Active Euthanasia Pros And Cons Essay
1. What arguments favor active euthanasia by physicians, and what arguments oppose the practice?
Active euthanasia occurs when a “physician directly administers the causes of death” as requested by the patient, in order to end the patient’s life (Weiss & Lonnquist, 2015). Active euthanasia is a highly debated and mostly illegal practice in the United States. Currently, only four states have decided to allow physician-assisted suicide or active euthanasia. Some individuals support the ideology that terminally ill individuals should have the right to end their suffering in a virtually painless way. Supporters suggest that allowing the physician to participate will make the death more peaceful and painless for the patient. However, other individuals …show more content…
One argument against physician-assisted suicide is that it goes against the ethical principles of being a doctor. However, a counter argument is that physician-assisted suicide is the only way the doctor could help a patient who is in severe pain and is nearing death anyway. Another argument is that the individuals are suffering from depression and that is why they want to participate in physician-assisted suicide. The people who support physician-assisted suicide acknowledge the importance of regulations, one being that the patient must be of sound mind and capability (2015).
3. Should the United States adopt the Dutch policy?
The United States should continue to allow individual states to decide if they would like to adopt the practice of physician-assisted suicide or active euthanasia. The arguments for and against the practice make several thought-provoking points, which should be taken into consideration as the states make their decisions. Sadly, even if the majority of states decide against physician-assisted suicide people might try to harm themselves and end up in a worse situation or dying in a more painful way than if they received help from a doctor.
4. What would be the social ramifications of adopting this
Active euthanasia occurs when a “physician directly administers the causes of death” as requested by the patient, in order to end the patient’s life (Weiss & Lonnquist, 2015). Active euthanasia is a highly debated and mostly illegal practice in the United States. Currently, only four states have decided to allow physician-assisted suicide or active euthanasia. Some individuals support the ideology that terminally ill individuals should have the right to end their suffering in a virtually painless way. Supporters suggest that allowing the physician to participate will make the death more peaceful and painless for the patient. However, other individuals …show more content…
One argument against physician-assisted suicide is that it goes against the ethical principles of being a doctor. However, a counter argument is that physician-assisted suicide is the only way the doctor could help a patient who is in severe pain and is nearing death anyway. Another argument is that the individuals are suffering from depression and that is why they want to participate in physician-assisted suicide. The people who support physician-assisted suicide acknowledge the importance of regulations, one being that the patient must be of sound mind and capability (2015).
3. Should the United States adopt the Dutch policy?
The United States should continue to allow individual states to decide if they would like to adopt the practice of physician-assisted suicide or active euthanasia. The arguments for and against the practice make several thought-provoking points, which should be taken into consideration as the states make their decisions. Sadly, even if the majority of states decide against physician-assisted suicide people might try to harm themselves and end up in a worse situation or dying in a more painful way than if they received help from a doctor.
4. What would be the social ramifications of adopting this