Euthanasia is the act of inducing a gentle, painless death. In recent decades the term has come to mean deliberately terminating life to prevent unavoidable suffering. Passive euthanasia is discontinuing life-sustaining treatment of the ill or stopping so-called extraordinary treatment. Active euthanasia, or mercy killing, is putting to death a person who, due to disease or extreme age, can no longer lead a meaningful life; the term can also include an act of voluntary euthanasia, or suicide, for similar reasons. St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Michigan states “Euthanasia is presented as caring when in fact it eliminates the need to care; killing removes caring from the scene.”(Fr. Charles E. Irvin, Euthanasia) This leads us to the two types of euthanasia, passive and active.Passive EuthanasiaMany physicians consider it good medical practice not to artificially prolong the life of a suffering person whose disease is inevitably fatal. Instead, they provide comfort and relief while the patient awaits death. Passive euthanasia, however, has only recently gained legal support. In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that doctors may disconnect a mechanical respirator that is keeping a comatose patient alive because it prevents the patient from dying with decency and dignity.
In 1977, “right to die” bills were introduced into several state legislatures. Since then, more than 30 states have passed laws that confer the authority to withdraw life support from a patient upon a designated relative, friend, legal or religious advisor, or court. In 1990 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people who make their wishes known have a constitutional right to have life-sustaining treatment discontinued. In the cases of permanently unconscious persons who have left no clear instructions, however, the state may deny the request by family members to terminate treatment. This ruling gave legal backing to the living will, which provides evidence of a person’s desire not to be kept alive by artificial means should that person become terminally ill and incompetent.Passive euthanasia continues to raise many legal problems, however, such as in cases in which parents and doctors decide not to pursue drastic life-saving measures for children born with severe birth defects. An enduring ethical question is also raised by the Hippocratic Oath, which requires physicians both to relieve suffering and to prolong life. The problem is intensified because the definition of death has become blurred.
The Research paper on Euthanasia Life Vs Death
... their own. This person could then cause the death of a patient, even if it is a passive act of euthanasia which is not ... are incapable of making well-informed decisions in that state of mind (Euthanasia: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions). The main concern for ... others in order to intentionally cause the end of a life (Euthanasia: Answers To). It would become an uncontrollable practice. Instead of ...
Formerly a person was considered dead when breathing and heart action ceased. Since these functions can be maintained artificially now, a definition of death that includes brain death–lack of electrical activity for a period long enough to make return to functioning virtually impossible–is widely accepted.Active EuthanasiaIn the United States active euthanasia is a serious crime, punishable by life imprisonment. Some doctors are helping terminally ill patients commit suicide–a so-called physician-assisted suicide–without being punished. In some countries active euthanasia is a special crime with lighter penalties, and in Uruguay it is not a crime. In the Netherlands, doctors are not prosecuted if they follow specific guidelines on euthanasia. A 1992 survey showed that not all doctors were following the guidelines and thus were committing involuntary euthanasia on some patients. Euthanasia gives permission to kill; it extends the license for one human being to kill another.MEDICAL ETHICSMedical ethics, a branch of the philosophy of Ethics, deals with moral decisions in medicine. Rapid progress in the medical application of basic biological knowledge has necessitated the ethical questioning of certain present-day and imminent medical practices. Professional codes of ethics, such as the Hippocratic Oath with its rules of conduct for physicians, may require augmentation because modern medical technology has created many situations that offer conflicting alternatives.
The Essay on Abortion Child Life Person
I am pro-choice. I am not one person, but many. Here is what I believe: The fetus is not a human, just a mass of tissue. Abortion is safer than childbirth. Every child should be a wanted child. The number of abortions is relatively small. Nobody has the right to impose their morals on me. A woman should be able to control her own body. Abortion must be kept legal, especially for all the rape and ...
Lifesaving technologies, such as kidney dialysis and organ transplants, for example, cannot be used in every medical situation that might demand them. Decisions on their allocation may depend on consideration of personal and family consequences and other factors. Many hospitals have established committees to deal with such so-called triage decisions. A closely related question is that of euthanasia, ordinarily the termination of extraordinary treatment of so-called hopeless cases. The affected individual may request voluntary euthanasia, but if the patient is unable to do so, involuntary euthanasia depends on the family or attending physician. The ethical values of each party differ, and a process of cooperative decision making may be required. According to the principles of medical ethics set forth by the American Medical Association, physicians should serve humans with full respect for their dignity and gain the confidence of their patients. Physicians should also honor the rules of their profession and expose those who do not follow the high standards of conduct.This can be considered a social justice issue because this is the taking of life, killing. The church has always viewed killing as morally and ethically wrong.
In the encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae the pope uses a quote from the Second Vatican Council, which states:”Whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where people are treated as mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others like them are infamies indeed. They poison human society, and they do more harms to those who practice them than to those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonor to the Creator”. The church states that it specifically goes against Gods will and that the persons who commit the act will do more damage to themselves than to their victims. They are also damaging their creator more than they could ever realize. The church feels that any attempt to end human life will always end in hurting the creator. During World War two, Hitler had ordered all children from ages of one month to three years of age to be examined by doctors and any that were physically and mentally disabled were to be judged for death. A bishop of that time preaching in Germany said “withdraw ourselves and our faithful from their (Nazi) influence so that we may not be contaminated by their thinking and their ungodly behavior.” (Holocaust Timeline, Nazi Euthanasia).
The Essay on Euthanasia Life People Death
Euthanasia Euthanasia has brought great attention to the public eye since Dr. Jack Kevorkian was discovered for contributing to these horrible inhumane acts. At the present time, the state of Oregon has the world's only law specifically permitting a doctor to prescribe lethal drugs for the purpose of ending a patient's life (web). Why has only one state that happens to be in the United States ...
He believed and knew that if he did not preach the teachings of the church, people all over Germany would start to be killed. He took his life and risked it just by saying those few words. I now realize that Euthanasia has played an extremely large role in history. Although most of the history of euthanasia is rooted in war, I now see that through it all, the church has stated that it was always against it. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said, “As a church we affirm that deliberately destroying life created inThe image of God is contrary to our Christian conscience.”(Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, End-To-Life Decisions).
I feel that euthanasia is a moral evil and have always felt this way. People all over the world have felt this way and do not speak their minds because they are either scared or just don’t care. If these people had spoken up in the first place, things might start to happen. People like Jack Kavorkein would not be free today if people stood up for what they believe in, which is why I always voice my opinion.
