Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Should the right to die be granted? Discuss!



Euthanasia takes root from the Greek language where 'eu means good and 'thanasia' means death - most commonly known today as 'mercy killing'. The idea of this act is to end the lives of those who are either suffering immense pain, or dealing with an incurable disease. Some people are subjected to a situation where they are beckoned to be a part of the act, and are caught between what to do and what not to. It is a form of suicide, where those who help, or assist the sick or wounded come into play. Doctors are put under oath to not be a part of the euthanasia act, and some countries permit this legally {countries like Belgium, Switzerland, America (Washington and Oregon) and the Netherlands, legalize this on certain grounds} after family consent, while most choose the opposite.




Types of Euthanasia


When it comes to euthanasia pros and cons, patients are kept either on life support, or deteriorate under the condition of the illness. Things like morphine or antibiotics are given to patients that will lead them to die, if they do not depend upon a machine/other artificial means to survive. Sometimes people mention this point in their wills, that if they ever should get into such a situation where it seems hopeless or too much to bear, that the family should allow him/her to die. Before we get into the euthanasia pros and cons, we first look into the two types of euthanasia.




Passive Euthanasia
This kind of act involves the family/doctor to stop giving the patient his/her medicines or treatment for the disease.



Active Euthanasia
The doctor/nurse administers medicine that will kill the patient after the consent of the family.

   

Euthanasia Pros and Cons 

pros

Doctors feel that it is better that a patient is allowed to pass on, since this gives room for other patients. This gives others a better chance at getting well, as opposed to those who are fatally ill from outnumbering hospital rooms.

Eases the patient's pain and ends their period of suffering.

Helps the family ease financial expenditure from prolonged unproductive treatment.

Avoids the overuse of medicine by the hospital on a patient it has no effect on, saving money and resources.

Lessening pressure on family, and easing their emotional stress and pain.

cons
Doctors have taken an oath, that doesn't give them the legal right to take action on their own, or be a part of the killing where it is illegal.

Euthanasia is seen as act that is immoral and highly unethical in nature.

Leads to what is called the 'slippery slope effect', which is when those who are unable to voice their desires, are put to death like the senile, or a baby or someone in a coma and so on.


Avoids doctors and nurses from finding other alternatives to help treat the sick, resorting to methods like euthanasia.
Left to wonder if the patient could've made it if death wasn't subjected to him/her 

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The pros and cons of euthanasia can view valid reasons, but still don't keep the main basis in mind, in that, the act is absolutely immoral and that no one has a right to end another's life. Euthanasia laws are legal in some countries, where doctors are given the right to kill patients after their consent. Yes, it may seem sad to see the one we love suffer, but at the end of the day, we can't take matters into our own hands and end the other's life, whether or not it is a part of the pros and cons of euthanasia.



A woman who suffered from a painful facial tumor and had drawn headlines across France with her quest for doctor-assisted suicide was found dead [2008]
The circumstances of her death were not immediately clear. Sebire, 52, was diagnosed nearly eight years ago with esthesioneuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer.
The illness left her blind, and with no sense of smell or taste, her lawyer said. She could not use morphine to ease the intense eye pain because of the side effects.
court refused the request for doctor-assisted suicide because of French law and out of concern for medical ethics.
Sebire's case revived a debate in France about the right to die. She received national attention after the media published heartbreaking before-and-after pictures that made her suffering instantly apparent.


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