...issue of euthanasia and assisted suicide as well as further challenge Canada's Criminal Code. The R. v. Latimer case (1993) was an extraordinarily complicated case, commonly referred to as a "hard case" since it did not fit comfortably within the existing legal structure (Bauslaugh, 2010). On October 24, 1993, Robert Latimer killed his twelve-year-old daughter Tracy. Tracy suffered from a cerebral palsy; a muscle control disorder caused by brain damage from lack of oxygen to the brain. Tracy had the mental capacity of a four to five month old baby and had experienced multiple seizures daily since her birth. As Tracy's condition progressed,...
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...of Stare Decisis, in which a court can decide to follow preceding decisions made on similar cases . The defense would argue here that this case was on fundamental grounds not similar and, thus, not applicable to JL’s case. In Rodriguez v. BC, the appellant would not be able to end her life on herself, she wishes to create a framework in which an assessment can be made that enables her, or does not enable her, to end her life . Therefore, the central discussion of Rodriguez v. BC does in many ways not circle around the same issues as that of JL. The issue central to Rodriguez v. BC lies around the debate if Section 241.2 discriminates against people that are unable to end their lives themselves and is therefore unconstitutional, whereas JL’s case centers around the debate whether Section 241.2 infringes on Charter 7 by eliminating a part of JL’s personal freedom, discrimination was not of any debate. II. Crown Council...
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...tear down and a time to build up.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3) Throughout the ages and for the next generation to come, there is only one thing constant in our lives and that binds mankind together, and that is facing the great inevitable, which is death. Death is something we all must face -- no escaping techniques, no meditation rituals, and no amount of money can avoid it. Death is not a right, it is the end of all rights and a fate that none of us can escape. It is the great equalizer. The finality of death and not knowing the inevitable would ultimately give a person a scare for their life. But what happens when death can no longer be a natural occurrence? What happens when we are given the choice to manipulate and control the death of a person? What happens when a person interferes with the laws of nature and decides for himself/herself what time a person may die, but saying he/she had the best interest of the person? What happens to these situations then? Is it justifiable to end the life of a person? i. Background The ultimate right we have as human beings is the right-to-life, an inalienable right that can never be taken away, not even by the person who possesses it. It is similar to the fact that our right to liberty does not give us the freedom to sell ourselves into slavery. Our freedom of speech does not give us the right to say ill towards other people. “Your lungs slowly fill with fluid. You struggle to catch every breath but never can. Every breath is petrifying...
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...Connections to “Antigone” through “If I Die Young” By Chelsea Fidler Throughout both “Antigone” and the song “If I Die Young”, there are many relative ideas comparing the two pieces. Whether it's related to Antigone herself, Creon, her only love Haemon, or the “curse” on her family, there are plenty of connections to cover all of those subjects. Both girls suffered victimization through both the pieces. Which then comes to show why “If I Die Young” connects so well to “Antigone”.Through the connections that are made it is shown how Antigone overcomes herself and all the situations leading up to her ending. To die young is never a thing anyone plans or even wants, but we cannot control our fate. Our fate is decided upon before we even exist or so the Greeks think. Antigone saved he brother knowing she was going up against Creon's promulgations. What she didn't know is how cruelly she would be punished. She was sentenced to an early death to rot away in a walled up cave. “If I die young, bury me in satin, lay me down on a bed of roses.” This set of lyrics reflects how Antigone died a premature death. In ancient Greek times, a proper burial was essential to the soul of the deceased. Without a proper burial, the Greeks believed that is a body was not given a proper burial and the body was cadaverously left to rot, the soul would be trapped on earth and never know peace in the afterlife. Antigone and the citizens, knowing she was a good person and her intentions were harmless...
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...Suicide Research Paper Cassandra Tankersley Suicide. It is something that more than 36,000 Americans successfully manage to do every year. It is something that is considered to be a “socially unacceptable” topic of discussion. It is something that affects hundreds of thousands of people each and every day, often in ways most cannot imagine. And I believe that it is something that needs to stop being hidden in the darkest of closets. Without this subject being discussed and researched with more depth than what is already taking place, it will remain a subject without a whole lot of general understanding behind the whys and the causes of people choosing to end their lives. I will admit that this topic is something extremely personal for me, so my views may be colored as to what should be done about the knowledge of suicide, however, I cannot help but feel that this topic is long overdue for its spotlight in the medical world. Make no mistake – this is not about the accidental suicides; it is very much about those who willingly and intentionally plan to and successfully commit suicide. There are various facts a quick Google search can dig up in regards to suicide – such as men are four times as likely to commit suicide than women are, and it's easily discernible that the focus on suicide prevention is on teenagers with recent focus being added to those considered “middle age”. It's also very easy to locate information on “how to help prevent suicide”. But the fact of the matter...
