This document provides an essay discussing the controversial issue of euthanasia. It raises several questions about euthanasia, such as who should make decisions regarding life and death, whether those who want to die or are in a persistent vegetative state should be allowed to die voluntarily, and who should make these decisions. The essay also discusses arguments on both sides of the issue, including viewpoints from philosophers and ethicists.

1. Euthanasia Essay
Here is another essay for you to use! It's alittle screwed up, but perhaps you can do something
with it. It was a lot worse than this, it had strange marks all over it and the paragraphs were
everywhere. I fixed it a bit, but I would go crazy if I stared at a computer screen any more!!!!
Euthanasia, is one of the most controversial issues of our time.
This diver issue raises many questions such as: how should decisions be made, and by whom? What
should be determined as a matter of law and what left a matter of discretion and judgment? Should
those who want to die, or who are in a "persistent vegetative state" be allowed to die
voluntarily? Who should decide: the patient, the physician, the courts, or the families? The...show
more content...
"Wickett, The Right To Die (Harper & Row, Publishers,1986) p. 109. Paul D. Simmons
declares bluntly that "it is harder morally to justify letting somebody die a slow and ugly
death, dehumanized, than it is to justify helping him to escape from such misery.
Samuel Gorovitz, Drawing The Line: Life, Death, and Ethical Choices in an American Hospital
(Oxford University Press, 1991) p.113.В® Some very prominent people are making packs with
friends or relatives that specify that either will help the other die when life becomes desperate
from pain or tragic accident. Families and physicians feel a variety of powerful emotions when
dealing with a patient dying a slow and agonizing death. Certainly they wish that the pain were
relieved and that health restored; that the patient not die but go on living and sharing concerns and
joys together. "When the illness is terminal and there is no hope of relief or recovery,
however, death is often desired for the patient as God's appointed way to relieve suffering."
Paul D.
Simmons, Birth and Death: Bioethical Decision Making (The Westminster Press, 1986) p.116. Mr.
Sorestad, my junior high teacher, shared his experience at the death of his beloved wife after her
prolonged battle with breast cancer. She had deteriorated physically and mentally practically beyond
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2. Euthanasia Essay
Euthanasia – Response to Anti Euthanasia Essay
Euthanasia is a topic that provokes as much controversy as capital punishment, primarily because it
is irreversible. The question of euthanasia being right or wrong is one that most would prefer left
alone. However, recent publicity on changes to existing laws has ignited considerable discussion and
has forced open the door to a much wider audience. The issues related to direct euthanasia have
raised many questions in my mind, to which I am still searching for answers. I believe it is
necessary to consider arguments, both, for and against, in order to come to any conclusion. In this
paper I will address Brian Clowes' article in the "Pro–Life Activist's Encyclopedia",
located on the...show more content...
Yet, his persistent use of medical cases where patients were classified as irreversibly comatose
and where all decisions regarding their continual treatment were made by others, neglects to
recognize the numerous cases of terminally ill patients, who simply ask for the right to control
their own destiny and to die with dignity. His use of extreme cases, all of which were found in
'National Right to Life News', gives the reader a distorted picture and neglects the many types of
cases where the prolonging of life would be cruel, inhumane and immoral. (Johnstone, 1994:353)
EUTHANASIA SETS A BAD EXAMPLE? I would ask what kind of example are we giving our
young by prolonging life at whatever cost to the person? Is quantity of life always the best option? Is
the taking of human life always wrong? In the 18th century William Mitford, an English historian
stated "Men fear death, as if unquestionably the greatess evil, and yet no man knows that it
may not be the greatest good." (Bradley, Daniels & Jones, 1969:194) Here the author
compares the act of suicide among the young with the act of euthanasia with the terminally ill. He
believes, in making euthanasia an acceptable social practice, it will inevitably have negative
repercussions on the rest of society. The writer argues that by condoning euthanasia, we condone
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3. Essay Pro Euthanasia
When someone is inevitably dying and in inexplicable pain is it really a crime to grant their wishes
and end their suffering? As of right now euthanasia is illegal in many countries and is a very
controversial topic. Is it compassion for the patient helping them in ending their life or murder? The
doctor is not giving death as an option, it is the patients choice and even where it is legal there are
many rules. Euthanasia should not be considered a crime because the patient is not being murdered;
they are having their suffering end in a painless, humane way out of compassion for the patient and
their family.
Euthanasia is defined by the World Book Millennium 2000 encyclopaedia as, "the practise of
painlessly ending the lives of people...show more content...
