Euthanasia - the right to take a life
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. For instance, if a person was being kept alive by a life support machine, to remove it would be to let them die as
Should we have the right to take our own life? Examine the main issues of the debate. Introduction Talk of suicide and euthanasia has long been the focus of media attention
Should we have the right to take our own life? Examine the main issues of the debate. Introduction Talk of suicide and euthanasia has long been the focus of media attention. Recently this debate has been furthermore justified with the advent of European clinics that specialise in professional mercy killings for the terminally ill and those suffering incurable pain. To add to this, suicide rates in this country are ever increasing, with this being one of the ten most common causes of death in the UK. More worrying is the increasingly high number of adolescent youth and young men, who being particularly prone to depression, take their own lives. With the fact that it is still deemed as morally wrong, it must be debated that if we do have the right to die, why then, we can not exercise this right through terminal illness. In this essay I will attempt to discuss the implications as to who has the right to decide if we have a right to end our lives. I will look at this from an ethical and moralistic viewpoint as well as examining the legal rights. I will put the case that in a fully democratically society, such as where we allegedly live what is considered to be reasonable. Findings The sixth commandment declares 'Thou shalt not kill' (Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17) and many Christians believe there is no recognition of a 'right to die' as human life belongs to God (Ps 24:1) and
Religious Views. Euthanasia
Religious Views A Roman Catholic View The Roman Catholic Church regards euthanasia as morally wrong. It has always taught the unchanging importance of the commandment "You shall not kill". The church has said that "Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a foetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying." The church regards any law permitting euthanasia as an unjust law. The Roman Catholic Church does not accept that human beings have a right to die. Human beings are free people, but their freedom does not allow them to ill themselves. Euthanasia and suicide are both God's power over our life and death. The church believes that each human life is a creation of God in the world, a part of his glory. A human being who insists that they have the right to die is breaking their vital relationship with God. Refusing aggressive medical treatment The church says that it is acceptable to refuse extraordinary and aggressive medical means to preserve life. Refusing such treatment is not euthanasia but an acceptance death. Because it is wrong to commit suicide, it is also wrong to have 'assisted suicide' and have someone to kill you. Quotes "Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable
Euthanasia B
Euthanasia Paper 2-Christian Perspectives on personal, social and World issues B-Explain how Christians put their beliefs about Euthanasia into action Euthanasia is a Greek word that translates into English to mean a 'good, easy death.' The main points addressed by the are that euthanasia activists have dropped references to terminal illness, replacing them with such phrases as "hopelessly ill," "desperately ill," "incurably ill," "hopeless condition," and "meaningless life." Another point is that we as humans don't have the right to take another human beings life and god didn't create humans to kill each other. Not all Christians are against Euthanasia so when I write this essay I will write from a Catholic point of view. Some Christians will straight away say Euthanasia is wrong no matter the circumstances but others will ask what the situation is and then consider if it the right or wrong thing to do. Most Christians will actually put some of their responses and some of them are: * Educational training for students and youth groups * The Hospice Movement * Joining a protest march * Voluntary work * Lobbying Parliament I will now explore three on these responses and give an explanation of each and my thoughts on each. ) Hospice Movement- St. Christopher's - Dame Cicely Saunders founded the first modern hospice in London in 1967. It was founded on the
How Eastenders dealt with Euthanasia.
How Eastenders dealt with Euthanasia. Soap operas deal with moral and religious issues nearly every other week from abortion to murder. Eastenders is just one of many tackling these issues, during 2000 - 2001 Eastenders dealt with issues surrounding the death of Ethel Skinner. Euthanasia is a world wide controversy, making headlining news, whether euthanasia should become legal or not as many terminally ill cancer sufferers wish to have the choose to die with dignity not in pain, Up to now no one has legally achieved this in the UK. In Ethel's case she was suffering from a brain tumour and had not long to live and knew that before long she would lose her mental powers, consequential by resulting in memory loss, which frightened her. So she decides to put aside her morphine tablets and when the time was right she would take them all at once, One of her closest friends Dot, realised what she's doing and takes the medication off her. But Ethel explained to Dot that she wanted to die when she's at her happiest but she could not do it alone and that Dot must help her, At first Dot says it is out of the question but after they have a good night at the Vic, Dot decides that she will help her in her suicide by giving Ethel her Morphine tablets, This results in Ethel passing away during the night. After Dot becomes guilt ridden, believing that she has gone against her religion
Should Euthanasia be Decriminalised
Lorraine. Soden Access to Nursing (Evening) Should Euthanasia be Decriminalised This essay will argue both for and against the argument to decriminalise euthanasia. The reason for my choice is that it is a very topical debate, which has appeared in the news at the present time, and I feel it is relevant to my course work on nursing." The word Euthanasia comes from the ancient Greek, meaning 'Good Death' or a death with dignity. We all want a good death or a death with dignity." [www.ves.org.uk accessed 28/10/01] Yet different people seem to mean very different things when they speak of a good death or a death with dignity. By Euthanasia one might mean the intentional killing by a doctor of a patient by an act or omission. "In 1935 a group of doctors, lawyers and churchmen, set up the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. Their aim was to make it legal for a competent adult, who is suffering unbearably from an incurable illness, to receive medical help to die at their own, considered and persistent request." [www.ves.org.uk accessed 28/10/01]. However, there are two types of euthanasia these being Passive and Active. Let us first talk about euthanasia in the sense of active euthanasia, this is giving a drug such as potassium chloride to end a person's life. This would be classed as helping to kill someone and would be classed as murder. Passive Euthanasia on the other hand is
Is Euthanasia morally right?
