ipl-logo

Ethical Issues Of Euthanasia

1988 Words8 Pages

Ethical can be defined as dealing with morals or the principles of morality. Ethical issue can be defined as a problem or situation that requires a person or organization to choose between alternatives that must be evaluated as right (ethical) or wrong (unethical). The ethical issue I have chosen is Euthanasia Euthanasia, also known as mercy killing, is defined as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. This is an ethical issue because it is controversial – it is about life and death decisions. The religious tradition chosen is Christianity. The main discussion points include the views of the Pope, local New Zealand churches, The Holy Bible, organisations supporting/against …show more content…

He sent an article called “Right to Die” to Kapiti Independent Newspaper. Right to die? Here was the desperately ill figure of a vital, lively and intelligent woman in the grips of an aggressive brain tumour. She was pleading to the Court for her GP to be allowed to ease her way into death when the time comes, without being charged with the crime of euthanasia. The Counsel for the Crown declared that the law is the law. This is a matter for Parliament not the Court. And the learned professor supporting him, quoted at length the law in the State of Montana and said "having liberty did not include the right to die" Counsel for the Care Alliance opposed any change in the law and raised "fears" of what might happen – "all people would be at risk ... the right for euthanasia would might lead to a "slippery slope" leading to euthanasia on demand". Was there an echo here of the Nazi death camps? The Counsel never mentioned the vital word "voluntary". Here in No1 Court, a place for criminals to be tried and punished, sat an innocent woman being tried for asking that the law be changed to respect her right to die with dignity. Is that a …show more content…

The first is the death of sin, of which it is written: the soul which sins shall die. The second is mystical death, when one dies to sin and lives to God. The third is the death by which we complete the course and duty of this life, which is to say, the separation of the soul and body. We note, therefore, that the first death is evil; the second death is good; and the third has a middle position, for it seems good to righteous men but it is feared by most, and although it frees all, it delights few. But this is not the fault of death, but of our own weakness. -St. Ambrose, Doctor of the Church The traditional understanding of death is the separation of soul from the body. Death is not itself understood as a bad thing; rather, it is the condition of our soul that makes it either good or bad. On this point, St. Ambrose expands, saying, “Now consider this point: if life is a burden, then death is freedom from it; if life is a punishment, then death is a deliverance; or if there is a judgment after death, there is also a life after

Show More
Related
1039 Words | 5 Pages

Freedman worries about the conceptual slippery slope associated with physician assisted suicide. Ultimately, he believes that allowing physician assisted suicide will lead to the approval of euthanasia (154). In many situations it is unclear how to deal with requested physician suicide, especially in cases where the patient has a physical disability. In such cases, it is difficult or impossible for a patient to self-administer the lethal dose of medication to end his or her own life. It therefore rules out physician assisted suicide, but denying the patient the right to end his or her own life as they choose is against the charter of rights and undermines his or her autonomy (155).

Read More
542 Words | 3 Pages

“Whose body is this?” With those four words she single-handedly launched the right-to-die debate onto the public stage. She took her cause to court without caring what society thought. Knowing that there was a big chance her plan to legalize physician-assisted suicide would not work, she sacrificed her self-confidence by staying true to her beliefs and what she thought was right. In the end she ultimately committed suicide, with the help of a physician, proving her point; that no one could control what she did when she had her own fate decided.

Read More
2084 Words | 9 Pages

McGoldrick’s case. Her case focuses on two sides of one coin: living with dignity and dying with dignity. From a principlism perspective, there is tension between respecting patient autonomy – assuming decision-making capacity – and beneficence, from a clinical standpoint (9). Treatment from a ‘best-interest’ and dignity perspective differs among the various stakeholders in the case, where the family and physician believe potentially life-sustaining options must be pursued, though the patient outwardly refuses those treatments. The ethics of Mrs. McGoldrick’s wish to die and refuse treatment hinges largely upon whether she has decision-making capacity.

Read More
1131 Words | 5 Pages

In "What Happens After Death in Catholicism," Elise Cowles delves into the rich history of Catholic theology concerning what happens after death. The article discusses the Catholic perspective on Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and the final judgment, drawing from sacred scriptures, tradition, and theological reflection. The major points made by the author are the immortality of the soul, judgment, purgatory, Heaven and Hell, prayer for the dead, and the Communion of Saints. The Catholic Church teaches that the soul is immortal and continues to exist after death. This concept is supported by various writings within the church.

Read More
857 Words | 4 Pages

As a shock a large sum of the public had no idea what any of this meant which leads to misinformation. The right to Die has shed light into the dilemma many terminally ill patients face, a death sentence. Americans are torn when faced with a difficult subject especially when faced with death.

