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Support a Person’s Right to Die

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Submitted By ladybugeac
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A. Imagine you are a young vibrant newlywed trying to start a family, when after a couple months of severe headaches you find out it is not just headaches; it’s a malignant brain tumor.
B. I’d like to talk to you about a person’s right to die. If you watched the news this fall you have likely heard this story. After two surgeries to stop the growth of the tumor, Brittany Maynard found out she had less than six months to live and that any treatment they could offer to try to prolong her life had brutal side effects. A Gallup Poll from May 2006 asking "When a person has a disease that cannot be cured, do you think doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient's life by some painless means if the patient and his family request it?" the poll found that 69% of Americans answered yes to the question.
C. I have been interested in this topic since the Terri Schiavo case from 2005. Terri had cardio-respiratory arrest in 1990 which caused her brain to be oxygen deprived for a long period of time. After a brief time on a ventilator to help her breathe she was able to breathe on her own but doctors declared her as being in a persistent vegetative state, which is an ongoing state of severely impaired consciousness in which the patient is incapable of voluntary motion. She was placed on a feeding tube as the only way to get proper hydration and nourishment. This was the only thing keeping her alive in her persistent vegetative state for 15 years.
D. I will discuss three main points: first I’ll explain how active euthanasia is different than passive euthanasia; second I’ll discuss why everyone should have this choice and lastly I’ll cover the controversy surrounding this topic.
II. First, I want to talk about the difference between active euthanasia and passive euthanasia.
1. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines euthanasia as “the act or practice of killing someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any more suffering.”
a) Active euthanasia, can also be known as physician assisted suicide, this is when a professional is taking a specific step, such as prescribing a lethal dose of a drugs, to end a patient's life. This is what Brittany Maynard chose for herself.
b) Passive euthanasia is when a professional, patient, or a patient family withdrawals medical procedures to let the patient have a natural death. This is what Terri Schiavos’ husband decided was best for her after medical professionals determined she would never recover.
2. Stephen Hawking, PhD, theoretical physicist said in an interview in 2013 "I think those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain should have the right to choose to end their lives and those that help them should be free from prosecution. We don’t let animals suffer, so why humans?"
a) One
b) Two
3. Not all Americans agree with even passive euthanasia, believing it is unethical due to strong religious beliefs, personal opinions, and pro-life views.

I hope you are never in a situation where you need to make a choice like this for yourself or with a loved one, but I wish you had the choice to make if you needed it.

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