death by choice Essay

Submitted By babyblue2001460
Words: 2309
Pages: 10
Open Document
Euthanasia

Euthanasia, assisted suicide, mercy killing, whatever you want to call it is a topic that is argued by many people and debated by groups all around the world. It has been the means of thousands of protests; every time a family member or the patient themself wants to “pull the plug” there is always people wondering why. Society seems to have an input as well. Although, it should not be up to society to decide what is best for the man or woman on their deathbed. Society has no right to get involved in a person’s life in which they do not know. Euthanasia should be a decision made by the one who is suffering because it is their life and only they have the right to decide if their time has come or not. Euthanasia should be legalized because many people suffer great pain from terminal illnesses, and they should be able to die when they are ready. “The rise of advanced medical technologies, especially life-sustaining ones, has brought to center stage the various moral issues involved in euthanasia. People can be kept alive against their wishes or in states of pain and other forms of suffering, such as loss of control, fatigue, depression, hopelessness. It is also possible to keep people alive who are in a coma or a persistent vegetative state. The term "coma" refers to a condition in which the eyes are closed, the person cannot be aroused, and there is no sleep/wake cycle. A vegetative state is a condition in which there is no awareness including awareness of pain and suffering, no rationality or emotionality, the eyes are open, and there is a sleep/wake cycle. In cases like these, the use of medical technologies raises questions about the moral appropriateness of death” (Humphry). But just because a machine is keeping you alive, it is only postponing the inevitable and putting a person through pain. A person who is suffering and only living on machines should have the right to whether they want technology to keep them alive or not. Euthanasia comes from the Greek eu “good” and thanotos “death” so this means literally “good death”. Nowadays it means doing something to achieve a “good death”. Euthanasia is illegal in forty-nine of the fifty states. The only state where it is legal is Oregon when they passed the limited physician suicide law in 1994. In all the other states it is illegal to commit suicide whether it’s assisted or not and there used to be a punishment where the government would take all the belongings of the victim. Suicide is no longer a crime but they can still place the person in a hospital for 3 days for psychiatric evaluation (Torr 18). Dr. Jack Kevorkian began assisting with suicide in 1990. Some officials thought this to be wrong and labeled the good doctor a murderer. Dr. Kevorkian, or how some have called him “Dr. Death”, has had his medical license suspended, been brought to trial, and been convicted of murder for his work (Jack Kevorkian Biography). To have this doctor have his rights taken away for helping people is ridiculous. Now, where you have debate on whether euthanasia should become legal, you’re always going to have counter arguments from people that stand against it. People against it say taking a life, even if it your own, is unethical because it is still the act of taking life away, and that is murder. According to Daniel P. Sulmasy, a Franciscan monk and a professor of medicine at Georgetown University, all life has an intrinsic value. He doesn’t believe that all patients should be kept alive at all costs; he contends that it is sometimes ethical to stop a dying person’s treatment and allow him or her to die. However he thinks killing is always wrong.
He says, “All killing of patients is morally wrong while allowing some patients to die is not.” Now other reasons why they might label euthanasia unethical is because doctors take the Hippocratic oath this oath states that doctors will do everything in their power to help their patient no matter what:
I SWEAR
Show More

Related Documents: death by choice Essay

Essay about Choices: Death Penalty or Retribution

Choices: Death Penalty or Retribution Zachary Carter Prof. Jianchu Chen 4/16/2013 Moral Choices in Contemporary Society It is an undeniable fact that murders and vicious crimes occur every day. As evidenced by tragedies in Newtown, Connecticut, Aurora, Colorado, as well as Virginia Tech and Columbine, sometimes people are going to commit murder. Sometimes, it’s even murder in a mass quantity. It has also, unfortunately as it may be, been evidenced that traditional methods…

