...Active Voluntary Euthanasia Active voluntary euthanasia can be considered a number of things, whether it is suicide or physician assisted suicide. Throughout this class, we have discussed various articles that dig into this issue and that I will be using in this paper to demonstrate what is accepted, and what is not by some of society’s leading scholars. Also, I will insert my own input to these views and offer more insight on what I believe is reasonable when it comes to active voluntary euthanasia. To begin, I will start off with Immanuel Kant’s article, “The Morality of Suicide.” Kant first discusses his views on people’s obligations to their own bodies. He talks about the right of freedom that we are all given, and that this freedom is to be used so as to protect life in a way. He argues that using freedom in ways that “abolish life” is “producing lifelessness,” and is therefore “self-contradictory” (385). To sum this part up, Kant believes that human beings should not “have the power to dispose of” their lives (385). After establishing his thoughts in this region, he moved on to that of suicide, which is his almost entirely against. He first comes across the argument saying that suicide is acceptable because “man is a free agent” (385). He counters this argument by explaining that yes man is a free agent, but that we are free to the point of “self-preservation” (385). To me, this means that we do things in life by our own choice, but usually these choices are made...
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...Passive Euthanasia Euthanasia is a very polemic topic in bioethics and it is still illegal in most of the countries. There are a few types of euthanasia, such as active and passive. The passive euthanasia is the act of letting a terminal patient die in a natural way. It means that the doctor will not interfere by giving the patient any kind drug. The patients request the doctor to stop the treatment that is keeping them alive. The author of our text book gives us a few arguments in pro to passive euthanasia. First, the individual rights over bodies and lives, it means that all human being have the freedom to do whatever they want with their lives. Individuals have the right to do whatever they think if better for them. They can get tattoos; they can pierce parts of their body that even God would not believe; they can jump out of a roof when they are depressed, so why not ask for a doctor pull the cord? The second argument is shortening the period of suffering, is this case a terminal patient with no quality of life should not suffer any longer. The doctors and the family should let the patient go if they know that is no chance of recovery. They have to understand that prolonging this patient’s life will just bring them more pain and suffer. The health care professionals and the families should make decisions based on the patient’s best interest. Last but not least the patients’ right to die with dignity, it means that human being have the right of dying distinction. The...
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...Euthanasia or mercy killing both have the same meaning, which is stop the patient who will not recuperate from torment by using medical tools which are painless. Originally, euthanasia is a combination of two Greek words: “Eu” meaning “good”, and “ thanatos” meaning” death”, which means good death (1). Euthanasia has been known for a long time, in world war two the German soldiers who got very serious injuries and mostly would not recover let die(2). Locally, the Republic of Ireland criminalized this action. While in some other countries, as, the United States have three states that legalized euthanasia are Oregon, Washington and Montana states. In 1994, Oregon voters approved the Death with Dignity Act (DWDA) by voting of 51%. Since that year, physicians are capable to prescribe life-end medication for terminally ill people. According to Life issues Institute the DWDA records show that 455 people have requested fetal drugs from their doctors, and 292 patents have died from using them(3). The annually figure continue to rise, starting with 16 cases in 1997, rising to 38 in 2005, and reaching 46 cases in 2006 (3). On the other hand, Other States criminalized this action, and the states rules consider co-euthanasia as criminals, even for those who help people to commit suicide regardless of the fact that they are their...
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...There are so many opinions and thoughts about this particular topic, euthanasia. For those of you who do not know what euthanasia is when a person voluntarily wants to end their lives due to an incurable disease. They decide whether or not it is worth the suffering they have to go through everyday, or they can stick it out until they pass. It is an ongoing debate in the United States, to whether this should be legal or illegal. If it is inhumane or humane. It never stops, people are always going to give their own opinions on this. As many issues on this come from family members, doctors, to nurses. It all determines whether or not their family respects that person’s wishes or not. This can lead to overwhelming stress for that patient, because...
