Essay on Euthanasia We All Have the Right to Die

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 controversial an issue as it has. Why is euthanasia such a touchy, beat around the bush kind of term? Like abortion, euthanasia’s arguments center on right vs. wrong in the social spectrum. In â€Å"Euthanasia Reconsidered — The Choice of Death as an†¦show more content†¦As we see in the 2006 case Gonzalez v. Oregon, the Supreme Court supported the interests of physicians on a euthanasia-related case. In 1994, Oregon enacted the â€Å"Death With Dignity Act† which allowed physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medicine to terminally ill patients. This act was questioned in early 2001 and brought to court by former attorney general Ashcroft, which precipitated the Gonzalez v. Oregon debate. Ultimately, the Supreme Court decided by a 6-3 margin that physician assisted suicide is an important option for terminally ill patients (Sclar 639). We need to consider the choices of the individuals in these situations. If we are willing to accept the idea that our bodies are our own property and w e can do what we want with them, then if we choose to die that should be our right. A patient who would rather die than continue to live in an incapacitated or potentially painful state – someone whose life expectancy is limited anyway and whose quality of life is poor – should have the right to choose to die instead of being forced to suffer. However, the opposing side makes valid points based on the fact that external factors, such as depression, can lead to that choice without the consideration of other options. As a result, it is important that, when considering legalized euthanasia, protections are put into place to insure the mental andShow MoreRelatedDo You Think That the Right to Life Entails a Right to Die Under Certain Circumstances? Should the Law Be Changed to Grant a Universal Right to Voluntary Euthanasia?1000 Words   |  4 Pagesthat the right to life entails a right to die under certain circumstances?† and â€Å"Should the laws be changed to gr ant a universal right to voluntary euthanasia?†. In this essay, I am going to give reasons using ethical theories to justify these questions. Euthanasia Euthanasia is the act of a physician or other third party ending a patients life in response to severe pain and suffering. Euthanasia can be classified into three types. They are voluntary euthanasia, non-voluntary euthanasia and involuntaryRead MoreDo You Think That the Right to Life Entails a Right to Die Under Certain Circumstances? Should the Law Be Changed to Grant a Universal Right to Voluntary Euthanasia?1008 Words   |  5 Pagesthat the right to life entails a right to die under certain circumstances?† and â€Å"Should the laws be changed to grant a universal right to voluntary euthanasia?†. In this essay, I am going to give reasons using ethical theories to justify these questions. Euthanasia Euthanasia is the act of a physician or other third party ending a patients life in response to severe pain and suffering. Euthanasia can be classified into three types. They are voluntary euthanasia, non-voluntary euthanasia and involuntaryRead MoreEuthanasia Should Be Legalized For Terminally Ill People1064 Words   |  5 PagesThe word euthanasia has a Greek meaning â€Å"the good death. On the other hand, in the society today, there are deeper and more meanings to euthanasia than before. Voluntary euthanasia concerns itself with the consent of the person to die through the assistance of others. Voluntary euthanasia can be divided into two areas: passive voluntary witch is holding back medical treatment with the patient’s request, active voluntary killing the patient at that patient s request informing the assistant on howRead MoreEuthanasia Is Not An Acceptable Form Of Euthanasia1556 Words   |  7 Pagesof patients by physicians, whether called â€Å"active euthanas ia† or simply â€Å"euthanasia,† is a topic of long-standing controversy† (Mappes, Zembaty, and DeGrazia 59). â€Å"Although active euthanasia is presently illegal in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, proposals for its legalization have been recurrently advanced. Most commonly, these proposals call for the legalization of active euthanasia. There are some who consider active euthanasia in any form intrinsically immoral and, for this reasonRead MoreEuthanasi An Incurable Form Of Cancer Essay1488 Words   |  6 Pagesthe history of the United States, we have seen certain rights once withheld from specific groups of people given to them through law. Women’s rights, civil rights, mentally-ill rights, and gay rights have been spotlighted in the political agenda. When legislation was passed providing rights to these groups of people, each topic was extremely controversial. However, looking back today on all of these decisions makes it clear that th e United States had come to the right conclusion benefiting our societyRead MoreThe Death Of Euthanasia And Euthanasia1502 Words   |  7 PagesEvery year as we grow older, the thought of our death constantly looms over us. We think of how we might die or when we will die. As we see the people we love around us begin to diminish, there is one situation that we all come across, the situation in which a beloved is stuck in a hospital bed, doomed to die, and we are faced with the decision of whether or not to allow the doctor to end their life immediately or to let them die naturally. Whether we die by our own hands or the hands of anotherRead MoreShould Euthanasia Be Legal?1656 Words   |  7 PagesIf we knew exactly when we were going to die – and knew for a fact it would be painless – it is a fair bet that that fear would simply melt away. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, euthanasia is the act or practice of killing someone who is very sick or injure d in order to prevent any more suffering (merriam-webster.com); also known as â€Å"mercy killing.† There are three classifications of euthanasia: voluntary euthanasia is performed with the patient s consent; non-voluntary euthanasia isRead MoreEuthanasi A Gentle And Easy Death1240 Words   |  5 PagesA. How can we limit our freedom as an individual by not permitting people to die when it is their right and life? B. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Euthanasia is â€Å"a gentle and easy death.† 1. Euthanasia is not suicide. Suicide is taking one’s own life because one does not want to live C. Today, I will go over the countries and states that allow Euthanasia, the types of Euthanasia and conditions that patients need to be under to pursue euthanasia, and if it is our rights to pursue euthanasiaRead MoreFirst Affirmative Constructive Speech : Euthanasia1177 Words   |  5 PagesFirst Affirmative Constructive Speech: Euthanasia A lady named Brittany Maynard who was twenty-nine years old had stage 4 of Glioblastoma Multiform, which is brain cancer. She had taken a lethal medication, given to her by her doctors in Portland, Oregon. On November 1, 2014 she had chosen to end her life by Euthanasia. surrounded by family and friends, she died peacefully in her bedroom, with her loved ones by her side. she had thought out her choice well enough to go through with it. she was anRead MoreArguments Against Euthanasia Essay851 Words   |  4 PagesArguments on Euthanasia In this paper, I will be presenting the opposing arguments on Euthanasia, the controversial issue of terminally ill patients committing suicide with the assistance of a physician. One of the main arguments for euthanasia is that people have the right to die. Many people for euthanasia have the mindset that humans have the right to control his or her body and life and therefore have the freedom to choose how, where and when they will die. This belief stems from the idea of