Read More
903 Words | 4 Pages

To provide more light on to the issues with the probation of assisted suicide, an intervenor called Dying with Dignity (DWD) takes the stance with the trial judge and believes in the right to have assisted deaths legalized within Canada. They wish to have it apart of the health care system, but emphasizes, just like Smith, that there must be safeguards that are meticulously enforced and reviewed. They have five submissions that expresses their thoughts and position within the decisions and thoughts behind the SCC Carter case: 1) they believe that the right to life also includes the right to die with dignity. Life should be interpreted broadly and that should also include how it ends. DWD argue that by placing a ban on assisted suicide determines

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

Death is one of the only few human experiences that is absolute. Maybe the definitive nature of death is why there is so much folklore dedicated to giving people a life after death, to giving death logical quality. Heaven and hell, Hades and Osiris. Whole worlds, whole existences in fact, dedicated to giving meaning to death, to giving death- and consequently life- a purpose. But, try as they might, these philosophies remain only assumptions, because life and death violate any type of absolute philosophy offered to explain them.

Read More
446 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel, Margaret Atwood uses the literary device of symbolism to point out the symbols that represent gender roles for women that they need to follow or else they start a conflict between genders and become outsiders in society. Being a maid in the nineteenth century, symbolized one of the roles for women that they need to conform, but there are some women who did not want to work as a maid. Dora, a maid that works at Dr. Jordan’s hotel is an example of someone who does not appreciate working as a maid and Dr. Jordan can see this in her. “It’s obvious that she detests being a maid-of-all-work; he wonders if there is anything else she might prefer. He has tried imagining her as a prostitute…but he can’t picture any man actually paying for her services.”

Read More
485 Words | 2 Pages

A subject of controversy acquiring a comprehensive magnitude of media attention and conversation in recent times is that of euthanasia and the notion of ‘dying with dignity’. In an opinion piece titled ‘The euthanasia lobby has hijacked ‘dying with dignity’’ published in The Age on 17th November 2014, writer Jack De Groot argues against the legislation of euthanasia, as he believes that there are additional alternatives which are more appropriate, such as palliative care. The tone established by the writer is knowledgable, sympathetic and at times cynical and malicious, intended to highlight, to his audience of euthanasia supporters and those undecided on the issue, his reasons as to why palliative care is a more dignified option for the dying.

Read More
937 Words | 4 Pages

The argument that I am analyzing is found in Philippa Foot’s article Euthanasia. This specific section starts at the beginning on page 88. This argument starts once she talks about the true meaning of Euthanasia and the difficulty in how people see or perceive it. In Foot 's article, she wants to prove that an act of euthanasia is morally permissible, as long as you’re performing it for the right cause or reasons. Foot defines euthanasia as "a matter of opting for death for the good of the one who is to die."

Read More
1536 Words | 7 Pages

It roots to our idea of the philosophy of life, in terms of reflection on our existence as humans and not only the contingence but the limitations thereof. Death encompasses the individual’s fundamental existence on the one hand and reshapes our concepts of its nature complementing one another in order to enlighten the idea of it. The manifestation of an individual to herself/himself is made probable by nothingness. The notion of spirituality and death in existentialism.

Read More
1012 Words | 5 Pages

When we are dead, we will not exist or experience anything. Death is the destination of our life journey on this planet. When we are dead, we are no longer physically present on this planet. To us, everything is over. According to Epicurus, “So death, the most terrifying of evils, is nothing to us, because as long as we exist death is not present, whereas when death is present we do not exist.

Read More
1731 Words | 7 Pages

THE EUTHANASIA CONTROVERSY Summary Euthanasia has constantly been a heated debate amongst commentators, such as the likes of legal academics, medical practitioners and legislators for many years. Hence, the task of this essay is to discuss the different faces minted on both sides of the coin – should physicians and/or loved ones have the right to participate in active euthanasia? In order to do so, the essay will need to explore the arguments for and against legalizing euthanasia, specifically active euthanasia and subsequently provide a stand on whether or not it should be an accepted practice.

Read More
1234 Words | 5 Pages

Many pro-euthanasia believers will use the autonomy argument and debate the opinion that patients should have the right to choose when and how to they want to die. In an article in the Houston Chronicle, Judge Reinhardt ruled on this topic by stating “a competent, terminally-ill adult, having lived nearly the full measure of his life, has a strong liberty interest in choosing a dignified and humane death… (De La Torre).” However, dignity cannot be measured by the level of pain or the speed in which the individual dies, because it is already a characteristic of a person’s worth as a human being (Middleton). Allowing a patient to live their life to the fullest until the very end is surely a more humane and dignified death then cutting that life short in fear of what it is coming through the practice of euthanasia. While death for these patients can be a sad ending, it does not have to condemn a person to a remaining life of sadness and negativity.

Read More
2127 Words | 9 Pages

There are many ways to die, each with their own connotation of good or bad, and there various beliefs in what happens after death depending upon one’s faith. The way deaths happen and how others react to them reveals a lot about what people think of death and those who are dying as well as reveal what they think happens after death. This is seen by how people treat their dead, how they envision the afterlife, and information given by doctrines based on their religions, such as reincarnation or entering a different plane of existence that is similar to our own. The concepts and ideas pertaining to death, religion and the afterlife will be engaged by analyzing the films, Grave of the Fireflies, produced by Studio Ghibli, and, After Life, which

Read More

More about Ethical Issues Of Euthanasia

Related Topics

Open Document