Euthanasia is defined as the practice of ending a life prematurely in order to end pain and suffering. The process is also sometimes called Mercy Killing.
Euthanasia can fall into several categories. Voluntary Euthanasia is carried out with the permission of the person whose life is taken. Involuntary euthanasia is carried out without permission, such as in the case of a criminal execution. The moral and social questions surrounding these practices are the most active fields of research in Bioethics today.
Many Supreme Court cases, such as Gonzales v.Oregon and Baxter vs. Montana, also surround this issue. Voluntary euthanasia is typically performed when a person is suffering from a terminal illness and is in great pain. When the patient performs this procedure with the help of a doctor, the term assisted suicide is often used. This practice is legal in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg.
It is also legal in the state of Oregon, Washington and Montana. Passive euthanasia is carried out by terminating a medication that is keeping a patient alive or not performing a life-saving procedure.Active euthanasia involves the administration of a lethal drug or otherwise actively ending the life. These two types of procedures carry different moral and social issues. Euthanasia Debate Controversy There is a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of euthanasia and whether or not it should be legal. From a legal standpoint, the Encyclopedia of American Law categorizes mercy killing as a class of criminal homicide.
Judicially, not all homicide is illegal. Killing is seen as excusable when used as a criminal punishment, but inexcusable when carried out for any other reason.In most nations, euthanasia is considered criminal homicide: however, in the jurisdictions mentioned above, it is placed on the other side of the table with criminal punishment. Arguments regarding the euthanasia debate often depend on the method used to take the life of the patient.
The Oregon Death with Dignity Act made it legal for residents to request a lethal injection from a doctor. This is seen in other jurisdictions as being a criminal form of homicide. However, passive euthanasia through denial of drugs or procedures is considered to be legal in almost all jurisdictions.Those who argue for euthanasia feel that there is no difference. Those who are against it disagree.
Euthanasia and Religion Many arguments also hinge on religious beliefs. Many Christians believe that taking a life, for any reason, is interfering with God's plan and is comparable to murder. The most conservative of Christians are against even passive euthanasia. Some religious people do take the other side of the argument and believe that the drugs to end suffering early are God-given and should be used.
One of the main groups of people who are involved with the euthanasia debate is physicians.One survey in the United States recorded the opinions of over 10,000 medical doctors and found that sixteen percent would consider stopping a life-maintaining therapy at the recommendation of family or the patient. Fifty five percent would never do such. The study also found that 46 percent of doctors believe that physician assisted suicide should be allowed in some cases. The controversy surrounding euthanasia involves many aspects of religion, medical and social sciences.
As this is one of the most studied fields of bioethics, one can rest assured that more studies will be performed to learn more about this issue and how to best address it.For Euthanasia Pro 65% of members Comment: Anti-euthanasia laws get in the way of cryogenic preservation, which would be the ideal solution to this issue - if someone has an uncurable condition, you can preserve them until it is curable. Comment: Personal issue for me and I fully believe that voluntary painless death is always greater than prolonged painful suffering when the person is going to die soon anyways Comment: The slippery slope argument against euthanasia can be said for Power of Attorney as well. You would have certain parameters for euthanasia, as you would with anything else.Against Euthanasia Con 35% of members Comment: You own your body and I'm not stopping you from downing pills; however, no doctor should assist a person in suicide, for it's simply murder.
Comment: It is hard to know if the person really wanted to die or they were murdered, and this opens up a series of problems as criminals can potentially get away with this. Comment: A doctor ought to work to save lives, not destroy them. Only exception I would grant would be in terminal painful illness. Comment: Life is too precious. Voluntary is a slippery slope to involuntary.Comment: If A euthanizes B, then A has committed homicide against B, regardless of whether B 'consented' A to act on B's behalf - A is the agent of B.
Although we ought to have the right to die, it should be the right to die by our own hands - not by someone else's. Comment: It is too subject to abuse by greedy heirs who would urge elders to depart. Might craft an exception for painful illness. Comment: You legalize Euthanasia then you give the gov. the right to kill the sick and elderly.
