...the issue of euthanasia and assisted suicide as well as further challenge Canada's Criminal Code. The R. v. Latimer case (1993) was an extraordinarily complicated case, commonly referred to as a "hard case" since it did not fit comfortably within the existing legal structure (Bauslaugh, 2010). On October 24, 1993, Robert Latimer killed his twelve-year-old daughter Tracy. Tracy suffered from a cerebral palsy; a muscle control disorder caused by brain damage from lack of oxygen to the brain. Tracy had the mental capacity of a four to five month old baby and had experienced multiple seizures daily since her birth. As Tracy's condition progressed,...
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...Assisted Suicide Letithia Terry PHI103: Informal Logic Kurt Mosser June 6, 2011 Assisted Suicide Assisted Suicide is when the physician provides the necessary means or information and the patient performs the act. Euthanasia is where the physician performs the intervention defined as the “act of bringing about the death of a hopelessly ill and suffering person in a relatively quick and painless way for reason of mercy (as cited in Mosser 2010). Physician Assisted Suicide has grown to be a controversial issue and one of the major disputes is; can an incurable ill patient be able to choose Physician assisted suicide? This phenomenal dilemma has risen debates on rather to legalize PAS or keep it illegal because of the different issues concerning the different religion, moral and ethical views people have on the topic. In this essay I will discuss issues of why many people and I believe assisted suicide should be legalized. There are different laws around the world concerning physician assisted suicide and only a few states that has legalized the procedure. In 2005, there were only four places in the world that open and legally authorize assistance in dying patients: “Oregon (since l997, physician-assisted suicide only); Switzerland (1941, physician and non-physician assisted suicide only); Belgium (2002, permits 'euthanasia' but does not define the method and the Netherlands (voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide...
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...| Assisted Suicide | Canadian Studies | | | 12/3/2012 | | Rebecca Miller Canadian Studies 302-4:30-6:00 December 3, 2012 Canada Assisted Suicide Most places in the world have some sort of law about Euthanasia or physician-assisted Suicide. In Canada, it is against the law for a physician to aid a person in ending their own life (Criminal Code of Canada states in section 241(b ). Assisted Suicide is defined as suicide facilitated by another person, especially a physician, who organizes the logistics of the suicide, as by proving the necessary quantities of a poison. There are many people that are for and against assisted suicide; that is why this issue remains a sensitive and complex issue for many. Currently in Canada the books on both passive euthanasia (withholding of life-preserving procedures) and active euthanasia (assisted suicide) both forms are illegal. Recently in July, 2012 a British Columbia Supreme Court overturned the criminal code for Assisted Suicide citing that it unfairly infringes on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court has given a reprieve to the legislature for a challenge or change in the law before it goes into effect. I will discuss both sides of the issue of Assisted Suicide and the relevant cases that came before the Canadian Courts past and the case that eventually swayed the Supreme Court to reverse the laws of the land. It used to be easy to define when one was dead, either when ones heart stop beating...
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...Andrea Castro 20526307 Nov 11, 2014 ENGL 109 The Legalization of Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide Physician assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia are topics which are currently debated in many parts of the world. Physician assisted suicide is when someone takes their own life with the aid of another person, usually a physician. (Weir, 1997, 8) Voluntary euthanasia is when a physician takes their patient’s life with the patient’s complete consent. (Tulloch, 2005, 33) There is no reason why the aforementioned procedures should remain illegal. The opposition strongly believes that euthanasia will provide many benefits and solve many problems when it is first legalized, but as time goes on, these processes will be utilized in a malicious or incorrect fashion leading to involuntary deaths. (Schuklenk, et al, 2011, 147) Despite this claim, if euthanasia is not legalized, it will go against the fundamental rights we have as Canadian citizens or even citizens of the world. In particular, Canadian citizens have the right to their own decisions described in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These include bodily integrity, accepting medical treatment and most importantly, individual autonomy. (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982). Criminalizing the ability of taking our own lives would contradict the freedoms we have. There are three criteria which a person who would like to be euthanized must meet: the individual must have the mental capacity to make the...
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...SHOULD EUTHANASIA BE LEGALIZED IN INDIA? Table of Contents I. Abstract 2 II. Introduction 2 III. The Legal and Social Position in India 5 III.1 Religious Views on the issue of euthanasia 7 IV. Legal and Social Position in Canada 8 V. Comparative Analysis 13 VI. Stance of the medical practitioners as per the medical ethics 15 VII. Conclusion 15 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...
