Taking a Look at Euthanasia - 1733 Words

Euthanasia, also commonly referred to as ‘mercy killing’, and ‘assisted suicide’, has been and continues to be the subject to moral, legal, religious and political debates around the world. At the core of debate lies to competing values between the right for every individual to decide to die with dignity when suffering, and the need to uphold the right to life. (Australian Human Rights Commission. 1996) The purpose of this task is to critically analyse the nature and extent of euthanasia and whether assisted suicide should or should not be legalised, corresponding to ethical theories. This essay will develop an outline of what euthanasia entails, human rights debates, and the debate of legalising euthanasia in regards to consequentialism. Ethical egoism and utilitarianism are two moral theories that can be applied directly to euthanasia, both supporting and opposing the moral debate at hand. Statements and few statistics will support the legalisation that ev ery individual should possess the right to die in peace and dignity. Before analysing the link between ethical theories and euthanasia, euthanasia and the current legal stance must first be defined and evaluated. As stated by Christian Nordqvist. (2010), euthanasia can be defined as â€Å"a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable suffering†. Society most widely views euthanasia as the â€Å"intentional hastening of death by a terminally ill patient with assistance from another person†.Show MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Euthanasia710 Words   |  3 PagesEuthanasia can be done by veterinarians to your pets when they are old and in pain due to a disease, but what about humans? Euthanasia is the process of which one intentionally ends a life in the hopes of relieving a suffering that otherwise would be too much to bear for the patient. It is usually talked about when someone is inflicted with a terminal illness, or an illness with which there is no cure. They will have bouts of uncontrollable and excruciating pain but no way to control it. Many ofRead MoreTaking a Look at Euthanasia1787 Words   |  7 PagesThe term Euthanasia was originated from the Greek word â€Å"good death†. However, there is constant debate on whether or not this â€Å"good death† is morally right and thus has become an issue of much controversy. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of a hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (Mirriam-Webster). This topic is especially sensitive among the general public because it involves a choice of life and death for aRead MoreTaking a Look at Euthanasia1803 Words   |  7 PagesThe word euthanasia has its origin millennia ago in Ancient Greece, where it means literally the good death. However, in todays society, there are deeper and more layers of meaning to euthanasia than before. There are three basic types of euthanasia: voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary. Vol untary euthanasia concerns itself with the express wish of a mentally competent person to die through the assistance of others. Voluntary euthanasia can further be divided into two categories: passive voluntaryRead MoreTaking a Look at Euthanasia537 Words   |  2 PagesEuthanasia, or â€Å"good death,† refers to the practice of deliberately ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. Euthanasia’s applications include physician-assisted suicide and mercy killing. Advocates claim that patients have the right to choose a quick, dignified death over a life of â€Å"suffering.† Suffering encompasses multiple descriptions, from terminal illness to congenital disorders, such as Down Syndrome—even though it is proven that people with such disorders can live a fulfillingRead MoreTaking a Look at Euthanasia695 Words   |  3 PagesThe word ‘euthanasia’ comes from Greek and means ‘pleasant death’. It typically refers to the kil ling of a person for their own good, usually to end their suffering. Medically assisted suicide, where doctors help patients to die or actually kill them, is legal in a number of European countries, including Belgium and the Netherlands. Euthanasia is a highly complex issue involving difficult questions regarding the role of modern government and the rights of individual citizens. The central argumentRead MoreTaking a Look at Voluntary Euthanasia1015 Words   |  4 Pageschemotherapy and taking various sorts of drug. The point when slightest wanted, you end up lying on the floor hacking up blood. Notwithstanding youre at the healing center and the specialists are providing for you a desire of six to eight months to live. Mindful that the growth has compound and it is just a matter of time before death, you choose you probably wont have any desire to experience any longer ache or enduring. You, then, propose willful extermination to the specialist. Euthanasia, otherwiseRead MoreEssay on Christians Response to the Issue of Euthanasia1616 Words   |  7 PagesChristians Response to the Issue of Euthanasia Euthanasia is currently a highly debated topic for many Christians and in this section of my coursework I will be looking at how Christians may respond to the question of it. However before I explore or begin to explain how a Christian may respond, I need to explore how Christians make their moral decisions. Christians use a number of sources to make decisions or discuss moral issues such as euthanasia. The first of these is theRead More Euthanasia Should Not Be Legal Essay1056 Words   |  5 Pages Euthanasia is a word that comes from ancient Greece and it refers to â€Å"good death†. In the modern societies euthanasia is defined as taking away people’s lives who suffer from an incurable disease. They usually go through this process by painlessness ways to avoid the greatest pains that occurs from the disease. A huge number of countries in the World are against euthanasia and any specific type of it. One of the most important things being discussed nowadays is whether euthanasia should beRead MoreWhat Makes A Human Being A Person?937 Words   |  4 Pagessmall topics of Bioethical issues is euthanasia and whether or not it is okay for anyone to partake in it. Euthanasia is the act of either passively or actively taking a person’s live. Another type of euthanasia is called voluntary euthanasia, which could also be called as sisted suicide. It is morally okay to take person’s life if they asked for help. Therefore, euthanasia is morally okay. What makes a human a person plays a role in the moral judgement of euthanasia because it is up to the person whoRead MoreExploring the Different Types of Euthanasia Essay1245 Words   |  5 Pagescontroversy begins, and morals become touchy issues for most people. Should euthanasia be an alternative to end pain, and suffering in certain circumstances; or is euthanasia a mindless, selfish means to an end. Even worse; could euthanasia be considered an act of murder? In the first article I read â€Å"Euthanasia, Ethics and Public Policy: An Argument Against Legislation† by John Keown. According to Keown the term euthanasia can be defined as, â€Å"The active, intentional termination of a patient’s life