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...Euthanasia: The Peaceful Death Euthanasia is a very controversial topic throughout the United States; even though the word euthanasia means the “good death” many people oppose this option. There are different types of euthanasia: active, passive, and involuntary. Active is the most debated because it involves intentionally injecting the patient with a lethal substance in order to take their life whereas passive euthanasia is denying means of artificial life and letting nature take its course. The biggest argument with passive euthanasia is the idea that patients who are brain dead have the chance of being revived, but this is seldom achieved. Involuntary is using euthanasia against the patient’s wishes which should be the only form of euthanasia that could be considered murder. Activists debate whether taking someone’s life is right or wrong based on religious concerns or health care practices and many voice a strong opinion. Although Oregon is the only state in America with legal practices of euthanasia, assisted suicide is carried out behind the scenes in other states as well. Many pro-life activists are against the practice of taking a life because they believe it is murder, but helping someone be at peace is virtuous. Euthanasia should be legalized for the sake of the patient, the sake of the physicians in the United States, and because euthanasia cannot be considered murder given that it is the patients’ choice. One major reason euthanasia should be legalized is...
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...Nick Sarkisian Euthanasia is one of the most intriguing debates to have because both sides to the argument are so strong. The advocates for active euthanasia argue that every human has the right to die if they are going to be in extreme pain or stress from an illness that comes with impending doom/death. The opposing argument is that human dignity has to be respected and that life is the greatest thing ever and that death is the ultimate evil. In this case of Mr. Collums and his brother (J.K.) with Alzheimer’s, the act of euthanasia is involuntary euthanasia. It is involuntary because J.K. was unable to care for any of his bodily needs, and could not speak or communicate with anyone. He was being fed applesauce through a tube basically. Since J.K. was in a state of vegetation, he was not capable of giving his brother the “A-Ok” to shoot him five times as fast as he could. Being a student of John Hardwig, James Rachel, and Peter Singer, I would argue in Mr. Collums’s side because the philosophers are in favor of dying quickly and painlessly rather than long and suffering. Although the philosophers have somewhat similar arguments, they each bring a unique way of looking at their position and defending it. John Hardwig is the head of the department of philosophy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Hardwig’s argument is that there is so called “Duty to Die”. The duty to die goes beyond refusing treatment, also known as passive euthanasia. It also stretches so far that someone...
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...Euthanasia: Live and Let Die April 11, 2013 Euthanasia: Live and Let Die In 2004, Pope John Paul II said “A man, even if seriously sick or prevented in the exercise of its higher functions, is and will be always a man… he will never become a ‘vegetable’ or an ‘animal’. The intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being does not change depending on their circumstances” (Pope John Paul II, 2004). Euthanasia or assisted suicide is the deliberate action of ending a life in order to relieve unstoppable suffering. Euthanasia is legal in Albania, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, as well as some US states. In some of these countries, euthanasia is generally executed by a medical professional taking into account his patient’s needs and desires; but sometimes a medical professional can dispense the last medication ending his patient’s life without the patient’s consent. However, euthanasia and assisted suicide is forbidden in the majority of countries and could be penalized by a fourteen years prison sentence. (“Euthanasia and assisted, intro”). Legalizing euthanasia is extremely controversial moral and legal issue throughout the world, but achieving that goal is extremely necessary. Although legalizing euthanasia could cause negative effects for society, the positive side of this controversy indicates that asking for death is important for those patients who have decided that after a certain point, the pain has exceeded the desire of living. On the one hand...
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...Euthanasia: Freedom to Die with Dignity Charletta R. Anderson Strayer University ENG 215 Dr. Aaron Miller December 12, 2011 Euthanasia: Freedom to Die with Dignity The word “Euthanasia” comes from a Greek phrase meaning “good death”. However, in today’s society it means killing a terminally ill person as a way to end that person’s pain and suffering (Cundiff, 1992 ). In the year 2007, my grandfather the Honorable Leon Davis was dying. This American war hero had made a request to die with dignity. He was dealing with a failed kidney, pneumonia, dementia, hypertension, MRSA foot infection, a broken hip, and terrible living conditions at a nursing home. All these problems left him weak and physically dependent on others. For terminally ill patients like my grandfather, where death was inevitable and would have been less painful than living, euthanasia should be a consideration or an option. Euthanasia is a way of relieving terminally or severely ill people's pain and save them from the agony of their illness. People claim that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that promise such rights as marriage, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment. This essay will discuss why or why not ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and merciful death by the means of Euthanasia. Legalizing Euthanasia In the 1970s , a movement that had tried to legalize some form of...
