Would euthanasia ever be justified? Essay

Submitted By questdi
Words: 945
Pages: 4
Open Document
Tessa Stepa
HCP/PHI120
Euthanasia
Would euthanasia ever be justified? Should we listen to what the patient would want? Should we put ourselves in the patient's place? Should we do to others what we would want done to us? The answers to these questions are not as easy as it may seem. This is because many moral issues are involved. Everyone dies eventually. When it happens, however, it is not the same for all of us. For some, it is fast and almost painless. For others, however, it comes with what seems like endless suffering. Also, the patient is not the only one who is hurting. The patient's family and friends suffer. With all this being said, euthanasia looks like a good solution. Euthanasia is morally permissible. Euthanasia comes in two forms: active and passive. "Active euthanasia is direct killing and is an act of commission. Passive euthanasia is an act of omission"(Munson, 579). In addition, these two forms can be further broken down: voluntary, involuntary, and nonvoluntary. The debate happens when we have to consider all the possible combinations. There is a lot of gray areas. It is illegal to kill someone. However, it is not illegal to let someone die. Of course, these laws are not always black and white. There are certain situations where these laws do not hold up. For example, it is not illegal to kill someone if you are protecting yourself. Also, it is wrong to let someone die without trying to help them. These circumstances can create quite a debate for some people. Many people cannot take measures to perform euthanasia for themselves. These same people are very close to death and in a lot of pain. John Lachs said that " Callahan fails to grasp the moral problems leading people to consider euthanasia. They are not interested in it as an escape from the suffering inherent in the human condition, but as an end to pain and a burdensome life" (Munson, 601). These people are suffering from diseases and illnesses who do not think that living like this is worth it. These people are not looking for the easy way out, but they want the pain to end. People have rights and they should be able to do whatever they want with them. John Lachs said that "the idea of a right that cannot be transferred makes no sense" (Munson, 601). If we have a right, who says that we cannot use it? Obviously we cannot just do whatever we please. We have to use our judgment. Social limits, however, should not be put on our rights. Again, every situation is different, and there are gray areas. The bottom line is that these people are very close to dying and are in a lot of pain. We are not talking about people who are just having a bad day, week, etc. and want to end his/her life. Doctors do have opinions about his/her patient's want to be able to die. John Lachs said that "physicians are able to review objectively a patient's request to die with respect to the patient's condition and situation"(Munson, 601). If a doctor has a patient who says that they want to die, for whatever reason, the doctor has enough knowledge to judge the seriousness of the patient's condition or illness. Surely patient's exaggerate pain, conditions, etc., and a doctor should be able to have an objective opinion. Doctors have to look at the health of each individual patient (mental, physical, and emotional), continuously monitor the patient's wants, and only then can a physician make a sound decision about how to proceed. The fear that patients will abuse euthanasia is wrong. Patients and doctors need to realize, and will surely do so, that killing /letting die is a
Show More

Related Documents: Would euthanasia ever be justified? Essay

Essay on Human Rights and Euthanasia

Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) and Euthanasia created lots of discussion in the late 1930's. Supporters of PAS believed that it is morally wrong to keep someone who is incurably ill, alive against their own will. Meanwhile, opponents of Euthanasia argued that taking a person's life or assisting in his or her suicide is an offence against the dignity of the human person, a crime against life, and an attack on humanity itself. Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) and Euthanasia became highly controversial ethical…

Words 2841 - Pages 12

Suffer No More Essay

the most important events in a human’s life. The Euthanasia process does not necessarily acknowledge a right to die, but an easier way. The term comes from the Greek expression for “good death.” Euthanasia is the termination of very sick people’s lives in order to relieve them of their suffering. There are two types of Euthanasia, active and passive. Active Euthanasia is death by commission. Passive Euthanasia is death by omission. If people would put aside the idea that death is always a bad thing…

Words 1755 - Pages 8

Essay on 28 Euthanasia III

Medical Ethics Handout 27 Euthanasia III Recall: Active Euthanasia – performing an action that directly causes someone to die. Passive Euthanasia – allowing someone to die by not doing something that would prolong life. The Difference Thesis – All else being equal, killing someone is morally worse than letting them die. Rachels grants that there is a genuine difference between acts of killing and acts of allowing to die, but does not think that there is an essential moral difference between the…

Words 1156 - Pages 5

Euthanasia: Euthanasia and Greenhaven Press Essays

Is Euthanasia The Only Way Out? There are no guarantees in life except for one, death. Death is a natural and inevitable phase of the lifecycle. Unfortunately, today there are numerous people who are deadly sick and being kept alive by different medical techniques. Sadly, most of the deadly ill suffer throughout this time and they think that the only way to end their suffering is through euthanasia. Euthanasia is defined as the action of a deliberately ending someone’s life under the impulse of…

Words 1567 - Pages 7

Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Assisted Suicide

The origins of the fight to legalize assisted suicide in Canada go back decades but only recently has it gained serious traction and at the centre of the arguments favouring the legalization of assisted suicide is how the refusing patients the right to die by way of assisted suicide violates the reasonable limits clause in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The purpose of invoking the reasonable limits clause in this fight is to show that not giving terminally ill patients the option…

Words 761 - Pages 4

Schindler's Ark Research Paper

Is it ever justified to kill another human being? In his book, the Schindler’s Ark, Thomas Keneally famously stated, “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” This book, set in the era of Nazi Germany, is written about a member of the Nazi Party who attempts to save his Jewish employees from the wrath of his own party. The aforementioned quote highlights the importance of each individual and supports the claims that even one man can make a difference. The above idea, that each life is sacred…

Words 1026 - Pages 5

Euthanasia: Ethics and Life Essay

TASK 1 1. What is Euthanasia? Euthanasia is the act of intentionally killing someone to end suffering. To support this definition quoting from the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: euthanasia is ("an action or omission which of itself and by intention causes death, in order that all suffering may be eliminated.")- John Paul II's encyclical letter Number 65. Euthanasia comes from the greek word euthanatos : 'well' 'death' Euthanasia can be considered: voluntary - with the active…

Words 7350 - Pages 30

Character Analysis: Of Mice And Men

best friend - Lennie. George had to pull the trigger because the help Lennie needed wasn't available during the time, Lennie's illnesses have been a burden to not only him but those around him, and George shooting Lennie was morally justified. Imagine this if you would: The year is 1932 and the Great Depression has begun to peak. All treatments surrounding those with…

Words 862 - Pages 4

Cognitive Disability

for ignoring the disabled in our society. His theory of justice aimed at having principles of justice, which are to govern the basic structures of a closed, well-ordered society that exists under reasonable and favorable conditions. These conditions would be chosen by parties in the original position from among a small set of traditional conceptions of justice. For the purpose of this research, I aim to identify and describe some basic elements of a Rawlsian approach that may help us to think conscientiously…

Words 1697 - Pages 7

Autonomy Vs Paternalism

decision may have been to smoke, but her decision later in life is to live. If paternalistic intervention occurred when she was 15, she may not have liked it then, but knowing what she knows now, she would have been grateful later in life. This is an example of the decision being something you would regret later and being…

Words 2082 - Pages 9