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...Fate in Our Hands Assisted suicide is a controversial topic, sparking up questions and debates on whether it should be legal, or not. I argue that it should be legalized, it would be beneficial to some individuals because it would allow people with terminal illnesses to plan and prepare for their deaths, rather than go through pain and suffering, and the fear of not knowing when you could die. Assisted suicide, also commonly known as death with dignity, was created so that people could hold the power over their illness and be the ones to control the last moments of their life. I am not arguing that all people who are sick or ill should be allowed to participate in assisted suicide, we need to determine in what circumstances it would be appropriate. Who are we to say that someone has no right to a choice if they are suffering? However, before anything, we need to understand the difference between two terms; assisted suicide and euthanasia. Assisted suicide is “suicide committed with the aid of another person, sometimes a physician” (ahdictionary.com). Euthanasia is defined as “the act or practice of ending the life of a person or animal having a terminal illness or a medical condition that causes suffering perceived as incompatible with an acceptable quality of life, as by lethal injection or the suspension of certain medical treatments” (ahdictionary.com). While these sound like very similar terms, they are two completely different things. In assisted suicide the doctor consults...
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...Sue Rodriguez was a 42 year old woman living in B.C. who was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a terminal illness that caused her a lot of pain and suffering (Smith, 1993.) She wanted to end her life with the assistance of a qualified physician. However, Section 241(b) of the Criminal Code made assisted suicide an indictable offence (Smith, 1993.) She said “if I cannot give consent to my own death, whose body is this? Who owns my life?” and was inspired to work to change the law (Smith, 1993.) Sue Rodriguez put in a lot of time and effort to try to change the law. She applied to the Supreme Court of British Columbia for an order declaring s. 241(b) invalid under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Smith, 1993.) The B.C. court dismissed her application so she then appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada (Smith, 1993.) In the Supreme Court of Canada, Sue Rodriguez argued that s. 241(b) violates sections 7, 12, and 15 of the Charter (Smith, 1993.) Section 7 of the Charter granted her right to life, liberty, and security of person (Smith, 1993.) She argued that s. 241(b) prohibited a person from aiding her to end her life when she could not do so without assistance, thus depriving her of liberty (Smith, 1993.) She was also deprived of her security of the person because s. 241(b) deprived her of her ability to control decisions about her body which caused her physical pain and psychological stress (Smith, 1993.) Sue Rodriguez also argued that s. 12 of the...
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...seek for suicide assistance in form of prescriptions for lethal drugs to help them terminate their lives. Such patients have undergone extreme pain that they are left with no options rather to beg to die. This is an illusion to some critics who preach about the sanctity of life. This paper intends to explore on legalizing Physician Assisted Suicide for terminally ill patients with certain guidelines. Introduction According to Birnbacher (2008), the question of legalizing physician assisted suicide still generates great debate. These two scholars have added their voice to the debate by stressing that physician assisted suicide should be permissible medical caregivers. This should only be possible under certain and considerable conditions. Manning (1998) also argued that some diseases are quite traumatizing. The patients tend to face extreme suffering that even doctors can seldom extend their olive branch. For instance, when an individual is suffering from incurable syndromes that press them to the extreme throughout their life, then euthanasia should be allowed (Snyder, 2002). This showed that physician assisted suicide could relieve such patients from the suffering. Based on the debate on physical assisted suicide, the proponents of the debate have appealed for legalizing physical assisted suicide. Their arguments have basically been founded on principle of autonomy (Birnbacher, 2008). The supporters have maintained that terminally ill patients should be provided...
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...Assisted Death for the Terminally Ill – Yes or No? (2012, October 20). Over my dead body; Assisted suicide. The Economist, 405(8807), 55(US). This article recognizes the increasing acceptance of assisted suicide amongst the public and across the world. Despite so, there are still groups of people who are apprehensive about legalizing euthanasia as they are worried that it may have negative implications. The article gives a detailed description of the requirements that must be met before a person is allowed to go through with assisted suicide. It also uses data to prove that safety measures put in place are being followed and there is barely any abuse of the law in places that legalize assisted suicide. Although voluntary euthanasia is still considered as murder, many doctors in Europe give patients or their family the choice of proceeding with treatment or undergoing passive euthanasia. The article also talks about the possible reasons why people opt for assisted suicide, including loss of independence, dignity, and more. The use of statistics shows that substantial research has been done by the author to prove his point, confirming it is a good source to support the legalization of assisted suicide. As “The Economist” is a reputable magazine, this source is credible and is unlikely to publish articles without prior research. Cassity, S. A. (2009). To Die or Not To Die: The History and Future of Assisted Suicide Laws in the U.S. Utah Law Review, 2009 (2), 515-523...
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...Physician-assisted suicide is best defined as the patient’s voluntary choice to take their own life by ingesting lethal medication prescribed by a doctor. The terms euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are often used interchangeably; however, there are differences in these two practices. As clarified by the Right to Die Societies, euthanasia requires an active role in the patient’s death, such as an injection administered by a medical professional. Physician-assisted suicide is best defined as an inactive role. The physician writes a prescription that would ultimately terminate the life of the patient (worldrtd.net). The medication is specifically adapted to precipitate death and to minimize suffering. This controversial topic has been highly debated across the world. As enumerated by Stacey Burling in her article, laws to legalize physician-assisted suicide have already been enacted in 5 states across the U.S.: Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, and California. Euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide is also legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg,...
