ipl-logo

Why Is Euthanasia Ethically Wrong

739 Words3 Pages

In today 's society, physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients has become a very talked about issue. Death is something we all have to face sooner or later; it can be unexpected or even planned. Death is a part of life. It can be quick or it can be prolonged. Whether we accept it or not, it is inevitable. Some people argue that assisted suicide is the same as euthanizing someone. Euthanasia is the painless killing to end suffering from an incurable and painful disease. It is sometimes seen by law as a second degree murder, manslaughter, or homicide. This practice is illegal in most countries in the United States. It is legalized in a few areas like the Netherlands and the state of Oregon. Assisted suicide advocates, such as the organization Death with Dignity, argue that …show more content…

The Death with Dignity Act is viewed as an act of murder in certain religions and cultures. Murder is against Christian beliefs regardless of the situation. The religious view of the Death with Dignity Act is that it will affect the person in the afterlife.
Some people view Death with Dignity as a punishment. For example, capital punishment is cruel, both physically and psychologically. People who might have been innocent have been executed. The electric chair is the most horrific methods of execution still being practiced in the United States. Death penalty is an example of how little our government values human life.
Some protesters say that assisted suicide is unconstitutional, and bring up the 14th amendment of the Constitution. It states "No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law”. The Due Process Clause allows a person the right to make their own decisions about important choices, in this case, death with dignity. By denying terminally ill patients assistance to dying, we take away the little bit of control they have over their own

Show More
Related
1554 Words | 7 Pages

“In the 20 years that Oregon’s Death with Dignity Law has been on the books, 1,749 patients have been prescribed lethal medications, and only 64% of them (1,127) used them to die, according to state data. Last year, Oregon doctors prescribed 206 lethal medications, 133 of which were reported used by patients” (Portland Press Herald). This statistic shows that not all patients who are prescribed the drugs, use them to end their life. Gale states, “The three most frequently cites reasons for requesting suicide were: a decreasing ability to participate in activities that made life enjoyable, loss of autonomy and loss of dignity.

Read More
648 Words | 3 Pages

The Death with Dignity Act, also known as the Right-to-Die Bill, allows terminally-ill adults grant their wishes to hasten their death in some states where it is legalized. These patients that are mentally capable of making their own decisions have the right to voluntarily request and receive a prescription medication to end their suffering sooner. Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and California are the only states that practice the Death with Dignity Act. Oregon voters approved Death with Dignity Act in 1994 and went into effect in 1997. Washington implemented the same act in 2008 followed by Vermont in 2013 which is the first state to pass through legislative process.

Read More
106 Words | 1 Pages

The right to assisted suicide is a heavily controversial and debated over topic that concerns people all around the United States. The arguments go back and forth about whether a dying patient has the right to end their life with the assistance of a doctor or physician. Some people are against it because of moral and religious reasons. Others are for it because of their compassions and respect for unhappy patients waiting to die naturally. Assisted suicide is prohibited by common law or criminal statute in all 50 U.S. states; medical aid in dying is specifically authorized in 5 states: Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana, and California.

Read More
361 Words | 2 Pages

“Be smart, be strong, live honorably and with dignity, and just hold on” (Fray). Physician assisted suicide or better known as Death with Dignity isn’t your everyday topic or thought, but for the terminally ill it’s a constant want. The Death with Dignity isn’t something that all people or religions are in favor of and nor is the act passed in all states in the United States. Only three states in the U.S. today, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington offer their residents the option to have aid in dying as long as all the requirements are met. Death with Dignity doesn’t effect just the terminally ill person, but as well as family and friends around them creating many conflicting thoughts when opinion if Death with Dignity is truly moral and a choice

Read More
416 Words | 2 Pages

The Death with Dignity Act is a law that allows people, with terminally ill medical conditions, to be able to end their own life when they know it is time. The only three states where this is legal are Oregon, Washington, and

Read More
1736 Words | 7 Pages

The dying patient no longer has quality of life, they have lost their independence, are lonely, are forced to endure inevitable pain, are publicly humiliated, are suffering immensely, and are forced to watch their loved ones grieve because of them. It is an innate Constitutional Right to choose how to die, since we all will die. There comes a point when the poking and prodding becomes too much, when the patient wants to just die in silence in the loving arms of their

Read More
852 Words | 4 Pages

Physician assisted suicide is when a physician provides the means required to commit suicide, including prescribing lethal amounts of harmful drugs to a patient. In the United States alone, there is great controversy about physician assisted suicide. The issue is whether physician assisted suicide is murder or an act of sympathy for the patient. The main point is that terminally ill patients should have a right to physician assisted suicide if it meets their needs and is done properly. Physician assisted suicide is an appropriate action for the terminally ill that want to end their life in peace before it ends at the hands of the terminal disease.

