However, there are some patients who give up and opt to end their life by way of active euthanasia. Is active euthanasia an act of simply letting a patient die in peace and with dignity? Or is it unethical and murder? According to Caplan, Arthur and Snyder, Lois (2002) the United States Supreme Court has ruled that there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide. Active euthanasia is wrong, and this paper will explain why the practice should never be a medical option.
Thus proving, to Tony his life is unworthy of living. Tony wants to change the law to allow his doctor to kill him by lethal injection without getting any kind of charges. The only other course of action Tony could possibly take would be to kill himself, which in his paralysed state he cannot do without assistance. There are many issues surrounding Tony’s circumstances however the biggest issue is the question, should we as humans be able to choose when to die? With two different ethical theories, we can understand the article whilst also comparing the pros and cons of euthanasia.
The Dangers of Assisted Suicide “Advocates of physician assisted suicide try to convey the impression that in terminally ill patients the wish to die is totally different from suicidal intent in those without terminal illness” (Herbert and Klerman 118.) Physician assisted suicide is when a physician assists their patient in dying upon their request. In some states there are laws giving limitations to who can request such a “procedure,“ but these laws are not enough to prevent the dangers of assisted suicide. Assisted suicide should be illegal in all fifty states because it is immoral, dangerous to society, and can lead to the deaths of millions of depressed people. “Critics of physician assisted suicide believe that doctors like Jack Kevorkian are doing nothing less than playing God“ (Gay 47.)
So they pinned their hopes on the doctor. But what could he do? It’s a terminal disease that no one can cure. They could only see him suffering day by day and hear him groaning night after night. The disease will torture him, increase his pain until the very last day of his life.
• Active euthanasia – A doctor or a nurse gives an ill patient medicine that will kill them. Not all doctors agree with this as they feel that participating in the ending of someone’s life is not part of their job role. • Passive euthanasia – A patient does not get the medicine or treatment that they need in order to stay alive. It can also be classified as: • Voluntary euthanasia – where a person makes a conscious decision to die and asks for help to do this. • Non – voluntary euthanasia – where a person is unable to give their consent for example if they are severely brain damaged, and another person makes the decision on their behalf.
No one has the right to decide who should live and who should die. This decision is left up to God (or whomever you worship) or fate. By legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide and making it acceptable, this opens the door for abuse of power, breaches the Hippocratic Oath “I will not administer poison to anyone where asked," and I will "be of benefit, or at least do no harm.” However, compared to the answers given by Physicians in the 1996 survey, it seems that the Hippocratic Oath may already have some grey areas. Physicians are also human, which means they can make mistakes. (Braddock C, 1999) The diagnosing of diseases and their prognosis may be science, but it is not absolute.
This man was left quadriplegic after a diving accident and had been bedridden for almost 30 years. He fought a losing battle with government: he never received permission for euthanasia, and in January 1998, with the help of one of his friends he took poison. Another possible reason for the justifying of euthanasia is the lack of space in hospitals for those who can be cured and saved. It is bitter to own up, but this problem exists in many countries. Those who want to live have no chance to get the proper treatment while those who want to die cannot give their place to them.
“Physician Assisted Suicide" SOC120 Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Shannon Sellers October 21, 2013 Should a person be allowed to ask for physician assistance to terminate their own life? This question strikes a moral debate that does not have a clear answer. Autonomy gives individuals the right to make medical decisions relating to their course of care. If a person determines they do not want life sustaining measures taken physicians are required to respect this even knowing it may result in death. When it comes to the decision to end one’s life due to a terminal illness with unmanageable pain a physician is not allowed to assist one in dying.
A refusal is the patient’s right, and no treatment or medication is forced on them. Refusing to be resuscitated forces the medical staff to allow the patient to remain deceased instead of reviving the patient. Americans have a common law and constitutional right to refuse unwanted medical treatment. This right extends to the elimination of life sustaining equipment including the administration of artificial nutrition and hydration. This “right to die” should extend to aide a dying or active euthanasia for the terminally ill at their request.
The last for of euthanasia is “involuntary” which is done without the persons consent for example when they are in a coma and the doctors know that he/she will not come out of it. All in all euthanasia is an action that is taken only when a person a suffering from a terminal illness in order to alleviate their pain and suffering and has no intentions of causing harm to the person. Every person has the right to life but under extenuating circumstances death seems to be the better option and a person suffering has the right to make that decision. Many people wonder “How bad would the quality of someone’s life have to be before they can choose to end it?” and the answer is that it is a