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...disease. Many people agree with the idea of euthanasia as it can help those who are suffering be stripped of all the pain they are enduring. Whereas, others disagree with the idea of euthanasia because they believe the patient should have a chance to be treated and regain their health instead of choosing the “instant death” route and it may increase the number of assisted suicides. Euthanasia has been made legal in several places around the world such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, India, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Japan and Canada. The only U.S. states that have legalized euthanasia are Washington, Oregon, Colorado, California, Washington D.C., Vermont and Montana (“Legality of...
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...THE CHURCH, EUTHANASIA and ASSISTED SUICIDE Euthanasia also known as “mercy killing” and assisted suicide are worldwide controversial issues. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word euthanasia comes from Greek, meaning easy death (eu: easy, thanatos: death). Euthanasia means to end the life of a person who is terminally ill or suffering from severe pain, in a deliberate way. At the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) webpage, in the section Ethics guides, under the title of Forms of Euthanasia, Religions and Death? (2009), different types of euthanasia are described, such as indirect, active, passive, voluntary, involuntary and non voluntary. On the other hand, assisted suicide is usually performed with the help of a health professional; that is why; it is usually called Physician Assisted Suicide (or PAS). The main controversy is over the different opinions on whether it is the sick patient’s decision or if it is a legal, ethical or religious issue to be considered by a third party. In order to practice assisted suicide in a country where it is legal, many factors should be present, such as the moral and religious beliefs of the patient and the physician or the patient’s family and the physician, as well as the legislation of the country where it is going to be carried out. At present, in countries where euthanasia is not legalized yet, it is very difficult to obtain legal permission to practice it. As regards the ethical...
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...reasons for the administration of this. The act of intentionally killing a human being in the name of euthanasia is an act of omission, being for the benefit of the individual. If the death was not intentional, it cannot be defined as euthanasia. Different types of Euthanasia are as follows: * Voluntary euthanasia: The individual who was killed had requested to be killed * Non-voluntary euthanasia: The individual who was killed made no request to be killed, and the choice for the euthanasia was either passed on to a family member, loved one or a clinical physician who has decided that euthanasia was necessary * Involuntary euthanasia: The individual who was killed had made an expressed wish to the contrary of euthanasia * Assisted suicide: The individual is provided guidance, information and the means to take his or her own life. When this is done in a hospital, it is called “physician assisted suicide” * Euthanasia by Action: The intentional action causing a person’s death, such as administering a lethal injection * Euthanasia by Omission: The individual is not provided any necessary or ordinary care such as food or water; this leads to their death of malnutrition and starvation (Gielen, Van Den Branden & Broeckaert, 2009). A common argument in connection with euthanasia is in regards to the Bible. The sixth commandment of the Bible states: “Thou shalt not kill”. The commandment does...
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...ETHICS: THE TRUTH BEHIND END OF LIFE MATTER 2 Medical Ethics: The truth behind end of life matter When it comes to death and dying, the medical processes of these notions are highly controversial in ethical means. All forms of end of life are illegal in Canada, whether it is voluntary/non-voluntary euthanasia, assisted suicide, and some cases of refusal of treatment. These procedures affect someone who is terminally ill, undergoing a disease, experiencing severe,...
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...didn't know how to load one. If you do it yourself, you don't know what you're doing.'' KEVORKIAN: ''Were you tired or apprehensive when you tried it yourself?'' WANTZ: ''No. People say, 'Hang in there. ... ' (But) when you're in my shoes, then you tell me what to do. Until you are, don't tell me what to do.'' (Castaneda) The foregoing conversation took place and was recorded on October 22, 1991, between Doctor Jack Kevorkian, 63, (later nicknamed as “Dr. Death” due to his notorious physician-assisted suicide practice) and Marjorie Wantz, 58, who had sought his help in ending her life and continuous pain from the incurable disease she had. Wantz fulfilled her wish on the next day when she died while being linked to one of Kevorkian’s ''suicide machines''. This incident once again raised a heated debate whether euthanasia should be legalized, and whether doctors assisting in patient’s voluntary death should be freed of charges. In 1995 Special Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide defined euthanasia as “the deliberate act undertaken by one person with the intention of ending the life of another person in order to relieve that person’s suffering” (Law and Government Division). Despite the undeniable advantages of modern medicine in terms of prolonging life of terminally ill people, it also prolongs their suffering since at the late stages of some fatal diseases even strongest medications can hardly suppress excruciating pain. With no hope that in the near future...
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