Preview

Positive Arguments for Euthanasia: Touching on ethical views and the views of terminally ill patients

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
510 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Positive Arguments for Euthanasia: Touching on ethical views and the views of terminally ill patients
Euthanasia: The merciful alternative

"There is a time to be born and a time to die... a time to kill and a time to heal... a time to search and a time to give up."(Ecclesiastes 3:2a, 3a, 6a) Euthanasia enthusiasts would agree with this quote. Euthanasia is a word that can be defined as the intentional termination of life by another at the explicit request of the person who dies. (Webster's dictionary) The purpose of this essay is to fortify the positive role of euthanasia by explaining why it is that terminally ill patients consider euthanasia an option and what the ethical views concerning this issue are.

The main reason for which people consider ending their life through euthanasia is because they are terminally ill. Terminally ill patients are those who have been diagnosed with a progressive degenerative disease for which there is not a known cure. These diseases include those such as Multiple Sclerosis, AIDS, Huntington's Disease, or Alzheimer's Disease. There are three things that motivate terminally ill patients to end their life. The first reason being that they do not want to diminish their assets by incurring large medical expenses as their death approaches, and as an act of generosity they would rather die sooner, leaving their beneficiaries their assets. The second reason that one may consider euthanasia is that when they realize death is near, they wish to have total control over the process. In addition when a person relies on continuous care from another person, they feel that they have lost their independence, which can be considered as a loss of personal dignity. (www.religioustolerance.org)

Binner 2

There are two interesting ethical issues pertaining to euthanasia. The first issue examined is the Physician's Oath, which states, "Follow that system of regimen which, according to [his] ability and judgment, [he] consider[s] for the benefit of [his] patients."(Hippocrates) Which translated to the idea that if a patient feels the need to end their

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    With that being said, there are two main types of euthanasia called active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia describes actively attempting to end a patient’s life by means of drugs or a lethal injection. Passive euthanasia is defined as removing or withholding a medicine or treatment that could have prolonged the patient’s life. Recently, there has been much debate on whether or not passive euthanasia is as morally wrong as active euthanasia. Some claim that passive euthanasia is not a direct violation of the basic good of human life, therefore it is morally permissible. They declare active euthanasia, on the other hand, is a direct violation, and therefore is not morally permissible. I will concede that this statement is technically true in a few rare situations, but in the majority of passive euthanasia cases, the patient is being taken off life support because he is tired of living and simply wants to die. And if that is the case, who’s to tell some terminally ill patient that he’s just going to have to live out his remaining days off treatment in pain and without hope. If a terminal patient wants to die, he should be accommodated not simply ignored. If some patients would like to refuse treatment, and live out the rest of their days naturally, that’s their decision too. It’s the patient’s life. Doctors should act on the requests of their patients, not what…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Euthanasia means “good death” but today the term is deemed as a merciful action to rid someone of suffering. In many cases we have seen terminally ill patients euthanized active or passive, yet for the sake of my essay I will discuss active euthanasia. End of life issues is a topic many families are faced with everyday more than one likes to imagine; however, imagine that you were a significant other who has a loved one in the hospital suffering from a terminal illness and their pain is unbearable that your loved one has decided to end his life and the subject of euthanasia comes up. What would you do? The…

    • 1769 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Euthanasia saves people from pain and suffering while dying. Richard Nicholas in his article “a quick and painless death” (euthanasia), reveal different real stories of patients who were given dozens of painkillers and muscle relaxants that eventually cause death of a person. Nicholas in his article clearly state that desire of death for a patient who is suffering from an incurable disease for a long time, is normal. Before the act of euthanasia, doctors apply resuscitative effort even when they know that patient is…

    • 85 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reg Crew Euthanasia

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The main argument for euthanasia to be legal is that many people believe that everyone should have the right to decide when they want to die. Many argue that because we can determine the course of our lives by our own free will, we have the right to live our lives and determine our own course. It then follows that we also have as human beings, the fundamental right to determine how we die. The argument of people who are very anti-euthanasia is that euthanasia is immoral because life must be preserved and protected. For something to be immoral, it would have to violate moral laws or norms. The preservation of life is, however, the decision of the patient who has full control and not the physician.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Research Paper on Euthanasia

    • 2719 Words
    • 11 Pages

    One of the most hotly debated ethical issue of our time is one of Euthanasia. Euthanasia comes from the Greek words “Eu”, meaning well or easy, and “Thanatos”, meaning death. In modern terms it is the intentional premature termination of another’s life by direct intervention or by withholding care.[1] Within that it can be either voluntary (expressed or implied consent), or involuntary. The two sides of this debate are the rights of an individual to decide when he or she is to die, or the sanctity of life and the states responsibility to protect people.…