Is Euthanasia morally right? The term 'Euthanasia´ comes from the Greek word for 'easy death´. It is the one of the most public policy issues being debated about today. Formally called 'mercy killing´, euthanasia is the act of purposely making or helping someone die, instead of allowing nature to take it´s course. Basically euthanasia means killing in the name of compassion. Euthanasia, can be either 'voluntary´, 'passive´, or 'positive´, Voluntary involves a request by the dying patient or their legal representative. Passive involves, doing nothing to prevent death - allowing someone to die. Positive involves taking deliberate action to cause a death. Euthanasia, at the moment is illegal throughout the world apart from in the State of Oregon, where there is a law specifically allowing doctors to prescribe lethal drugs for the purpose of euthanasia. In the Netherlands it is practised widely, although, in fact, it remains illegal. I believe that everyone has the right to choose how they live and die. Everyone deserves respect, freedom and the power to control their own destiny. Not everybody will have an easy death. Some terminal pain cannot be controlled, even with the best of care and the strongest of drugs. Other distressing symptoms, which come with diseases, such as sickness, no mobility, incontinence, breathlessness and fever cannot always be relieved. Pain is
How does Brian Clark interest and entertain his Audience in the play 'Whose Life is it Anyway?'
How does Brian Clark interest and entertain his Audience in the play 'Whose Life is it Anyway?' Throughout the play, 'Whose life is it anyway?' it is made obvious that it is based on the late 20th century as it contains many references towards modern drugs, medical technology and jargon. It is a strong emotional play focusing on one man as he fights a desperate struggle to regain control of his life and the right to die. Ken Harrison, who is the main character, feels his life has already ended when he is involved in a serious car accident and faces substantial injuries as Dr Emerson emphasises from his notes. "Mr Harrison was admitted here on the afternoon of October 9th as an emergency case following a road accident. He was suffering from a fractured left tibia and right tibia and fibia, a fractured pelvis, four fractured ribs. One of which had punctured the lung and dislocated the fourth vertebra, which had ruptured the spinal cord. He was extensively bruised and had minor lacerations. He was deeply unconscious and remained so for thirty hours. As a result of treatment all the broken bones and ruptured tissue have healed with the exception of the severed spinal cord and this together, with the mental trauma is all that remains of the initial injury." This statement clearly proves that Ken will face a life without any movement in his body below his neck, this therefore
Outline whether you think the law on Euthanasia should be changed in the UK
Outline whether you think the law on Euthanasia should be changed in the UK (6 marks) Euthanasia is illegal In the UK, as it is in other European countries apart from the Netherlands. There are many grey areas in the law which can cause confusion and controversy. Euthanasia is a very debatable subject and in the UK, the official policy is to oppose all forms of euthanasia. Personally, I agree with the law on euthanasia at the moment for a variety of reasons. From a non-Islamic point of view, I would say that we can not be sure of the patients' wishes. So, this means that if she didn't want to end her life, then it would be as if it was a "murder", as it would be against her desire. Also, having euthanasia in the UK would give the doctors too much power, and it may eventually lead to them getting used to ending patients' lives, instead of saving them. Furthermore, there may eventually be a cure for that particular illness, and so that patients' life could have been saved. Lastly, euthanasia may be requested by unscrupulous relatives of the patient in order to inherit. From a Muslim point of view, the Quran forbids suicide and declares that he is the only one who can take someone's life, and no-one must take their own life without his permission. And therefore Muslims are forbidden to commit any form of euthanasia as it goes against their belief in the sanctity of life. This
Christians and Euthanasia
Christians and Euthanasia The term euthanasia has been applied to a variety of situations, ranging from the cancer patient who legitimately refuses further therapy, to the gassing of the mentally retarded and the senile in Nazi Germany. In order to clarify what is being discussed, words like voluntary and involuntary, active and passive are added. But many grey areas remain. If, for instance, a doctor decides not to treat pneumonia in a patient already dying of cancer, is he (or she) practising euthanasia? Debate on euthanasia in Australia has focussed on the question of voluntary euthanasia. Should it be legal for one person (such as a doctor) to assist another person to die, at their request? That will also be the focus of this article. What does the bible say? The bible does not discuss euthanasia, or provide any clear examples. King Saul's plea to his armour bearer to kill him rather than letting him die at the hands of the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:4) might be construed as a case. The servant's refusal to carry out his request probably related more to who Saul was than to a well thought-out position on euthanasia. Our attitude to euthanasia, then, must be drawn from the teaching of the bible as a whole. Some argue that to end a person's suffering by helping them to die is consistent with Jesus' teaching on love and mercy. Yet the prohibition on the taking of human