Euthanisia
Should the Terminally Ill Be Able to
Have Physicians Help Them Die?
Issue #20
Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Lifespan Development
Should the Terminally Ill Be Able to
Have Physicians Help Them Die?
Issue #20
Should the terminally ill be able to have physicians help them die? Unfortunately, people are faced with the controversial issues associated with the “Right to Die”. They are plagued with terminal illness that they have endured long enough. They are in constant unbearable pain and suffering and are at their end. They would like to have the choice to refuse medical treatment, and to die on their own dignified terms. Today hospitals have the technology which has enabled many choices for patients and families facing death. Most people want to fight off death as long as possible. However, some people facing terminal illness come to the point where the pain is unbearable and continued efforts are futile. These are mentally sound adult patients that should be allowed to have a choice of how to end their life with dignity.
Some people believe euthanasia is the answer to ending pain and suffering and others are completely against it. This is a painfully personal issue that I am in complete support of. I believe the terminally ill patient should have the right to choose to refuse treatment, and die with the aid of a physician. Euthanasia is the voluntary termination of life by the appeal of the person who dies with the intentions of ending suffering. Euthanasia has many meanings and different forms. I will discuss passive voluntary euthanasia, active voluntary euthanasia, and physician assisted suicide. These concepts: voluntary euthanasia, both passive and active and physician assisted suicide, intertwine and cross over each other but are each separate and fundamentally different. In my paper I include them to show how court rulings gave rise to laws that tumbled into other domains of euthanasia. These laws gave rise to small
Have Physicians Help Them Die?
Issue #20
Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Lifespan Development
Should the Terminally Ill Be Able to
Have Physicians Help Them Die?
Issue #20
Should the terminally ill be able to have physicians help them die? Unfortunately, people are faced with the controversial issues associated with the “Right to Die”. They are plagued with terminal illness that they have endured long enough. They are in constant unbearable pain and suffering and are at their end. They would like to have the choice to refuse medical treatment, and to die on their own dignified terms. Today hospitals have the technology which has enabled many choices for patients and families facing death. Most people want to fight off death as long as possible. However, some people facing terminal illness come to the point where the pain is unbearable and continued efforts are futile. These are mentally sound adult patients that should be allowed to have a choice of how to end their life with dignity.
Some people believe euthanasia is the answer to ending pain and suffering and others are completely against it. This is a painfully personal issue that I am in complete support of. I believe the terminally ill patient should have the right to choose to refuse treatment, and die with the aid of a physician. Euthanasia is the voluntary termination of life by the appeal of the person who dies with the intentions of ending suffering. Euthanasia has many meanings and different forms. I will discuss passive voluntary euthanasia, active voluntary euthanasia, and physician assisted suicide. These concepts: voluntary euthanasia, both passive and active and physician assisted suicide, intertwine and cross over each other but are each separate and fundamentally different. In my paper I include them to show how court rulings gave rise to laws that tumbled into other domains of euthanasia. These laws gave rise to small