Comment: Morally wrong on humans. For animals, it is very sad but sometimes it is needed.Comment: The death of an innocent human being should not be the responsibility of any man. Suicide is an option, and if someone wants to die, they should do it themselves, not force someone else to bear the burden of having killed an innocent man.
Euthanasia needs to be made legal for those who need it ProMany people die a slow death because the law is against Euthanasia, but why? Why is it so bad if thousands of people beg for it and even go to the courts for the right to die? It is a personal choice and it needs to be made legal.ConI appreciate this debate and look forward to it. First Euthanesia (doctor assisted suicide) Should not be legal due to three main reasons that i will state with sub-topics. The reasons are, Value of human life, it undermines medicine research, its contradicts the right to live. Value of human life.
As stated in the constitution, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life liberty and pursuit of happiness. " Euthanasia undermines the human life.Giving doctors the right to assist in suicide is giving power to doctors or to kill. All humans have the right to live. One does not choose his or her birth day, why should one choose his or her death day. This is a case of right to die versus right to kill.
We have a right to die naturally. This is the reason when someone is murdered, the murderer is arrested. Samething in any case where a person does not die naturally. One could argue what about medicine and people who die from overdose and things like that because medicine is not natural.Dying naturally is simply the body not being able to handle whatever is the cause of death.
Body not being able to handle medicine, alcohol, etc. Something that is not caused directly by someone else. Undermines medical researchI understand people suffer. The pain is a big factor in this. Many with natural illnesses or termanlly ill want to die. One thing you have to consider is the medical research society has come to invent.
Years ago, society lacked medicine, treatmants and such that temporarily help those who are suffering with their pain.By allowing someone to say "i want to do" and allowing this, the value of the medicine research that has been done to help treat the patient and potentially cure the patient is undermined. Eventually you fall into a society that could view it alright for a doctor to take the liffe of someone who wants to die. Same thing with suicide which is also illegal.
By making this legal, you open a door that says "suicide is ok. " Many do not realize that people in critical conditions facing pain are often not in the right mind and suffer a false sense of worthlessness. That person may want to die simply because the pain is unbearable.Many in critical situations are not in the right mind.
People whom have attempted suicide sometimes come to realize they do not wanna die, they just want happiness. It is difficult to let someone pursue happniess when we allow one to decide that their life is meaningless. Contradicts right to live Humans have a right to live. We know this. We do not have a right to die though. If we had a right to die i beleive society would not be as strict on murders.
If the right to die was in the Declaration of independence, or Constituion, a murder could simply kill and use the right to die as the reason for the murder.This could open doors for more murders and issues among society. Simply one cannot have a right to die as it is too vague. The right too die could be phrased as right to choose death. As far as it being a slow death, to many that slow death can be worth it to famliy members and others whom are effected directly. Overall i beleive people should not be allowed to decide that.
Curing versus killing is a big part of the right to die. I beleive it should not be allowed because people are not always in the right mind when terminally ill, and often suffer from depression.There can be alternative treatments that prolong eath and can help patients. By offering the right of death it could lead to more people deciding it is better to kill then find a cure. This leads to unreasonable deaths.
Report this Argument| | ProI understand what you are saying that we should not be allowed to take out own lives, but isn't that your choice to make? Why even live in this world if we can't make out own decisions. Yes there could be medicine but what if a person has a disease where medicine doesn't work and euthanasia is the only option?The process of euthanasia is a process with full consent from the patient, and the doctor can't even be in the room when they pass so it is completely the patients choice. We shouldn't be able to tell someone what they can or can't do. Just think if you were in their shoes, how would you feel if someone was making you live in pain because you wanted to be euthanized and you couldn't do that? It may be seem unconstitutional to most people but its not their decision to make, it's the patients decision and no one else should make it for then.If they want it, they should get and that's how it needs to be.
Period. ConRegardless. Once you put down that one can choose to die, what do you do if that does become an issue in the court system and justice system. Lets sy someone is murdered and the person says that the victim wanted to die, what grants the doctor more powerful than a criminal why should a doctor be able to take the life.
If anything the person should be taking his own life. It should be just suicide but this is about Euthanasia.
