Euthanasia Persuasive Essay
Sometimes Life Gets Tough
Alexus Hughes
5/18/12
Honors Biology
3rd hour Throughout the history of the entire world, things have constantly been changing. Societies have been created and flourished, humans evolved, new technologies have been created, and new theories discovered. However, with so many advancements in the human world, there are some things that cannot be stopped from happening or change. Organisms can get an illness at any moment in their lives from many different causes. Some illnesses cannot be cured, can cause unbearable symptoms or pain, and can cause you to lose your life, such as cancer. If a person is terminally ill, their illness will be the cause of their death no matter how much treatment is received. Certain illnesses and diseases cause a lot of pain such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, pancreatic cancer, and Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Radiation treatments for cancer cause patients suffering from that disease to experience a great deal of pain also.
Sometimes the pain from terminal illnesses or diseases is too unbearable for the patient to want to live, and they want to be released from the illness’ painful clutch. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are two ways to end the life of a person. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (Merriam-Webster), also defined by the Oxford dictionary as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. In places where euthanasia is allowed, it is only legal when it is voluntary active euthanasia, or the intentionally administering medication or other interventions to cause patient’s death at the explicit request and with fully informed consent. Physician-assisted suicide is suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or by information (as an indication of a lethal
Alexus Hughes
5/18/12
Honors Biology
3rd hour Throughout the history of the entire world, things have constantly been changing. Societies have been created and flourished, humans evolved, new technologies have been created, and new theories discovered. However, with so many advancements in the human world, there are some things that cannot be stopped from happening or change. Organisms can get an illness at any moment in their lives from many different causes. Some illnesses cannot be cured, can cause unbearable symptoms or pain, and can cause you to lose your life, such as cancer. If a person is terminally ill, their illness will be the cause of their death no matter how much treatment is received. Certain illnesses and diseases cause a lot of pain such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, pancreatic cancer, and Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Radiation treatments for cancer cause patients suffering from that disease to experience a great deal of pain also.
Sometimes the pain from terminal illnesses or diseases is too unbearable for the patient to want to live, and they want to be released from the illness’ painful clutch. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are two ways to end the life of a person. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (Merriam-Webster), also defined by the Oxford dictionary as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. In places where euthanasia is allowed, it is only legal when it is voluntary active euthanasia, or the intentionally administering medication or other interventions to cause patient’s death at the explicit request and with fully informed consent. Physician-assisted suicide is suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or by information (as an indication of a lethal
Cited: Appel, Jacob M. "The Right to Die Necessitates Assistance from Physicians." Medical Ethics 36.1 (2010). Journal of Medical Ethics. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. Crichton, C. L. "Requests for Euthanasia in General Practice." Journal of Medical Ethics 9.3 (1983): 181. Print. Dick, Rebecca P., and Ronald A. Lindsey. "Physician-Assisted Suicide Does Not Violate Medical Ethics." Problems with Death (2006). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. "Euthanasia." Def. 1. Euthanasia. Merriam-Webster. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/euthanasia>. "Euthanasia." Def. 1. Euthansia. Oxford University Press. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/euthanasia>. Hughes, D.C., Martin. "List of Painful Terminal Diseases." LIVESTRONG.COM. Demand Media, Inc., 5 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/191469-list-of-painful-terminal-diseases/>. Rogatz, Peter. "The Arguments of Those Opposed to Assisted Suicide Are Flawed." Suicide (2003). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. Winget, C., F. T. Kapp, and R. C. Yeaworth. "Attitudes Towards Euthanasia." Journal of Medical Ethics 3.1 (1977): 18-25. Print.