Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide Nice Words for...

Increasingly, in the courts and the media and in conversation, we are hearing about euthanasia and the so-called right to die. Its time we all are fully informed about what is going on, and what the appropriate response should be. Euthanasia is not a future problem. It is a present problem. It is happening now and becoming increasingly accepted. And we are asleep, not realizing that the road we are on will lead to the massive elimination of the elderly and incompetent, and anyone else considered to be a burden to society. The reflections in this essay are intended to wake us up to the main issues involved in the euthanasia debate. Consider the Nancy Cruzan case. She had been in a coma for almost eight years, but was NOT†¦show more content†¦It is never care in any sense of the word, to terminate life, even if that life is full of suffering. We have no right to terminate life. There are groups in our country pushing for the right to use lethal injections on the seriously ill, or to remove their food and water. We must oppose such moral nonsense with all our strength. And the time to oppose it is now, before it becomes solidified in law. No matter how ill a patient is, we never have a right to put that person to death. Rather, we have a duty to care for and preserve life. But to what length are we required to go to preserve life? No religion or state holds that we are obliged to use every possible means to prolong life. The means we use have traditionally been classified as either ordinary or extraordinary. Ordinary means must always be used. This is any treatment or procedure which provides some benefit to the patient without excessive burden or hardship. Extraordinary means are optional. These are measures which do present an excessive burden. The distinction here is NOT between artificial and natural. Many artificial treatments will be ordinary means in the moral sense, as long as they provide some benefit without excessive burden. It depends, of course, on the specific case in point, with all its medical details. We cannot figure out ahead of time, in other words, whether or not we ourselves or a relative want so me specific treatment to be used on usShow MoreRelatedWhat Actually Is Physician Assisted Suicide?1390 Words   |  6 PagesWhat actually is Physician-Assisted Suicide? In the discussion of Physician-Assisted Suicide you have to make sure that you use the right terminology and make sure that it is clear. Some of the greatest dangers of facing chronic and terminally ill patients are a grey area regarding PAS. There is a strict process to practice PAS. Despite the stringencies, the Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs (1992) found that 28% of PAS cases in the Netherlands did not meet the specific criteria. The evidenceRead MoreActive Euthanasia: Physician Assisted Suicide is Wrong Essay1523 Words   |  7 PagesActive Euthanasia: Physician Assisted Suicide is Wrong The issue at hand is whether physician-assisted suicide should be legalized for patients who are terminally ill and/or enduring prolonged suffering. In this debate, the choice of terms is central. The most common term, euthanasia, comes from the Greek words meaning good death. Sidney Hook calls it voluntary euthanasia, and Daniel C. Maguire calls it death by choice, but John Leo calls it cozy little homicides. Eileen Doyle pointsRead MoreDying with Dignity960 Words   |  4 Pagesto the person. People who have this illness resort to an alternative called euthanasia. Euthanasia is when someone a physician or a family members assist the terminal ill to die by injecting such person with a drug or plugging out the chord that keeps the person alive. While supporters of this technique claim that euthanasia is humane and helpful, other people argue that euthanasia is morally wrong, and inhumane. Euthanasia should be legalize in the United States because it gives an alternative forRea d More Jack Kevorkian Essay1774 Words   |  8 PagesShe still had a life expectancy of at least ten years with the illness, but she wished to die. She wanted to die before the disease robbed her of her competence (Larson 229). Kevorkian later killed Adkins and faced the consequences boldly (Hendin,  ³Suicide in America ² 247). The background, process, and effects of Dr. Kevorkian ¹s questionable first patient, Janet Adkins, have a very detailed story in them. amp;#9;Janet Adkins led a very productive life up to and even after she had been diagnosed with