Euthanasia Humane and Dignified Essay - 2497 Words

Advances in modern medical technology have served to deny people the right to die, and euthanasia, it may be argued, has emerged with the purpose of reclaiming that right. Euthanasia, which is defined as â€Å"granting painless death to a hopelessly ill patient with a non-curable disease,† is a very controversial issue (Russell 3). Illegal in all countries, except the Nertherlands, it is still practiced all over the world in an attempt to give people the right to a painless, and natural, death (Emanuel 1). In short, the advances in modern medicine and its techniques, have created a situation whereby people’s lives are artificially extended, despite the fact that they could be in an irrecoverable coma or suffering from an incurable chronic†¦show more content†¦The second form of euthanasia, which is the active or positive type, cannot be defended from the viewpoints of either ethics or religious principles as it ultimately emerges as an act of murder, or suicide . As regards its definition, it is described as â€Å"an act of commission; death is induced either by direct action to terminate life, or by indirect action such as in giving drugs in amounts that will clearly hasten death (Russell 19). That is, death is made to occur giving rise to the concern that it is an act of murder, if the doctor is involved, or an act of suicide, if only the patient himself is involved. Interestingly, when we consider the ethical principles involved in the two forms of euthanasia defined, we find that the first can be defended as ethical despite the fact that it can occur without the wishes or the involvement of the patient, while the second can’t be defended as such although it occurs with the direct consent, and even cooperation of the patient (Stauch 2). In other words, we may understand and sympathize with the circumstances which led a person to request euthanasia and go through it, but we can’t defend it from the perspective of moral and religious arguments. This is due to the fact that it forces death toShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia Essay893 Words   |  4 PagesEuthanasia Euthanasia is a highly emotive issue, which is habitually avoided contemplation because it deals with unsettling issues people often choose to disregard. It is exceptionally difficult for people to converse about grave illness and its implications, which is undoubtedly why so many people are left unaware of why this issue is so significant. The increasing number of grave diseases emphasises the magnitude of this issue. 1 out of 5 people have or will developRead MoreThe Age Should Not Be A Person s Life1680 Words   |  7 Pagesresort to euthanasia. When a person’s life is coming to an end in a matter of days, a more reasonable approach to it would be to provide proper end-of-life care if requested. An individual has the right to determine when their last day should be if they are suffering from a terminal illness if it is quickly approaching. 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Euthanasia should