Pro Euthanasia Essay Example
When someone is inevitably dying and in inexplicable pain is it really a crime to grant their wishes and end their suffering? As of right now euthanasia is illegal in many countries and is a very controversial topic. Is it compassion for the patient helping them in ending their life or murder? The doctor is not giving death as an option, it is the patients choice and even where it is legal there are many rules. Euthanasia should not be considered a crime because the patient is not being murdered; they are having their suffering end in a painless, humane way out of compassion for the patient and their family.
Euthanasia is defined by the World Book Millennium 2000 encyclopaedia as, “the practise of painlessly ending the lives of people who have incurable, painful, or distressing diseases or handicaps” (Thomas 421). There are two types of euthanasia: active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia involves using a method such as lethal injection or prescriptions of drugs. Passive euthanasia is when life sustaining medication or treatment is withdrawn (Thomas 421) There is also voluntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is when the patient makes their wishes clear and tells the doctor or multiple doctors that they wish to have their lives ended and are aware of the circumstances. Non-voluntary euthanasia however is a little different and it is not that the patient wishes to live but that they cannot make their own choice such as if the person is in a coma, too young, senile, extensive mental retardation, severely brain damaged, or the person is deeply disturbed. In these situations the patient is not able to make their own decision and it is on the family or the care taker to make the decision (“Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal” Internet). Euthanasia is used in situations where the patient is dying of an incurable and painful illness such as cancer, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, AIDS, and many others.
Euthanasia is defined by the World Book Millennium 2000 encyclopaedia as, “the practise of painlessly ending the lives of people who have incurable, painful, or distressing diseases or handicaps” (Thomas 421). There are two types of euthanasia: active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia involves using a method such as lethal injection or prescriptions of drugs. Passive euthanasia is when life sustaining medication or treatment is withdrawn (Thomas 421) There is also voluntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is when the patient makes their wishes clear and tells the doctor or multiple doctors that they wish to have their lives ended and are aware of the circumstances. Non-voluntary euthanasia however is a little different and it is not that the patient wishes to live but that they cannot make their own choice such as if the person is in a coma, too young, senile, extensive mental retardation, severely brain damaged, or the person is deeply disturbed. In these situations the patient is not able to make their own decision and it is on the family or the care taker to make the decision (“Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal” Internet). Euthanasia is used in situations where the patient is dying of an incurable and painful illness such as cancer, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, AIDS, and many others.