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... Arguments Physician Assisted suicide or euthanasia, is also distinguished as mercy killing. Euthanasia is the act to place a person to death devoid of pain or permitting a person to die, as by persistence of severe medical measures, a person distressed from a, precise terminal painful, disease or circumstance (Beauchamp, 1999). Physician Assisted suicide is the exercise of killing or taking somebody’s life. A lot of doctors and people feel that in these distinct conditions it is the finest thing to do, consecutively to sustain a person from hurt and suffering. The actuality that euthanasia or physician assisted suicide is the ending life of a person brings with reference to the issue should it be legal or illegal (McDougall, 2000)? People's sovereignty or self-determination is a significant perception in the debate on make lawful euthanasia. Proponents dispute that the prohibition on euthanasia inflicts too great a restriction on the person's capacity for directing the end of her or his life and what nature death will take. On the other hand, Opponents, dispute that self-determination would be fake autonomy with value to euthanasia, or that self-determination concerning euthanasia must not weigh additional profoundly than the law of not killing. Euthanasia is identified as the practice of intentionally ending a life which liberates an individual from a terminal disease or unbearable suffering. Should Euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be made legal? Arguments...
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...assisted death, or euthanasia be an option for the terminally ill? In 1994, the Oregon Death With Dignity Act was formed, making Oregon the first state to legalize physician assisted deaths with restrictions. As of today, Washington, Vermont, New Mexico, along with Oregon are all legalized in euthanasia. The individuals wanting to end their life must be at least 18 years of age with a terminal illness, be a state resident, and have less than six months to live (Procon.org 2014). The question is, is euthanasia ethical? In this paper, I will be focusing on euthanasia and how it relates to the Deontology Theory. The Deontology Theory relates to the rights and wrongs of actions themselves. It is defined as "the focus on the duties and obligations one has in carrying out actions rather than on the consequences of those actions” (Mosser, 2013). Meaning, the act is right or wrong, depending upon the action in which it was brought upon. In general, Deontologist tend to focus on the the will of the person and their intentions. Euthanasia is a very debatable topic. It is a heated topic because it relates to death. Some may say euthanasia is allowing people to die, which is the same as killing. Whereas others may see it as the right to die, especially when one is suffering with a terminal illness …."life is a precious gift from God. To end it prematurely is to reject that gift; only God should determine when life should end" (Mosser, 2013). In judging whether or not euthanasia is moral in...
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...Voluntary Euthanasia According to the Philosopher Helga Kuhse, she writes that 'Euthanasia' is a compound of two Greek words - eu and Thanatos. These words literally mean “a good death”. Today, 'euthanasia' is generally understood to mean the bringing about of a good death - 'mercy killing,' where one person, A, ends the life of another person, B, for the sake of B." Euthanasia is putting to death of a very sick person's life in order to alleviate them from their agony. A person that usually request for euthanasia services has an untreatable condition but there are special cases where some people want their life to end. In many situation, it is implemented when the patient ask for it but there are occasions when the patients is too ill and cannot make the decision themselves but the requests is made by relatives, medics or, in some instances, the courts. The country of United Kingdom’s law is against the practice of euthanasia and it is illegal to help anyone kill him or herself. The punishment of euthanasia can lead to detention of up to 14 years. This issue has been at the centre of very intense debates for many years and is surrounded by religious, ethical and practical considerations. Euthanasia have different categorize which include voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is lawful in some countries such as United States Of America and Canadian Provinces. Non-voluntary euthanasia is banned in all countries because it is considered a murder...