Read More
1461 Words | 6 Pages

Drum affirms, “I will ask my doctor for a prescription sedative that will kill me on my own terms¬—when I want and where I want” (60). Therefore, the passing of the “physician-assisted suicide” (Drum 28) bill will provide countless others the choice of ending their suffering surrounded by those who love them while enjoying as much as possible all the time they have

Read More
1252 Words | 6 Pages

Even though assisted suicide was not discussed throughout the sixteen to eighteen hundreds, ethical philosophers investigated the roots of human morals in an attempt to create an overarching rule that would help determine if “death with dignity” is morally justified. One such philosopher is Immanuel Kant, who in his Metaphysics of Morals, argues his belief in deontological ethics. Kant believes that “good actions” are those that follow your moral duty based upon the categorical imperative. According to Kant, the categorical imperative is a golden rule that states that any moral action must be a part of the universal law.

Read More
1185 Words | 5 Pages

While some people may believe that we should respect the wishes of individuals facing ongoing pain and suffering for a terminal illness, and provide the choice of a dignified, pain-free death. This is because dying with dignity means that the someone suffering from a terminal illness should be allowed the choice to end their life naturally and comfortably, rather than live a life in pain and that is prolonged by machines. Dr. Rodney Syme, who is the vice president of dying with dignity Victoria, stated that: "The simple fact is for many people dying is a very painful and distressing experience, causing a lot of suffering." This quote shows that for many people dying is very painful and distressing experience which causes the person to suffer from physical and mental effects. This quote shows that is euthanasia was legal it wouldn’t cause the person to suffer from the physical and mental effects that death has caused on a person.

Read More
1838 Words | 8 Pages

The Death with Dignity Act has two arguments: those who believe we have the right to choose how and when we die, and those who believe we do not possess that right; that we should not interfere with the natural order of life. Every year, people across America are diagnosed with a terminal illness. For some people there is time: time to hope for a cure, time to fight the disease, time to pray for a miracle. For others however, there is very little or no time. For these patients, their death is rapidly approaching and for the vast majority of them, it will be a slow and agonizing experience.

Read More
1836 Words | 8 Pages

Palliative care, hospice, or end-of-life care, whichever name you call it is supposed to be there for patients in the end stages of their lives to help ease their discomfort and take care of their general needs. But what about "death with dignity"? Should it be a human beings right to take the life of another human being upon request of that same person? End-of-life care, known as hospice or palliative care, is called upon when a patient

Read More
2501 Words | 11 Pages

Death With Dignity Voluntary Euthanasia is defined as the termination of the life of a patient to avoid a great amount of suffering with their consent. Voluntary Euthanasia/Physician aid in dying (PAD), or assisted suicide, is commonly used for people experiencing a terminal illness and/or in great pain and misery. Euthanasia is a very controversial topic because a number of people believe that it can be beneficial while others believe it is just morally wrong. For the reasons that Euthanasia is perceived as corrupt, it is illegal in a large number of places around the world. Regardless of the controversy behind the issue everyone should have a right to physician-assisted suicide.

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

The Right to Die 1) Introduction a) Thesis statement: Physician assisted suicide offers patients a choice of getting out of their pain and misery, presents a way to help those who are already dead mentally because of how much a disease has taken over them, proves to be a great option in many states its legal in, and puts the family at ease knowing their love one is out of pain. i) The use of physician assisted death is used in many different countries and some states. ii) Many people who chose this option are fighting a terminal illness.

Read More
1321 Words | 6 Pages

Terminally ill patients have right to die through refusal of medication such as withdrawing a respirator and refusing food and water until dying in about ten to twelve days because of their religion. Being a Christian has a lot to deal with this, especially physicians because the tradition doesn’t allow murder and that only god decides what to give and what to take. It’s hard for them to take their own life because of their own religion. Christianity has a role in both patients and

Read More

More about Why Is Euthanasia Ethically Wrong

Related Topics

Open Document