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...be cured but only treated. Although, treatments are effective in some way, there is absolutely no cure for that disease. Therefore, many patients with incurable illnesses have made a decision that they believe was right for them. This righteous act was known to be part of Euthanasia, which is considered being “the Right to Die”. So what is Euthanasia? In Greek language, the word “Euthanasia” eu means "good" and thanatos means "death". One meaning given to the word is "the intentional termination of life by another at the explicit request of the person who dies." Therefore, the term euthanasia practically means that the act must be initiated or agreed upon by the person who wishes to commit suicide. But as a disagreement, some people define euthanasia to include both voluntary and involuntary termination of life. In his book Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America, William Colby states that "euthanasia" defines multiple meanings and yet, leads to a massive confusion. For example, for today’s world, it is defined as the “intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit.” This literally means that if death is not intended, then it is not an act of euthanasia. Others would also recognize it as “mercy killing” or “physician-assisted suicide”. Now many will ask themselves how it is affecting our society and the ethics involved with Euthanasia. Moreover, this procedure of Euthanasia not only affects the moralities of human...
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... ENG 155 Advanced Composition For the terminally ill, death in advanced modern societies can often be described as undignified. Terminally ill patients are frequently connected to machines, tubes, and a variety of other life-support equipment. They experience intolerable pain that would be inconceivable to a healthy individual. The terminally ill patient is often left with no option other than to die in an impersonal medical institution. They are unable to get out of bed, feed themselves or even go to the bathroom without assistance. As reported recently in a survey issued by the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, “Many of the 550,000 American patients who die of cancer each year spend their last days in distress, suffering from pain, nausea, fatigue and depression” (Toufexis). In such circumstances there is no means for a terminally ill patient to sustain their dignity in the dying process. Unfortunately, much of the misery suffered by the terminally ill is done so needlessly. Surveys indicate that along with the loss of a patient’s dignity and quality of life is the fear of facing death in uncontrollable pain. A recent survey by the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine And National Research Council indicated that, nine million Americans are now living with cancer and about 60 percent of those...
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...experiences of his characters in Blithedale critique transcendentalist ideas, such as romantic idealism, ideal communities, and the relationship of self to others, the possibility of communal soul, and the possibility of an idealized pastoral world existing in contemporary society. Hawthorne satirically demonstrates the absorb naivety of these transcendentalist notions through the lens of his novel, showing that his characters unswerving devotion to idealized concepts ultimately fails to achieve real world results and that , in many cases, this idealism in fact leads to tragic disaster. While most of the characters begin their stay at Blithedale strongly believing in the romantic ideals that underlie the commune`s belief system, at the end of the novel, these beliefs are dramatically shaken. In fact, some of the characters begin to wonder what the worth of such idealistic devotions could be in the first place. Faced with a growing disillusionment with Blithedale , the loss of her family fortunes, and depressed by her unrequited love of...
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...The Sunflower is a first person account of a Jew living in a concentration camp during the Holocaust confronted with the question, when such an atrocity has been committed is it possible for a person to forgive? Throughout Simon flashes between the present in the concentration camp, back to his recent past, even further to his time as a youth. Selected to work outside of the camp one day Simon and others were marched through the town. Along the way he noticed a graveyard for Nazi soldiers and above each grave, a sunflower, had been planted. Upon seeing this, he experienced envy for the soldiers who were still connected to “the living world”(Wiesenthal, 1998, p. 14). Simon indicated his desensitization to death, but upon seeing the graves with flowers and knowing when he died, he would be placed in an unmarked grave with no flowers to tie him to this world, he felt bitterness along with a small hope that he “would come across them again; that they were a symbol with a special meaning”(Wiesenthal, 1998, p. 15). Arriving to the work site, Simon is approached by a nurse inquiring if he was Jewish. Acknowledging this, she took him to a room that had been transformed into a sickroom for Karl, a dying SS soldier. Karl’s story began with his youth and Catholic upbringing and he joined the Hitler Youth and SS willingly. He then gave his account of the crime he committed and was so desperately seeking forgiveness for. Simon listened silently to the murder of more Jews and walked...
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...the wind, Romeo yodels to Juliet in the cliffs just to send it tumbling, lightly, down a vertical abyss. It does not end there, of course, for this pebble held back the rocks and boulders constituting the height of the peak, and the reaction now begins as each individual stone rolls with momentum. They pick up speed and snow, growing in velocity and size until the inevitable occurs and Romeo and Juliet are engulfed in the upheaval and finished forever. William Shakespeare’s version of the play Romeo and Juliet, taken from Arthur Brooke’s play similarly titled Romeus and Juliet, is a fast paced tragedy in which a boy and girl from two feuding families meet, fall in love, bond in matrimony, and commit suicide in a matter of four days. Compared to the nine-month romance that takes place in Brooke’s play, Shakespeare’s version is a consciously hastened piece of work during which the most significant parts of a young couple’s lives begin and end in less than one week. Speed, a well-utilized literary tool in Shakespeare’s play, serves to emphasize emotion, as opposed to reason, in the characters’ decisions. Through this device, Shakespeare demonstrates his skills as a playwright by showing control of time in the play. Perhaps the most well known episode in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the balcony scene is a prime example of passionate emotion ruling the decisions of the young couple, especially in comparison to Brooke’s version. In Romeo and Juliet, this scene takes place immediately...