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...Euthanasia has been an ongoing hot topic within the medical field, and it seems like an equilibrium will never be met, but what exactly is euthanasia? Euthanasia is defined as “The deliberate killing of someone when it is believed that their life is so worthless it should be ended” (Jackson p. 4). This request from the patient is typically viewed as a “mercy killing”, this treatment is usually requested by someone that is terminally ill and they are experiencing pain they state as unbearable. There are a variety of diverse styles of euthanasia, and they can be described as voluntary, non-voluntary, active, indirect, or passive. The first, and most recognizable, style of euthanasia is voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is carried out...
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...background setting for our live case is the very debatable issue of “Euthanasia”. Literally, euthanasia means “Good Death” (Greek: eu = good, thanatos = death). More formally, euthanasia means the intentional act or practice of painlessly putting to death persons suffering from an incurable and distressing disease as an act of mercy, which is not necessarily at the request of the patient. Forms of Euthanasia: • Voluntary euthanasia: When the patient has requested the death. • Non-voluntary: When the patient has not made any request and gave no consent. • Assisted suicide: Someone provides an individual with the information, guidance, and means to take his or her own life with the intention that they will be used for this purpose. When it is a doctor who helps another person to kill themselves it is called "physician assisted suicide." • Euthanasia by Action: Intentionally causing a person's death by performing an action such as by giving a lethal injection. • Euthanasia by Omission: Intentionally causing death by not providing necessary and ordinary (usual and customary) care or food and water. Euthanasia evokes a mixed reaction among people who come across it. For some, it is unimaginable to end a human life and yet some think it is justified to end a life which is not worth of dignity. There are several moral and ethical issues concerning this topic and we will examine it in detail in the later part of our report. The Live Case: Pinki Virani, a writer...
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...Active and Passive Euthanasia Active and passive euthanasia have been debatable topics for years. The word “euthanasia”, derived from the Greek “eu-thanatos” simply means “a good death” (Perri, 1996). Passive (voluntary) euthanasia occurs when a terminally ill patient expressed his/her wish to remove life-supports and the patient is permitted to die “naturally” or “as a consequence of the disease.” Active (involuntary) euthanasia—that is the bringing about of a person's death without the consent of the person—it is almost always treated as homicide, even when the act can be recognized as producing a "merciful death" (Larue, 1999). It is often argued that doctors are justified in allowing their patients to die by withdrawing or withholding treatment, but are not justified in killing them. Although, active and passive euthanasia might seem generally accepted by the medical profession, at the same time, it is still broadly debated. As it is directly derived from the Rachels’s article, the debate revolves around the following statement: “it is permissible, at least in some cases, to withhold treatment and allow a patient to die, but it is never permissible to take any direct action designed to kill the patient” (364). There is a debate as to whether there is really any difference between active and passive euthanasia. In the minds of some, the removal of life-support, or passive euthanasia, is defined as "doing something to terminate life" (Larue, 1999). At the same time, "passive...
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...EUTHANASIA BY LORI J DONAHUE FRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY CATHOLIC BIOETHICS NOVEMBER 18, 2014 EUTHANASIA What is the value of life? Who decides whether or not an individual can end their life? These questions are asked when the controversial topic of euthanasia arises. Certain groups and politicians disapprove of the legalization of euthanasia, arguing that it is immoral. Other groups argue that an individual should be allowed to choose their time of death. These and other questions related to euthanasia will be discussed in this paper. Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending one’s life in order to relieve pain and suffering. Most cases of euthanasia are performed by taking a cocktail of certain medications. Euthanasia is illegal in most states. Only Oregon, Montana, and Washington allow the practice of euthanasia. Some individuals have moved to these states to be able to carry out their wishes to die. Most individuals, religious groups, and organizations do not feel that euthanasia is morally right. They argue that life is valuable in any form and should be lived until God decides to call one home. They feel it is going against God’s wishes and it destroys a basic intrinsic good. According to May (2013), euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are becoming more and more accepted as morally right and legally necessary, these forms of intentional killing of the innocent remains intrinsically immoral. Individuals are created to serve...
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