The reason to legalize euthanasia is clear, these people need to have the choice to die with dignity.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian more commonly known as Dr. Death is greatly known for his opinion that
euthanasia should be legalized and his work with patients seeking help. He was very important in
showing euthanasia and voicing his opinion on the subject so the public could not ignore the
importance of the matter. Dr. Kevorkian was said to have been involved with 130 suicides by
patients who wanted to end their own lives (Nicol and Wylie 17). He had two machines he used to
help the patients, one an injection and the other a mask, however both machines were operated by
the patient and although Dr. Kevorkian was taken to court many times for these he was not
convicted because the patient was in control. He was very careful as to not actually commit the act
himself until he was contacted by Thomas Youk, a young with Lou Gheric's disease; Lou Gheric's
disease is when the muscle stop working and eventually the patient chokes to death. Tom's condition
prevented him from actually operating the machines and therefore Dr. Kevorkian decided that he
would operate the machine himself because he cared greatly about all his patients and could not let
Tom live in his constant fear (Nicol and Wylie 11). Dr. Kevorkian taped Tom's wishes and then
himself hooking up the machine and pushing the button to inject the drugs. He then proceed to
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4. Euthanasia Essay examples
Euthanasia is often called "mercy killing". It is intentionally making someone die, rather than
allowing that person to die naturally. It is sometimes the act of ending someone's life, who is
terminally ill, or is suffering in severe pain. Euthanasia is mostly illegal in the world today.
Euthanasia can be considered a form of suicide, if the person afflicted with the problem actively
does it. The person volunteering to commit the act to that person can also consider it a form of
murder.
The positive side of Euthanasia is that it ends a person's suffering in this world. Many physicians and
psychiatrists believe that it may a humane act. From a virtue ethics point of view, it may be
appropriate. What we seek in human existence is to be...show more content...
The benefits are numerous in that the person euthanized would cease suffering, and the families
would begin the healing process from grief and/or depression from the situation.
From Mill's perspective, the person volunteering for euthanasia has a liberty to do what he/she
wants. Mill has written that if the person does not cause harm to others, it is the person's right, or
liberty, to do what they please. If a person wants euthanasia, then that person has the sole liberties to
choose such an act, and depart society and life. Nobody is being other than the person wishing it,
and it is a volunteered act.
Brandt argues for approval of euthanasia, but killing human beings is wrong, because it injures that
person and goes against the preferences of self–preservation. However, Brandt says that the above is
not present in the issue of euthanasia, so it may be permissible. Brandt says that not all killing is
injury, so not all killing is wrong. One should pay attention to one's expressed wishes he says.
Euthanasia could be considered doing a person a favor, because you cannot injure something if you
are relieving it of pain.
The negative side of euthanasia is that it goes against natural law ethics, because we do not let
nature take its course. We are disturbing what is occurring or happening naturally to the person.
Every person has a natural inclination to continue living. It is also said
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5. Ethics of Euthanasia Essay
As patients come closer to the end of their lives, certain organs stop performing as well as they use
to. People are unable to do simple tasks like putting on clothes, going to the restroom without
assistance, eat on our own, and sometimes even breathe without the help of a machine. Needing to
depend on someone for everything suddenly brings feelings of helplessness much like an infant
feels. It is easy to see why some patients with terminal illnesses would seek any type of relief from
this hardship, even if that relief is suicide. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is where a physician would
give a patient an aid in dying. "Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on
the question of whether, in certain situations,...show more content...
Whether murder is done in a peaceful, non painful way or in a very gruesome, unimaginable way,
it is still considered murder. Physicians have no way of knowing 'what is best for the patient'
especially if that patient's terminal illness prevents them from speaking. Not only is assisted
suicide considered murder, it also goes against Physicians' Hippocratic Oath. "Hippocratic Oath:
An oath (or promise) all physicians must swear to uphold, regarding the ethical practices of the
medical profession" (Lee). By allowing doctors to stray from this oath, it will be easier for them to
aid in or carry out assisted suicides when it will never be entirely necessary for them to consider the
option. "In 2005, Texas doctors removed two patients from life support without advanced directions
and against the wishes of the patient's family" (Pawlick). By not legalizing assisted suicides, families
will be able to decide when their family member is physically unable to continue with the provided
treatments, but only when the patient themselves can no longer communicate their wishes and no
document stating how they should go about the situation has been left in their families possession.
Ethical issues are not the only problem. Some argue that euthanasia also creates issues from a legal
perspective. "One legal question is whether assisted suicide violates the Controlled Substances Act, a
federal law governing the distribution of drugs" (Lee). Such
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