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Paper On Euthanasia

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“I am dying and I refuse to lose my dignity.”(Maynard). Many people feel this way when they learn the life changing statement that they have a terminal disease. Brittney Maynard, who was diagnosed with a terminal brain disease decided to choose the option of Euthanasia to save her dignity and leave the world by her own choice and means. Euthanasia is the termination of a very sick person's life in order to relieve their suffering. A person who undergoes euthanasia usually has an incurable condition but there are other instances where some people want their life to be ended. This term of euthanasia is derived from the Greek word euthanatos which means easy death (Nordqvist). This topic known as euthanasia is a controversial issue that is …show more content…

An incurable disease is a disorder or function in the body that can’t be cured (Dictionary). Cancer patients, paralyzed patients and patients who have other incurable disease have to suffer in ways others would not understand and for that reason some choose to die with dignity using euthanasia. With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (A.L.S), you have a choice about when to stop treatment, letting nature take its course explains Dr. Linda Ganzini, a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, who has studied patients making end-of-life decisions (Estrin and Schwartz). With some incurable diseases sometimes the only option a patient has left is letting nature take its course. By letting nature take over patient's lose their quality of life and end up suffering more. Those patients who end up suffering continue to suffer till the end of their life. Also these patients don’t know when they will die but will know for sure that they will suffer. Dr. Art Caplan, Director of the Medical Ethics Program at New York University's Langone Medical Center in New York City, explained to CBSnews that every state allows competent adults the right to refuse medical treatment, even life-saving treatment. Dr. Caplan brings out that every individual has their right to get medical treatments or not (Paralyzed Hunter, 2013). If legally the state allows the patients the right to die on their own terms by refusing …show more content…

Euthanasia was first recognized in the 5th century and continued its way to the 21st century. In ancient Greece and Rome, before the coming of Christianity, attitudes toward infanticide, active euthanasia, and suicide had tended to be tolerant. Many ancient Greeks and Romans had defined this belief in the inherent value of individual human life, and pagan physicians likely performed frequent abortions as well as both voluntary and involuntary mercy killings (Dowbiggin). Euthanasia was not completely approved of or disapproved by the ancient Greek and Roman societies. There was a belief of how physicians or pagan physicians should act when a patient wanted the option of euthanasia from their doctors and they believed to go to any extent to help their patients and relieve the pain. On January 16th 1938, Charles Francis Potter created the first National Society of Legalization of Euthanasia (NSLE) which was set to help out people with terminal illnesses who wanted a gentle painless death (Dowbiggin).The foundation doesn't exist anymore today but its value and beliefs remain in many groups like Hawaii Death With Dignity Society and Death With Dignity National Center which leads out to the American society like the NSLE group once had done (Dowbiggin). Many groups around the United States of America are working their way up to make euthanasia legal in the United States of America. Out of 50

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According to Karaim in 2013 “Decisions about sustaining life, allowing it to end or even hastening death are among the most difficult choices terminally ill patients and their families can face” (para 1). Patients going through this have a bountiful number of things going

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During the late 1800’s, medication to reduce pain, like morphine and chloroform, became widely used by physicians. A man by the name of Samuel D. Williams, who was not a doctor, suggested that these pain relievers could also be used for the “quick and painless death” of a patient (Emanuel). While William’s thought was not acted on right away, it stayed with many people for quite some time. Some attempts were made in different states to legalize euthanasia or PAS but none of the bills were successful. Some organizations, like the National Society for the legalization of Euthanasia and the Hemlock Society, began to attempt to educate the population about euthanasia and PAS and why it should become a practice in the

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Looking on the other end of the spectrum, what in case if the patient did not have terminal illness. For instance, a patient who is born deaf and blind. Even though he or she might have longer life span or not be bed bound, those patients might be suffering everyday and wish to end their life sooner rather than live a miserable and unsatisfying lifestyle. Thus, people with non-terminal illness should have the option as well to decide if they would like to end their life via Physician-assisted suicide.

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There sometimes is a point that a human reaches in degeneration that modern medicines cannot aide or remedy. As described by Lewis Cohen, “Medication such as morphine can help the terminally ill manage pain, but it can’t ameliorate their agony at no longer being the same people that they were before the illness” (Cohen). The unbearable pain and loss of normalcy that accompanies those with terminal illnesses is what pushes them to consider assisted suicide. The mentality is seen simply as “if one is going to die anyway, then why not choose how and when.” Unfortunately, the choice of death for those with incurable circumstances has been twisted into other views and is being misinterpreted as a way for doctors to mercy kill their patients.

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Euthanasia means “a good death” and “dying well”. A good death means dying with peaceful, painless, lucid and loved ones gathering around. Euthanasia defined as the termination of ill people’s life aim to reduce suffering from incurable and painful disease. Euthanasia classify into two major types, included passive and active. In passive euthanasia ill people dead by withholding of common treatment, such as antibiotics.

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Historically, as in ancient Greek and Roman times, euthanasia and physician assisted death (EAS), in all forms, were not only regularly practiced, they were quite common among all classes (Ian Dowbiggin N. pag.). Hippocrates developed The Hippocratic Oath at around 300 B.C. and included the passage that physicians should not perform EAS even when asked. It took until the Christian movement for this to become the preferred method for practicing medicine. Euthanasia and physician assisted death are becoming more accepted in modern times, once again.

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Introduction With reference to the question posed, it has been suggested that euthanasia may be defined as “the act of intentionally causing the painless death of a sick person”. In other words, it bears the meaning of a “painless, happy or good death” as derived from the ancient Greek language – “eu”, meaning good; and “thanatos”, meaning death. Due to the rapid advancements in medical treatments, patients are capable of being kept “alive” for indefinite periods of time. Hence, in order to distinguish the ancient concept of allowing a patient to die and neglecting them treatment, the medical community has encompassed the idea of drawing a line between active euthanasia and passive euthanasia .

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Brittany Maynard has been fed up with the government making medical decisions for her and patients in the same situation as her. This is what was on her mind “How dare the government make decisions for terminally ill people like me. Unfortunately, California law prevented me from getting the end of life option I deserved. No one should have to leave their home and community for a gentle death.” She has set things right for terminally ill patients in California.

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Euthanasia or Mercy killing is the end of terminally ill patient 's’ life. The word originates from the Greek words which “Eu” means great and “Thanatosis” means killing (Dowbiggin, 2003). "The deliberate act undertaken by one person with the intention of ending the life of another person in order to relieve that person 's suffering where that act is the cause of death" This quote is found on the page: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ckph4r It was written by Anne Mullens and was published by University of Ottawa Press in 2001. The quotation shows the definition of Euthanasia.

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