Do People Have The Right To Choose

When Essay, Research Paper Hickey 1 What exactly is euthanasia? There are many forms of this practice, including physician assisted sucide, active euthanasia, and passive euthanasia. In one citation, euthanasia is the practice of ending a persons life. Euthanasia is practiced worldwide be it legitimate or highly illegal. Along with our understanding and acception of euthanasia in todays’ society, comes the unanswered question, do people have the right to choose when to die? Euthanasia, also known as mercy killing, is the practice of ending life in order to give release from incurable suffering or disease. The word comes form the Greek for an easy death. Euthanasia, technically, refers to helping patients end their own lives and does not apply to stopping life sustaining treatments such as respirators, or a do not resuscitate order.(Glossary…) Euthanasia can be active or passive. Active euthanasia means that a physician or other persons involved with the care of a patient, takes a deliberate action to kill. Administering an overdose of any prescribed drug is considered active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia means letting a patient die by way of the lack of treatment, or suspending treatment that has begun. Examples of passive euthanasia include taking patients off a respirator or removing other life-support systems. Stopping the food Hickey 2 supply, usually occurs in the elderly with intavenous devices.(International…) A great deal of the controversy surrounding euthanasia comes from the decision process. Who decides if a patient is to die? This issue has not been established legally in the United States. The matter is left to state law, which usually allows the physician in charge to suggest the option of death to a patients relatives, especially if the patient is brain dead.(Euthanasia…) In an attempt to make decisions about when their own lives should end, several terminally ill patients in the early 1990’s used a controversial suicide device, developed by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, to end their lives. This device was created from scrap aluminum, a toy car, and other scraps scavenged from garage sales and flea markets. The device consisted of a needle which was inserted into the arm of the patient begining the intravenous flow of a poisonous solution. Kevorkian later switched to a more elaborate machine which consisted of a tightly fitted mask placed over the face, conncected to a carbon monoxide canister. Kevorkian has been involved in 27 deaths to date and has never been convicted of any wrong doing.(The Real…) In parts of Europe, the decision making process has become very flexible. Even in cases where the patients are Hickey 3 not brain dead, patients have been put to death without their consent, at the request of relatives, or at the insistence of physicians. Many cases of involuntary euthanasia involve older people or newborn infants. This is believed to be caused by the “not worthy of life” concept practiced in Nazi Germany(1933-45).(Nazism) In countries where involuntary euthanasia is not legal, the court systems have proven to be very lenient in dealing with medical personel who practice it. In the Neatherlands and Japan, for example, if physicians follow certain guidlines they may carry out mercy killings on terminally ill people. Courts have also proven to be somewhat lenient with friends or relatives who have assisted terminally ill patients to die.(Flynn 1-2) Euthanasia may seem like a dignified way of dying, and in one citation is described as painlessly putting to death people who have incurable, painful, or distressing dieseases or disabilities. This definition has proven false however. When a person is killed with drugs (lethal injection) there body often has violent convulsions and muscle spasms. This is by no means a peaceful or dignified way of dying. Also, if a patient is not killed by the drugs administered to them, then they are often times suffocated with a plastic bag by the attending physician.(International Anti…) Hickey 4 Many doctors are opposed to the legilization of euthanasia. They believe that it is contrary to the entire Hippocratic Oath which states, “…I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients…I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel…” One physician states, “It (euthanasia) would erode trust between terminally ill patients and their physicians.” He further goes on to state that, “Instead of healers, doctors would become dealers in death…As a doctor, I would not want the state telling me to do away with somebody.”(Risley 1-2) Mercy killing is legally considered murder in the United States, whether it involves injecting someone with a drug to “hasten death” or depriving the person of nutrients necessary to keep him or her alive. But most states including Iowa, now have laws permitting “pulling the plug” on someone who has signed a document saying he or she does not want life prolonged by artificial means. This document is called a do not resuscitate order. The document states if a patients’ heart stops beating, cardiopulmonary resuscitation will not be performed to prolong life.(Can We…) Oregon has a “Death With Dignity Act” which states, “An Hickey 5 adult who is capable and a resident of Oregon may initiate a written request for medication. The person must be declared terminally ill by an attending physician. The person must also me declared terminally ill by a consultin physician. The person must recieve counseling to be sure of mental compitence. The attending physician must ask the patient to notify next of kin. The persons’ medical records must be thoroughly reviewed.” This helps to make sure that all participants of this program are sound of mind and terminally ill.(The Oregon…) Euthanasia is explicitly criminalized in 35 states. Nine states criminalize assisted sucicide through common law.(Alabama, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia) Three states have abolished the common law of crimes and do not have statutes criminalizing assisted suicide.(North Carolina, Utah, Wyoming) In Ohio, that state’s supreme court ruled that assisted suicide is not a crime. Only the state of Oregon permits physician assisted suicide. If a physician is convicted of any wrong doing in relation to the death of a patient which is legally, ethically, or morally wrong they may have there liscense to practice medicine revoked.(Assisted suicide…)