    • 2719 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia is very controversial and in most countries illegal. Even though it is illegal there are a lot of people who think that it should be legalized. Euthanasia is when a medical professional administers medicine that will end the patient`s life. People would make the option to have this done if they were suffering or if they had someone in their life who come make the decision for them when they could not , then that person would. This would put them out of their misery and they would pass away shortly after.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In at least some cases, active euthanasia promotes the best interest of everyone concerned and violates no one’s rights, therefore, at least in some cases, active euthanasia is morally permissible.” (RSL/Rachels, EL 249) This is the strongest argument for active euthanasia in my opinion. Those who oppose this argument may claim that euthanasia is not in the best interests of all parties involved. The parties referenced are usually the friends/family/doctors and their grief over the situation or even the hospital and its shareholders losing money from the patient. First off, any person who wants to keep a family member alive who is in extreme pain for the sole reason of wanting to prolong being able to interact with them or to offset their own period of suffering following the family member’s death is incredibly selfish. The logical conclusion would be that family and friends of the patient would be relieved by their quick and early passing because of the avoidance of a month of suffering. Yes, of course the family and friends of the patient will experience emotional trauma from the passing of their loved one, but in due time the loved one you will pass whether they like it or not. Second, when it comes to financial losses to the hospital and its shareholders, those who would put monetary gain over the wellbeing of another human being have…

    • 1542 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Euthanasia Ethical Dilemma

    • 2102 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Euthanasia is a social issue in today’s world because not only does it affect the lives of those who are terminally ill and/or comatose, and the physicians who have been entrusted with their care, but it also affects the patient’s ability to have control over their own life, whether they are aware of this decision or not, which is one of the reasons why euthanasia has become such a controversial issue around the globe. Caddell and Newton (1995) define euthanasia as “any treatment initiated by a physician with the intent of hastening the death of another human being who is terminally ill and in severe pain or distress with the motive of relieving that person from great suffering” (p. 1,672). Even though the concept of great…

    • 2102 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Euthanasia and more specifically physician assisted suicide is an ethical dilemma facing our society today as more and more of our citizens live longer. I will explain the ethical dilemma for physicians in the process of physician assisted suicide and why some physicians have chosen to ignore ethics and proceed with their heart and mind to assist patients based on the needs of the patient.…

    • 2076 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Hippocrates the father of modern medicine stated “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel”: clearly he opposed the practice of euthanasia, known later in modern society as “assisted suicide.” The debate regarding Euthanasia or assisted suicide has been a subject that has been examined, discussed and ethically dissected for thousands of years. Early Roman and Greek cultures regarded euthanasia as an acceptable practice, both societies sharing the opinion that “there is no need to preserve the life of someone who has no interest in living.” Centuries later, as a result of shifting morals and values, assisted suicide has become an issue of the ethics of quality vs. the sanctity of life as well as one that conflicts with religion and politics (Keelan, 2006). When religion and politics are removed from the debate of assisted suicide, what remains is the desire of a terminally ill individual to choose to end their pain and suffering, to die of their own choosing with dignity and peace, to obtain a “good death.”…

    • 2913 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Right To Die Controversy

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Who are we to say when we should die? Are we trying to play God, or do we just want the right to end the inevitable a little sooner than God’s plan for us? This paper will discuss pros and cons of euthanasia with stories and research. Such as the case of a ninety five year old comma patient, whose family receives the news that she could live for months, years even in a vegetative state on life support; leaving the family questioning whether or not to pull the plug and put an end to what otherwise would be like the “death of a hundred deaths.”…

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After being diagnosed with debilitating diseases, such as one of the multiple forms of cancer or being in a Persistent Vegetative State, (PVS), many consider euthanasia to end the suffering of that individual. Euthanasia is defined as "the act of painlessly ending the lives of individuals who are suffering from an incurable disease or severe disability" (Santrock, 2012). The whole idea of euthanasia is to end the pain and suffering of a person instead of letting them go through the rest of their life awaiting a slow, painful, and oftentimes, undignified death.…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Euthanasia contradicts the main reason of being a physician. Doctors are known to be healers not killers and this could cause ethical issues. In Kirk Johnson’s letter on behalf of the American Medical Association (AMA) he addresses how euthanasia would make a negative impact. “The involvement of physicians in euthanasia heightens the significance of its ethical prohibition. The physician who performs euthanasia assumes unique responsibility for the act of ending the patient's life. Euthanasia could also readily be extended to incompetent patients and other vulnerable populations. Instead of engaging in euthanasia, physicians must aggressively respond to the needs of patients at the end of life. Patients should not be abandoned once it is determined that cure is impossible. Patients near the end of life must continue to receive emotional support, comfort care, adequate pain control, respect for patient autonomy, and good communication.” He stated an alternative to the suicide, which was that physicians should get the patient ready for his death and make him feel comfortable rather than just ending his…

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This essay will discuss the topic of euthanasia which according to the NHS is “the act of deliberately ending a person’s life to relieve suffering.” The arguments from both sides are strong and passionate. I believe that people should have the choice to end their own lives if they are suffering from an incurable pain that will slowly kill them. However, this is where the arguments start “what if the person is in a coma and he or she can’t choose to end it?”, “what if he or she is pressured into it” these are valid arguments and there is no question that when it comes to this topic the waters get muddy so to speak. Personally, I believe that it should be within the rights of a person to end their suffering.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Antigone

    • 1169 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Euthanasia is a topic that is rarely covered in the news. The moral ramifications of killing someone, even for the sake of mercy, seems too heavy of a topic for in depth discussion. No one wants to think about the day they will die, however when someone becomes terminally ill it can soon become their only thought. When pain and suffering enter this scenario, the option of ending a life more quickly may also enter the thought process. According to Life and Hope Network “9% of all deaths in America are caused by Euthanasia” 1 We are given the gift of life at birth. I believe Euthanasia is a violation of the most precious gift we are given… life…

    • 1169 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays