Euthanasia - the right to take a life
Extracts from this document...
Introduction
Euthanasia - the right to take a life? Euthanasia is complex issue within today's modern society. Active euthanasia is currently illegal in this country, but in many countries it is not. Is this a good idea or are we greatly exceeding our position as human beings? It is questionable whether we are in total control of our lives and have the final say in our own existence, or whether each individual life is important to the running of our society, tainting our free will to live or to die. Euthanasia comes from the Greek for 'mercy killing'. It is the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment. Euthanasia falls into three different classes, voluntary, involuntary and non-voluntary. Voluntary euthanasia, or active euthanasia as it is sometimes known, is the act of consenting your own death to end physical or mental suffering. In this country this is classed as suicide and can lead to a prison sentence if attempted, or even aided. Non-voluntary, or passive euthanasia, is to take the life of a person who cannot make the decision for themselves, usually due to a coma where the sufferer exists in a persistent vegetative state. ...read more.
Middle
I believe that passive euthanasia is an acceptable form of death, as it can often help family members to move on. I do not however, think that it is fair to base UK laws on the bible in this modern day and age. With the rapid decrease of church goers, is it really fair to enforce laws based on a book which many people do not believe in. Many of the bibles ideas are outdated, for instance, the idea of women being a lesser form of life than men has become a thing of the past. I do not believe it is fair to randomly select parts of the bible to abide by and others to ignore. One of the main arguments brought up with euthanasia is the idea of your life belonging to you. This concept can be viewed under many different lights. A person is said to be in control of their own life, and therefore has the right to take it whenever they please, thus proving euthanasia a fair and correct way of death. The argument here is that this is not necessarily true in all cases. Many people do not fully understand their own emotions and are often seen to take on foolish actions with little thought unto the matter. ...read more.
Conclusion
They want to avoid terrible headaches and suffering. We think that it is humane to help them."-Dignitas director Ludwig Minelli This quotation shows very strong feelings towards the prevention of human suffering. This support group helps people to die with dignity if they are suffering from a serious illness, which, in many cases has left them unable to live their life in the way they wish too. A good example of this would be Multiple Sclerosis, where the suffering is left severely handicapped in most cases, unable to take on the simple tasks most people do every day. I believe in cases such as these, if a human does not wish to continue living it is their choice to undergo euthanasia. In this case I do not believe any other person has the right to make a decision for them as they cannot fully understand the suffering the patient is going through. I do not believe there is a right or wrong answer to the act of euthanasia, unless it is involuntary which I do not believe should be condoned under any circumstances. Each case has different needs and therefore should be viewed with different opinions. This can prove difficult as it is hard to draw a line; where should we stop condoning the death of our own people? ?? ?? ?? ?? ...read more.
This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Euthanasia section.
Found what you're looking for?
- Start learning 29% faster today
- 150,000+ documents available
- Just £6.99 a month