Essay about Euthanasia Mercy or Murder - 2228 Words

According to the Collins Canadian English Dictionary euthanasia is defined as â€Å"the act of killing someone painlessly, especially to relieve his or her suffering† (2004). Not everyone agrees with this definition. I have always believed that euthanasia was the human choice of ending another persons life because of the excruciating pain they are suffering due to an incurable disease. Some disciplines think that euthanasia should never be an option no matter what the situation. While other disciplines question the validity of the actions of the person helping with the actual euthanasia. Still others support euthanasia in all forms as long as it is performed for the sake of the patient who is suffering. There are three types of†¦show more content†¦Many patients lose control of the function of their arms and or legs and become completely dependent. The question then becomes, when does ones quality of life reach such a low level that life then becomes not worth living? A person, at any time, should be able to make this decision. Under the existing law Canadians are not granted this right, the right to their own life. An example of the absence of the right to die, can be seen through the examination of a case from 1990. A woman named Michelle Frenette wanted to be disconnected from the respirator which was keeping her alive. Her doctors refused to disconnect her from the respirator without a court order. Michelles family could not afford to go to court, and legal aid does not provide assistance in such cases. So, Michelle lay there, for two years until her eventual death. She should have been able to end her life, without having to obtain a court order, when she felt that her quality of life had been reduced to such a level that it was no longer worth living. In this particular case the law prevented and discriminated against Michelle and her inherent right to freedom of choice. When a person decides whether euthanasia is an option for them, in th eir state of illness, they must consider their quality of life. As a result of their illness, has the quality of their life been reduced to such an extent thatShow MoreRelated Euthanasia Essay: Mercy Killing or Murder?1333 Words   |  6 PagesEuthanasia: Mercy Killing or Murder?      Ã‚   We, as humans, are mortal beings.   Our life span is finite.   Even though we are mortal, we try to hang onto our lives as long as we can; fear of death and wanting to live forever are, after all, part of human nature.   Sometimes, however, the field of medicine capitalizes on this aspect of humanity. While it is certainly true that one goal of medicine has always been to prolong life, another goal has been the alleviation of pain and suffering.   One pointRead MoreEssay about Euthanasia as Mercy or Murder1311 Words   |  6 PagesEuthanasia as Mercy or Murder In keeping with the root definition of euthanasia- literally [meaning] good death- [supporters] of euthanasia insist they are talking about helping terminally ill patients in insufferable pain die a dignified death- at the patients request. But this bears no resemblance to the true picture of the actual practice of euthanasia in the United States (Lyons np). Passive euthanasia is death by nonintervention, meaning a health care worker can discontinueRead MoreEuthanasia: Murder or Mercy? Essay1665 Words   |  7 Pagesa way as to reach an impasse amongst two opposing parties. Euthanasia happens to be a topic that has been debated extensively for the larger part of the twenty-first century (Larue). 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