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Mercy Killing

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Mercy Killing
James Palmer

Jason Witt

Writing 2

November 11, 2010

Mercy killing is it justifiable?

There are many perspectives on the issue of mercy killing and if it’s justifiable. Mercy killing is the killing of another human being. As this issue is closely monitored we see that, euthanasia involves the ethics of doctor’s practices, and many other problems that may come up in this controversial issue. Three main perspectives are mercy killing is not justifiable for any reason, mercy killing is justifiable, and mercy killing is justifiable to a certain degree.
The mercy killing issue has been brought up in many articles. Some articles are pertaining to military personnel. Other articles are according to health circumstances. Also some information can be gathered throughout several cases in federal and lower courts. These articles seem to come more frequently though when wars appear. When the most recent wars, the Iraq and Afghanistan war came about there were several articles published about this very issue of mercy killing.
First of all, we see the different sides of the issue, as is related to mercy killing, euthanasia is one such word strongly used. Euthanasia is used to describe mercy killing it is interpreted by the following: “Euthanasia is the act of killing someone painlessly (someone suffering from incurable disease)” (Word net web Princeton). Involuntary euthanasia is “euthanasia conducted without the explicit consent of the individual concerned” (Word net web Princeton). The medical dictionary term for euthanasia is “the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment”(Medical-Dictionary).
Mercy killing is a decision many people face today. Throughout the years there have been cases within the military with this very issue, and cases involving other people. Some of these cases that come up a lot involve


Cited: Albertson, Tory. "Counterpoint: Euthanasia: Mercy Killing or Murder?." Vanguard University of South Alabama (2010): 1. Web. 15 Nov 2010. . "Newspapers:Mercy Killing." Times 16 August 1966: 1-4. Web. 15 Nov 2010.
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