Death with Dignity (Euthanasia) Essay - 1515 Words

What is the value of life exactly? Who decides whether or not someone’s life is valuable? These and many other questions are asked when the controversial topic of euthanasia is discussed. Certain groups and different politicians disapprove of the legalization of euthanasia, arguing that it is immoral and unethical. Doctors use modern medicine and expanding technology to â€Å"extend† one’s life. However, court mandates and/or politicians should not decide our rights. Especially when it involves our own bodies. When we feel as though we should end the pain and suffering from a terminal illness, then I believe it’s our autonomy. The individual and/or the individual’s family should make the final decision. A patient of a fatal disease such as†¦show more content†¦The first society established in the United States came soon after, in 1938 (Finsterbusch 246). It was called the Hemlock Society, and it now consists of more than 67,000 members (Fin sterbusch 190). This group gained so much support advocating legalization that the issue became a large debate splitting the country in half. The purpose of this society is to support your decision to die. Also it offers support when you are ready to die. As generations passed, it became more and more requested from relatives that their loved ones die peacefully. It became less possible to watch a loved one hooked up to machines that carry out daily tasks as simple as breathing until the end approached abruptly. Euthanasia is a way to spend the last moments of life with family and friends, not with machines, procedures, and most definitely not pain. Many individuals who have lost the capability to make their own decisions have what is called a â€Å"surrogate† make health-care decisions for them (Jussim). Living wills are a major part in the legal aspects of euthanasia. A living will can express a patient’s thoughts towards his or her future medical treatment (Jussim). Living wills are legal in forty states (Jussim). They permit anyone capable of making decisions to tell the doctor beforehand that they do not wish to be put on life support (Jussim). If the patient is unconscious or in a state where he or she isn’t capable of makingShow MoreRelatedEssay about Euthanasia Allows Death with Dignity1347 Words   |  6 Pagesout of control doctors who take it upon themselves to decide who lives, who dies, and when. Physician-assisted suicide has been practiced in the Netherlands for many years and â€Å"there are a substantial number of cases of non-voluntary euthanasia, that is, euthanasia undertaken without th e explicit permission of the person being killed† (Lee, 2003). Physicians’ being able to euthanize patients without permission is a terrifying thought, but what these people against the legalization of physician-assistedRead MoreEuthanasia Essays : Euthanasia And Euthanasia1432 Words   |  6 PagesDoes euthanasia assists patients to die with dignity? 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In order to enable terminally ill patients the ability to relieve their pain and lift the financial burden on those ill and their loved ones. Terminally ill individuals experiencing agonizing illnesses, with a predicted lifespan of six months or less, have little or no control over their lives and deaths. Opposed to the patients who enter a state of vegetation whereRead MoreShould Euthanasia Be Legal?1635 Words   |  7 Pagesover our deaths. We claim to be free people but someone else’s morals and standards could possibly govern the way we die. Medicine today makes it possible for patients who are living with unbearable pain to choose to die peacefully and with dignity. Physician-assisted suicide or active, voluntary euthanasia for an adult who is in a rational state of mind and whose suffering happens to be unbearable despite the strongest medical efforts, is an idea that should to be put into action. 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