Euthanasia In Today's Society
Your wife of 50 years is suddenly diagnosed with a terminal disease. She lies
in a bed, motionless and unaware of her surroundings. The medication to ease
her pain has been wearing off. She just lies there in pain and unable to
communicate with the outside world. The doctors give her a month to live at the
most. What would you do? Would you let her sit in a hospital bed in agonizing
pain for the last few months of her life, or do you help to prematurely meet her
God? That is the topic of discussion in this paper: Euthanasia.
Let's start by defining the term. Euthanasia is also referred to as "mercy
killing." That is the killing of someone for their own good due to the pain and
suffering they are enduring. Euthanasia also includes situations where the
individual who is suffering makes the decision to die, a type of suicide
actually. In today's world there are two types of euthanasia that are most
common. The first are people who, perhaps because of serious illness or perhaps
for reasons unrelated to their illness, are extremely depressed and say that
they want to die (Johanson 1). Research has shown that the vast majority of
these people are just asking for sympathy and don't really want to die but
rather hear the calls of there loved ones begging them not to go on with the
procedure. They want the attempt to fail. The second type of euthanasia involve
people who are suffering from an illness that makes them unable to communicate
(Johanson 2). These type of people are those who are in comas, paralyzed, or
simply so sick that they cannot make meaningful sounds or other communication
(Johanson 2). This is a much more accepted type of euthanasia. Especially in
the Netherlands where Euthanasia is more common then the United States. There
are two sides to attack this issue from. One being from the view of the
Catholic Church and the other from a legal standpoint. Lets start with the
legal standpoint. Who has the right... [continues]
Your wife of 50 years is suddenly diagnosed with a terminal disease. She lies
in a bed, motionless and unaware of her surroundings. The medication to ease
her pain has been wearing off. She just lies there in pain and unable to
communicate with the outside world. The doctors give her a month to live at the
most. What would you do? Would you let her sit in a hospital bed in agonizing
pain for the last few months of her life, or do you help to prematurely meet her
God? That is the topic of discussion in this paper: Euthanasia.
Let's start by defining the term. Euthanasia is also referred to as "mercy
killing." That is the killing of someone for their own good due to the pain and
suffering they are enduring. Euthanasia also includes situations where the
individual who is suffering makes the decision to die, a type of suicide
actually. In today's world there are two types of euthanasia that are most
common. The first are people who, perhaps because of serious illness or perhaps
for reasons unrelated to their illness, are extremely depressed and say that
they want to die (Johanson 1). Research has shown that the vast majority of
these people are just asking for sympathy and don't really want to die but
rather hear the calls of there loved ones begging them not to go on with the
procedure. They want the attempt to fail. The second type of euthanasia involve
people who are suffering from an illness that makes them unable to communicate
(Johanson 2). These type of people are those who are in comas, paralyzed, or
simply so sick that they cannot make meaningful sounds or other communication
(Johanson 2). This is a much more accepted type of euthanasia. Especially in
the Netherlands where Euthanasia is more common then the United States. There
are two sides to attack this issue from. One being from the view of the
Catholic Church and the other from a legal standpoint. Lets start with the
legal standpoint. Who has the right... [continues]
Cite This Essay
- APA
-
(1999, 10). Euthanasia in Today's Society. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 10, 1999, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Euthanasia-Todays-Society-3510.html
- MLA
-
"Euthanasia in Today's Society" StudyMode.com. 10 1999. 10 1999 <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Euthanasia-Todays-Society-3510.html>.
- CHICAGO
-
"Euthanasia in Today's Society." StudyMode.com. 10, 1999. Accessed 10, 1999. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Euthanasia-Todays-Society-3510.html.
