Essay on Euthanasia Needs to be a Legal Option - 1376 Words

Euthanasia Needs to be a Legal Option Warren Hauser is dying. Should the Supreme Court decide that terminally ill Americans have a constitutional right to commit suicide with a doctors help, he would qualify. Emphysema and valvular heart disease have left him debilitated and physically dependent (Byock). For terminally ill patients like Warren, where death is inevitable and would be less painful than living, euthanasia should be a legal option. Euthanasia is Greek for easy or happy death and implies measures deliberately taken by a physician to curtail pain and suffering. This concept has been enlarged to include such action in incurable diseases, especially those in which the patient must endure torment and extreme pain†¦show more content†¦Jack Kevorkian was sentenced for two terms for assisting a man suffering from A L S to die. The legal case against Kevorkian was, of course, watertight because his video clearly demonstrated the process of injection. There was no question but that he was guilty in the eyes of the law. The law does not accept that a person can ask to be killed. It is still murder legally. So, in an attempt to persuade the jury that his action had not been murder but a justifiable act of mercy, Kevorkian defended himself. He sought jury nullification on the grounds of humanityemdash; something a lawyer may not do (Humphry). Those against euthanasia argue that lethal injection is not natural. However, hooking a terminally ill patient up to life support and IVs isnt natural either. According to Autumn Buzzells argumentative essay, she says, Injecting a foreign chemical into the body . . . is not natural. Since when has injecting any kind of chemical into the body become natural? Painkillers are not natural; IVs and life support arent natural, so what falls under being naturally injected into the body? A doctors job is to reduce pain. Injecting painkillers into ones body to keep them alive for a moment longer definitely is not natural. The Hippocratic Oath that all persons going into the medical field must swear by states that, I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel (Hippocrates). This oath was written in 400 B.C.E. whenShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia Or Physician Assisted Suicide961 Words   |  4 PagesEuthanasia or physician assisted suicide, is the painless killing of a patient, suffering from a painful or incurable disease, like cancer, or alzheimer s, the practice is illegal in most countries, including the United States, although in the United States, it is a state decision, the only state in the United States that it is legal in is Oregon. Oregon passed the Death with Dignity Act in 1994, making euthanasia legal for chronically ill patients, the only caveat is that the doctor is allowedRead MoreThe Debate Over Euthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide Essay1441 Words   |  6 Pages Legalization of Euthanasia in the United States The debate over Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide is becoming progressively complicated as doctors develop a better understanding of its purpose and usefulness. Euthanasia, a Greek term meaning â€Å"good death† and it can portray as a killing of a patient who chooses to take this course of action by applying, administrating, and enduring a procedure to terminate their life (Euthanasia Debate). Prescribed when a patient is in intense pain or sufferingRead MoreEuthanasia Essay : Euthanasia And Euthanasia Essay1223 Words   |  5 Pages Euthanasia James Dudley Euthanasia continues to be an ongoing issue in modern society. Over the course of history, there has been a multitude of debates that have tried to justify assisted suicide, or euthanasia. Gallup’s study in 2013 openly shows this statistic by showing that over 75 percent of Americans trust that euthanasia should be acceptable. However, what Americans don’t comprehend is that making any form of euthanasia legal infringes upon the right to life as stated in the constitutionRead MoreEuthanasia And Assisted Suicide Should Be Legalized Essay1221 Words   |  5 Pages The Oxford English Dictionary states that euthanasia is a gentle and easy death (Oxford English Dictionary). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, active euthanasia is the ending of a terminally ill person s life by direct intervention, such as administering a lethal dose of painkilling drug (Oxford English Dictionary). While passive euthanasia according to the Oxford English Dictionary is the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment in the knowledge that the personRead MoreThe Great Debate On Doctor Assisted Suicide Essay1239 Words   |  5 PagesDoctor Assisted Suicide Euthanasia, in today’s world, is a word with opposing meanings. Originally, it meant â€Å"a good death† (Leming Dickinson, 2016). Since the legalization of euthanasia around the world in the early 1990’s, the meaning has changed. Several pro-euthanasia sites would call it a humane and peaceful way to end the dying process, by either stopping the course of treatment or the use of lethal doses of medications (Leming Dickinson, 2016). Con-euthanasia activists are most concernedRead MoreThe Ups And Downs Of Euthanasia1288 Words   |  6 PagesMi’esha Straughn Dr. Willis 12 October 2017 ENG 101/102 Mini Term The Ups and Downs of Euthanasia Losing a loved one is an experience that no one wants to go through. Moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and the like are all an integral part of life. However, what if one of these loved ones were terminally ill and losing strength day by day? Would one want to watch them suffer, clinging on to the last bit of life that they have, or would he want to help end the suffering in a peaceful manner? These are someRead MoreIs Euthanasia A Criminal Offence?1266 Words   |  6 PagesBy continuing to make euthanasia a criminal offence, it is making it problematic in the legal sense because although there is a lot of significant public support6 euthanasia, doctors are still being punished when they choose to help their patients with ending their lives when they choose to do so. There is a Nigerian case which involves R. v. Johnson (1961), where the presiding judge said that â€Å"I accept the fact that what you did (euthanize the patient) was done without thought for yourself but outRead MoreEssay o n Euthanasia: We All Have the Right to Die1306 Words   |  6 Pages Physician-Assisted Suicide, or Euthanasia, is a serious issue, and it affects people throughout all walks of life. From teenagers with angst, to older adults feeling hopeless in their life, to the elderly suffering from terminal illnesses, suicide pervades throughout their thought processes as an alternative to their emotionally and physically pervasive situations. Euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide, has a history dating back to the seventeenth century. Only recently has it become as controversialRead MoreShould Euthanasia Be Legalized?1272 Words   |  6 Pagesthe natural body is able to heal itself and grow. Not only is it human nature to survive and prosper, it is also instinct to be frightened of death and suffering. Euthanasia has been a topic of debate ever since the Roman and Greek physicians have started to poison terminally ill patients with their consent. Today’s definition of euthanasia i s â€Å"the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless wayRead MoreDeath with Dignity (Euthanasia) Essay1515 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is the value of life exactly? Who decides whether or not someone’s life is valuable? These and many other questions are asked when the controversial topic of euthanasia is discussed. Certain groups and different politicians disapprove of the legalization of euthanasia, arguing that it is immoral and unethical. Doctors use modern medicine and expanding technology to â€Å"extend† one’s life. However, court mandates and/or politicians should not decide our rights. Especially when it involves our own