Pros And Cons Of Active Euthanasia

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of 2004 defines euthanasia as the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from terminal illness or an incurable condition as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment. But how could anyone pick a side on this topic? You either think it is all right or not right at all. The sides of this debate are equally divided, and both make good points that come with it.
In her book, Euthanasia, Sunni Bloyd defines euthanasia as "the taking of a human life, either one's own or that of another person. The person must be suffering from a disease or condition from which they are not expected to recover. The action must be deliberate and intentional." In active euthanasia,
According to Melinda Lee, M.D. in an article for the New England Journal of Medicine, "1375 (Oregon) physicians (50%) were not confident that they could predict that a patient had less than six months to live. Moreover, 761 (28%) indicated that they were not confident they could recognize depression in a patient who requested a prescription for a lethal dose of medication" (Marker). The Journal of the American Medical Association also did a survey regarding physicians' attitudes. A questionnaire was mailed in February 1999 to Oregon physicians eligible to prescribe under the Death with Dignity Oregon act. Of the 3981 physicians, 2461 (66%) returned the questionnaire. Only 73 physicians indicated that they were willing to write a lethal prescription. Of those, 27% were not confident they could determine whether or not a patient had less than six months to live (Oregon Physicians). Since the law has been passed in Oregon, an HMO has actually had to solicit doctors willing to give a lethal overdose. Kaiser Permanente had to resort to sending out a memo to 829 physicians asking them to submit their name to a Kaiser administrator if they were willing to give a lethal overdose to patients. The memo complained that the Ethics Service could not find a physician to give deadly drugs to a patient who was suffering and dying for three weeks (HMO Seeks). One has to wonder why the patient was not adequately
In recent years, many of us have witnessed the emphasis placed on insurance companies trying to contain cost. Euthanasia and assisted suicide could certainly become an area in which society will try to save costs. Drugs for assisted suicide cost about $45 compared to the $40,000(or more) to provide suicidal patient with proper care (Marker). In the U.S., millions of people have no insurance. For those people who have no insurance, euthanasia or assisted suicide might be chosen as it represents an affordable option. They might not want to leave their family with astronomical medical bills after their death. Many people might not have thought of the correlation between assisted suicide and the strain in healthcare budgets. It is chilling to think of the