opinions that people have about euthanasia. People with a heavy religious culture are more likely to be against it, whereas people suffering from a life threatening or terminal disease are not. Euthanasia is currently only allowed in the state of Oregon through the Death with Dignity Act that was placed in 1997 and in four other states as well as three countries. Since that act, only 752 of the 1173 patients actually carried on to kill themselves. An article written by Ryan Wallace on October 7, 2014 titled “One Woman's Quest to Die with Dignity—and What It Means for Us All” is about a 29 year old woman named Brittany Maynard who has been diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma multiform, which is a fast-growing brain cancer that kills its victims. She is one of many that are in favor of assisted-suicide due to her illness. Maynard moved to Portland, Oregon where she would be able to end her life legally thru the Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act (DWDA). Those who are advocates don’t believe it is considered suicide because “aid in dying involves mentally competent people who are terminally ill but would love to live, if possible.” Maynard said herself that “there is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or that wants to die” but she wishes there was a cure. Terminally ill people are given a dignified way to exit life thru assisted-death. In “Joni Eareckson Tada to Brittany...
Words: 1366 - Pages: 6
...perspectives, and many are afraid that if it were to be completely legal in all of the United States then citizens would certainly abuse this right. However, the four states that have legalized it, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Montana prove these opinions to be false. Especially in Oregon the Death with Dignity Act set the precedent for Euthanasia legislature by setting limitations on who or who could not be considered to actively take their own life. These limitations included a minimum age of 18 years, a diagnoses of six months to live or less, two oral recommendations from physicians at least fifteen days apart and one written recommendation from a physician before the patient could be qualified for active Euthanasia. These guidelines made the practice of Euthanasia more practical to Americans. In a study conducted by Public Agenda, Gallup Organization, in the year 1950 only twenty-six percent of Americans supported assisted suicide and that number more than doubled in 2003 to seventy-two percent. These information alone proves the progressiveness of this form of mercy, this form of choice that euthanasia gives to those suffering. Euthanasia has many forms and is a positive act for those in extreme pain, it gives terminally ill people the last piece of control, people have the natural right to live and they should have the natural right to die, and it allows patients to exit life in a dignified and graceful manner. To begin with Euthanasia has many forms, active, passive, voluntary...
Words: 2667 - Pages: 11
...patients at large. It was banned as a practice two thousand years ago, as it was viewed as a murder. Nevertheless, some modern societies no longer see it as a crime, but rather as an individual choice regarding how to end one’s life. Although, euthanasia remains banned in many countries worldwide. The act of euthanasia has adverse ethical implications in nursing, as nurses are prohibited from participating in assisted suicide because it violates the code of ethics for nursing practice (ANA, 2001) which states that a nurse’s ethical goal and obligation is to provide humane and compassionate care to patients and respect their rights. This includes the provision of support to patients and families, ensuring that all options are exhausted to alleviate the pain and suffering associated with death. (ANA, 2010a)....
Words: 1018 - Pages: 5
...Jeremy Bearden English 101 16 November 2015 Dying With Dignity The right to physician-assisted death is a major issue that concerns people all over the United States. Today, different types of fatal diseases can now be identified through the use of science and high-level technology. Thousands of innocent people fall victim to these different types of illnesses each year in the United States. Physician-assisted death, also known as PAD, is the practice of a physician providing a patient the means to take his or her own life through the use of a lethal prescription. If taken, this prescription can kill instantly and painlessly. (Quill) The term euthanasia should not be confused with PAD. Unlike PAD, the physician performs the act in euthanasia, while PAD is performed solely by the patient. The debate goes back and forth between whether a terminally ill patient should have the right to choose a physician–assisted death. Some are against it because of religious and moral reasons. Others are for it because of their compassion and respect for the dying. Physicians are also divided on the issue. As the debate unfolds, many arguments arise on this topic of the legalization of this act in all fifty states. Physician-assisted death is a very important matter and it should be legalized by every state within our country. Currently in the United States there are a total of five states that have legalized physician-assisted death. These five states include Oregon, California, Vermont,...
Words: 1086 - Pages: 5
...write lethal prescriptions under tightly controlled circumstances” for the terminally ill but will not call it as “suicide” nor will it be reflected as such on death certificates. Klein’s editorial is focused on the these two major flaws of the bill written for the terminally ill who are looking for a dignified way to end their life by allowing them access to lethal prescription drugs if the bill is passed. The bill is mirrored after the State of Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act law passed by its legislature in 1997. Klein’s purpose, at the time of her writing the editorial, was to reach out to the legislators and advocates of the bill, her audience, to modify the bill by naming it as it is, “a physician-assisted suicide” and reflecting it as such in death certificates. The tone and approach to her writing was straight to the point while at times satirical, stretching how the definition of “suicide” can have a different connotation in the eyes and perspectives of the advocates of the bill. Klein seeks to appeal to the writers and proponents of the right-to-die movement to make this change regardless of the argument that undermines a physician’s Hippocratic Oath which is to preserve life and not end it. Klein, clearly supports the right of the terminally ill in making their own decisions about “how and when to meet death” but asserts to modify the bill. Klein’s purpose, at the time of her writing the editorial, strongly appeals to the...
