Euthanasia and the Giver

Is Euthanasia a right or a privilege? “Euthanasia advocates stress the cases of unbearable pain as reasons for euthanasia” (Euthanasia.com). This means that euthanasia would be a privilege but is illegal. Extreme pain would cause humans to request for their own death, this is when assisted suicide comes to play. Euthanasia can be performed in many different ways for many different reasons. Euthanasia is defined as “The intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit” (Euthanasia.com). Euthanasia by action is described as “Intentionally causing a person's death by performing an action such as by giving a lethal injection” (Euthanasia.com). A lethal amount of pills is another way Euthanasia can be performed by action. Active euthanasia minimizes the suffering of a person. Doctors are trained to do everything possible to preserve life but euthanasia can be legalized for some cases. Doctors sometimes use medical techniques that speeds up death in order to end or shorten their patients suffering. Not providing enough food or medical treatment is another type of euthanasia. Intentional killing by omission is just another way euthanasia is done. Intentional killing by omission is described as “Intentionally causing death by not providing necessary and ordinary (usual and customary) care or food and water” (Euthanasia.com). A patient has the right to refuse medical treatment, even if it results in the shorting of life, is legally permissible in most western countries. Someone in a comma or persistent vegetative state could be kept alive by machine or killed by taking them off the machine and letting nature take its course. In that specific case the costly bill would not be so extreme. People request euthanasia for their own benefit. Incurable disease such as cancer, Schizophrenia, and many others could push a human being to their limit. Terminally ill is considered having less than six

Cited: Andrew Gordon "Euthanasia Suicide Mercy-Killing Right-To-Die Physician Assisted Suicide Living Wills Research ." Euthanasia Suicide Mercy-Killing Right-To-Die Physician Assisted Suicide Living Wills Research . N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2011. . Jussim, Daniel. Euthanasia: The "Right To Die" issue. Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1993. Print. Lowry, Lois. The Giver . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print. Titmus, Dawn. "Euthanasia." Ethics and Values. volume 3 ed. 1999. Print. Van Der Heide, Agnes, Van Delden, Johannes J M, Van Der Wal, Gerrit. "Docter-Assisted Dying: What Difference Does Legalisation Make?" December 2004 24-25 Medicine, Crime, Punishment