Words 1800 - Pages 8

Romeo and Juliet and Significant Decisions Essay

Choice Determines Outcome Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, dismal outcomes are the result of either choices made by different characters or by destiny. In the prologue, Shakespeare states that the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is death marked, and no matter what happens they are destined to die. Romeo’s death is an exceptional example of their fate since Juliet wakes up minutes after Romeo kills himself. However, with a closer look, the deaths of Juliet, Tybalt…

Words 664 - Pages 3

Suicide At Home Analysis

“Mercy Killing,” “Mercy Death,” “Assistant Suicide,” whatever the terminology you are using, however you view these choices, be it morally or ethical wrong, I view these choices as compassion, selflessness, respect, strength, and love. Before watching the video “A Death of One’s Own” my stand on these matters, was that I would respect the choice of the terminally ill loved one, because I would want that loved one or any loved one to respect my choice despite their rejections with my decision. After…

Words 968 - Pages 4

Romeo And Juliet Fate

our personal choice. William Shakespeare, in Romeo and Juliet, brings this question to the surface. Although fate seems to control what happens to Romeo and Juliet their choices contribute more to their fate than fate itself. Although some reasons that Romeo and Juliet die are out of their control fate is not the largest reason that the lovers end up dying. For example, when Romeo hears of Juliet's death before he is told that it is being faked. Romeo heard of his love's death and rushed to…

Words 821 - Pages 4

romeo and juliet Essay

Levine once said, “We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.” The choices people make define their personality. In the play Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare, many choices affect the end of Romeo and Juliet’s life. As death is inevitable to all people, so is the death of Romeo and Juliet; however, the other character’s decisions factored into their misery leading to their demise, especially Romeo’s. The tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet’s death occurs because of Romeo’s misguided…

Words 719 - Pages 3

Should Euthanasia Be Legalized In The United States?

Euthanasia is the act of one taking his or her own life, generally conducted in order to end suffering. Instead of facing inexorable decline and lying helplessly on a hospital bed until the final moments of death, the patient can decide on the timing and setting while taking control of his or her life and the end of it (McCord). “He or she may prepare friends and family for the end, make reasonable provisions for the welfare of others, complete worldly duties, and take leave of loved ones in a dignified…

Words 510 - Pages 3

Death In Elie Wiesel's The Mystery Of Death

The conce­pt of death being a chance to make­ our first truly personal choice is thought-provoking from "The­ Mystery of Death." It suggests that whe­n we die, our consciousness awake­ns, allowing us to encounte­r God and decide our ete­rnal destiny freely. The author does not just se­e death as the e­nd of life on earth, but argues that "dying" happe­ns throughout our lives. Every decision we­ make, every time­ we exercise­ our freedom, impacts our ete­rnal fate. This viewpoint adds depth to an…

Words 421 - Pages 2

Choices In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Choices are the creation of an interchangeable reality. Each choice adds a new aspect of reality and will shape the perspective of each individual. Choices allow freedom within a person. Choices also allow a sense of variety to one’s reality. Romy & Julieto is a great aspect to this point. For example, Juliet faces a major problem where lorda capuleto forces Julieto to marry Paris. This situation put a lot of weight on Julieto because Julieto doesn't love Pairs. In fact, Julieto doesn’t want anything…

Words 624 - Pages 3

Romeo and Juliet Essay

however, deals with multiple deaths at the result of two young lovers desperately struggling to be together, despite all odds against them. There are many debates over the subject on whether these two are the victims of those around them, as in the family they were born into; their own choices, made poorly, or that it was simply written in the stars. Rather than being victims of just one of these situations, Romeo and Juliet's deaths were the result of fate, choices, and their society. First…

Words 853 - Pages 4

Entertainment Gladiators Research Paper

their own death as a form of entertainment in Ancient Rome , just like the Lady or the Tiger when the man chose the woman or death for entertainment (not for them). Choice and consequence are similar because if pick the choice there will always be a consequence. in the lady or the tiger if you pick the tiger it will be a bad consequence. This is not fair because someone is deciding the decision for them. Back then the king making decisions for the men was unfair. This is how death became a…

Words 599 - Pages 3