Words: 1550 - Pages: 7
...Death with Dignity If we assume that every human being born into this world has a "right to life," then it logically follows that every human being has a right to end their life (or a "right to die"). Because death is a part of life, a person's right to life logically assumes a right to not have that life. Thus, any law upholding a person's right to life has inherent within that same law a person's right to die, otherwise it would not be a right to life in the true sense of the term. But there is a legal battle going on in America right now over whether or not a person has a right to die. Does the government have the right to prolong your life by artificial means whether you desire it or not? With the passing of this law nationwide, you, as the voter will simply be saying, “It is YOUR choice” (Patashnik, 2004) The issue of “Having a Personal Right to Die,” has 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...
Words: 4441 - Pages: 18
...B1). What is known as the “Right to Die Movement” is the fight for one’s complete autonomy. It is important not to look at assisted suicide as killing someone as if you are taking them for their life without their permission. This is about alleviating suffering for those who are not going to get relief any other way. Assisted suicide should be legalized because as human beings, we should have a freedom of choice, as well as an end to prolonged suffering, and this may cause a reduction of traditional suicide methods. Putting those who’s quality of life is dwindling out of their misery has been a dilemma for ages, but going as far back to the 1930’s in London it is recorded that the royal physician Lord Bertrand Dawson to King George V was in charge of making sure the king departed peacefully. On January 20, 1936, Dawson injected the dying King with the lethal dose of three-quarters of a gram of morphine and one gram of cocaine (Ekland-Olson, 63). It has also been recorded that on September 23, 1939, the great psychologist Sigmund Freud was put to rest by his former student, Dr. Max Schur, after Freud requested his assistance. Freud fought a horrible battle with cancer late in life, and wanted nothing more than to die peacefully (Ekland-Olson, 63). The majority of London agreed with the decisions made by these courageous men, which fueled the Right to Die Movement across several countries, including the United States. It seems everyone is afraid to die, and nobody wants to depart...
Words: 2447 - Pages: 10
...Rachel; 1941-2003 has argued for euthanasia (from the Greek for “good death” or the right to die and euthanasia is a practice of intentionally ending someone life to help relieve suffering and pain. Euthanasia has rising troubling questions in ethics due to it being out of the norm such as eating and doing ordinary activities. When a person is almost certain to die in any given amount of time and is suffering from a life threating painful disease such as a brain tumor, cancer at stage five should be allowed to use Physician assisted suicide. The cost of the medication and treatments are very costly to someone with limited health insurance and having their family members watching them suffer. This argument would support physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and is a little different from euthanasia. (PAS), physician assisted suicide, a doctor will provide a patient with a lethal amount of medication which will cause death to the patient. Certain countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium have made this process legal. In the United States Oregon legalized (PAS) physician assisted suicide in 1997 and the Supreme Court upheld it in Oregon’s “death with Dignity” law as constitutional in 2006, and it has become legal in Washington State and Vermont. There have been some opposition to physician assisted suicide and euthanasia because of an insistence that there is a difference in killing someone and letting them die on their own as was suggested by a philosopher named Philippa Foot...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
... Abstract It is often said that every person has a right to life and that too a right to live with dignity. There have been a number of scholars who have argued that the right to life which has been granted to a person would be useless if certain rights ancillary to the right are not being provided to the individual. A few of these rights include the right to food, right to clean and hygienic environment, right to personal liberty, right to make a choice and right to live a dignified life. But on analysing the right with a liberal view and expanding the scope of the ‘right to life’ a little the question that arises is whether the ‘right to life’ include a ‘right to die’? As per a layman’s understanding, the question that whether you want to live or die is a personal decision. The Constitution or any other Law should not dictate that whether we should exercise that right of ours or not. This is because of the prime reason that because the Government, who is making the Law, does not know the problems with an individual’s life therefore it cannot be competent enough to make a decision. However, this is not all this simple. A fair and considered evaluation has to be made before vesting anyone with any such right as such a right could be potentially misused and thereby the sanctity of life could be harmed. Therefore, certain restrictions need to be there on the right to life in order for a smooth and proper functioning of the society. But, now the...
Words: 5598 - Pages: 23
...Dignity can be defined as “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.” From the moment the human species developed reasonable thought and understanding, the concept of dignity has played an important role in our individuality and cultural perceptions. It is a powerful state of being that is often a source of utmost pride. In this essay, we will discuss the “Death with Dignity Act” (DWDA), a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care, and discuss why it is important that this legislative act and others characterizing euthanasia on humans should become legal nationwide. On October 27, 1997 Oregon passed the “Death with Dignity Act”. This act allows terminally-ill residents of the state of Oregon...
Words: 977 - Pages: 4
