Euthanasia Essay Assisted Suicide - 927 Words

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide In her paper entitled Euthanasia, Phillipa Foot notes that euthanasia should be thought of as inducing or otherwise opting for death for the sake of the one who is to die (MI, 8). In Moral Matters, Jan Narveson argues, successfully I think, that given moral grounds for suicide, voluntary euthanasia is morally acceptable (at least, in principle). Daniel Callahan, on the other hand, in his When Self-Determination Runs Amok, counters that the traditional pro-(active) euthanasia arguments concerning self-determination, the distinction between killing and allowing to die, and the skepticism about harmful consequences for society, are flawed. I do not think Callahans reasoning establishes that†¦show more content†¦The difference is underlined by saying that a healthy person would not have died of the natural cause, but the injection would kill both a sick and a healthy person. That is, I think, the wrong way to look at it. Narveson argues that the act of shutting off of the life-s ustaining system is in fact killing the patient, for the patient would have continued living had the action not been taken (the natural course of the disease would have been stayed). Thus the act does indeed kill the patient, and is therefore subject to all the moral considerations thereof: what condition the patient was in and the wishes of the patient had she been able to express them, among other things. In this way, if letting die is not morally wrong as is suggested by Callahan, then killing in the context of euthanasia is not wrong and the self-determination and the killing-letting die likeness arguments for euthanasia do hold. The third argument in Callahans paper brings the consequences of legalizing euthanasia to the forefront, namely the abuse of the law; the difficulty of precisely writing, and the enforcing, the law; and the inherent slipperiness of the moral reasons for legalizing euthanasia in the first place (EI, 413). Any law may be abused. Any law on euthanasia, however, may be carefully crafted in such a way as to minimize these potential abuses (particularly since Holland has already legalized euthanasia, so many potential loopholes can beShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia And Assisted Suicide Essay3656 Words   |  15 PagesEuthanasia and Assisted Suicide Explanatory Essay â€Å"At least 36 terminally ill people died last year after taking lethal medication prescribed by doctors under the Washington State’s new physician assisted suicide law passed in 2009† (Caplin et all). This law makes euthanasia and assisted suicide an option for the terminally ill patient without the interjection from others. Due to the physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia law, terminally ill patients have been requesting physician-assisted suicideRead More Essay on Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide1175 Words   |  5 PagesUnderstanding Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide    This paper will address some of the more popular points of interest involved with the euthanasia-assisted suicide discussion. There are less than a dozen questions which would come to mind in the case of the average individual who has a mild interest in this debate, and the following essay presents information which would satisfy that individuals curiosity on these points of common interest.    Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal in theRead MoreEuthanasia Essay : Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide910 Words   |  4 PagesBackground about Euthanasia in The Netherlands. Patients Rights Council. Patients Rights Council, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. This website address euthanasia, assisted suicide, advance directive, disability rights, pain control, and more. This article features background information on euthanasia and assisted suicide in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, for euthanasia or assisted suicide to be legal, â€Å"The patient must be experiencing unbearable pain†¦ must be conscious, The death request must beRead MoreEuthanasia Essay : Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide1755 Words   |  8 PagesIsabella Costa Simao Professor James Kershner English Composition I (ENL 101-02) April 23, 2015 Research Paper Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Death is always a sensitive subject to talk about. That we are all going to one day die is certain. What is unknown is the condition under which it is going to happen. The process of dying is never easy, neither for the individual that is on his or her last stage of live, nor for the family and friends that have to watch someone they love goingRead More Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Essay1436 Words   |  6 PagesAssisted Suicide and Euthanasia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assisted suicide is one of the most controversial topics discussed among people every day. Everyone has his or her own opinion on this topic. This is a socially debated topic that above all else involves someone making a choice, whether it be to continue with life or give up hope and die. This should be a choice that they make themselves. However, In the United States, The land of the free, only one state has legalized assisted suicide. I am for assistedRead More Assisted Suicide Or Euthanasia Essay1709 Words   |  7 Pages ASSISTED SUICIDE or euthanasia On July 26, 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld decisions in New York and Washington State that criminalized assisted suicide. 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At its heartRead MoreEssay on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia911 Words   |  4 PagesAssisted suicide brings a debate that involves professional, legal and ethical issues about the value of the liberty versus the value of life. However, before conceive an opinion about this topic is necessary know deeply its concept. Assisted suicide is known as the act of ending with the life of a terminal illness patients for end with their insupportable pain. Unlike euthanasia, the decision is not made by the doctor and their families, but by the patient. Therefore, doctors should be able to assistRead More Euthanasia Essay - Assisted Suicide and the Supreme Court1540 Words   |  7 PagesAssisted Suicide and the Supreme Court      Ã‚   After the nations highest court declared that U.S. citizens are not constitutionally guaranteed the right to a physician-assisted suicide, the movement has sort of lost its steam. Why do the Supreme Court Justices consider legalization dangerous? How did it win legislative approval in Oregon in the first place? What is the current trend in public opinion about this question? This essay will delve into these questions. After the U.S. Supreme CourtRead More Euthanasia Essay - Religious Views on Assisted Suicide1212 Words   |  5 PagesOfficial Religious Views on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay is dedicated to the expression of the various official views of religious bodies within our nation. Most major denominations are represented. These religions have long been the custodians of the truth, serving to check the erratic and unpredictable tendencies of political, judicial and social bodies which would have Americans killing off their elderly and handicapped.    The National Association of Evangelicals