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...Farming is no more remunerative. Don’t you know for every thirty minutes one farmer is committing suicide? The situation is pathetic in Indian villages. ” “Tell me the greatest achievements of India, Ramesh Babu !” “ I recollect many achievements in various fields that make India proud , in Science, Space research, Commerce and Industry. One gigantic achievement in recent times is Mangalyaan for example.” “ Ramesh Babu ! One of the greatest achievement is, our farmers without much infrastructure, without any science , from traditional knowledge provide food to 1.25 billion people. We never count this as an achievement. The farmer who gives us food, who nourishes us , is barely nourished , his children are starving. The one that gives me, food is committing suicide. This is a point of shame to me. I can’t walk with my head held up high. When I watch the farmers, I don’t see them, I see myself. I can notice that they cannot afford to buy medicines for their family, food for their children, hay for their cattle…I can feel their hopelessness, their shame in it.” Narayana...
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...loatient Protection and Affordable Care Act (RL. 111-148) (now more commonly called the Affordable Care Act [ACA]) are fully implemented by 2014, approximately 32 million Americans who currently do not have health insurance coverage will be covered, and coverage will be more affordable for many millions more. The ACA makes vital improvements to health care access, quality, and services for millions of Americans with health and behavioral health needs. Social workers practice as part of health caretailing the factors necessitating health care reform in the United States. Second, it analyzes whether a constitutionally protected right to make personal health care decisions exists under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments' Due Process Clauses. Finally, the article analyzes the susceptibility of government-sponsored health care-specifically proposals which include a public option-to due process challenges and makes suggestions to avoid any potential fundamental rights violations. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] quirement to purchase health insurance. It also examines some recent Canadian constitutional law cases to anticipate possible future legal challenges to health care reform in the United States. INTRODUCTION The question of the reform of the American system of financing health care has, of course, recently been a central focus of debate in American politics. Because the author of this paper is something of a "political junkie" and keeping current on this issue seemed a desirable...
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...The main thrust of Durkheim's overall doctrine is his insistence that the study of society must eschew reductionism and consider social phenomena sui generis. Rejecting biologistic or psychologistic interpretations, Durkheim focused attention on the social-structural determinants of mankind's social problems. Durkheim presented a definitive critique of reductionist explanations of social behavior. Social phenomena are "social facts" and these are the subject matter of sociology. They have, according to Durkheim, distinctive social characteristics and determinants, which are not amenable to explanations on the biological or psychological level. They are external to any particular individual considered as a biological entity. They endure over time while particular individuals die and are replaced by others. Moreover, they are not only external to the individual, but they are "endowed with coercive power, by . . . which they impose themselves upon him, independent of his individual will." Constraints, whether in the form of laws or customs, come into play whenever social demands are being violated. These sanctions are imposed on individuals and channel and direct their desires and propensities. A social fact can hence be defined as "every way of acting, fixed or not, capable of exercising on the individual an external constraint." Although in his early work Durkheim defined social facts by their exteriority and constraint, focusing his main concern on the operation of the legal...
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...Development Under the direction and Guidance of Dr. Barbara Seifert, Ph.D. Human Resources Professor Webster University Orlando Metropolitan Campus April 12, 2011 In Support of Relational Leadership What does Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., Margaret Thatcher or John F. Kennedy have in common? The answer appears to be obvious—they are great leaders who possess great intellect, persuasive ability, charisma, etc. And, most of us would even dare to say that Adolph Hitler and Osama Bin Laden were also great leaders—after all, look at the empires they built, and the great following they commanded. Jim Jones, leader of the People’s Temple was hailed by many as a great spiritual leader until he led a “revolutionary suicide”, that became known as the Jonestown Massacre in 1978, which left nine hundred and eighteen people dead (Rosenberg, para. 1). What separate these two groups of leaders from the other? What truly makes a great leader? Or is the idea of the great leader, in the words of Levi and Ritti (2002), “one of America’s most cherished myths.” Even with this assertion Levi and Ritti do not totally deny the influence of leadership in the success of an organization, but cautions that it is challenging to measure its efficacy because many events determine the success of an organization (Levi and Ritti, 2002). Yet, in reality, we have all experienced leadership on some level, even before we could understand the concept or speak the language. Still,...
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...A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM?: OBERGEFELL V. HODGES Kenji Yoshino The decision in Obergefell v. Hodges1 achieved canonical status even as Justice Kennedy read the result from the bench. A bare majority held that the Fourteenth Amendment required every state to perform and to recognize marriages between individuals of the same sex.2 The majority opinion ended with these ringing words about the plaintiffs: “Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”3 While Obergefell’s most immediate effect was to legalize same-sex marriage across the land, its long-term impact could extend far beyond this context. To see this point, consider how much more narrowly the opinion could have been written. It could have invoked the equal protection and due process guarantees without specifying a formal level of review, and then observed that none of the state justifications survived even a deferential form of scrutiny. The Court had adopted this strategy in prior gay rights cases.4 Instead, the Court issued a sweeping statement that could be compared to Loving v. Virginia,5 the 1967 case that invalidated bans on in––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law, New York University School of Law. I gratefully acknowledge receiving financial support from...
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