Euthanasia can be defined as the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. Many people refer to Euthanasia as "assisted suicide" or "mercy killing". Whatever you call it, it brings up a lot of debate and discussion. If your loved one was in crucial pain and their quality of life was deteriorating, what would you want to happen? Some argue that euthanasia is doing the terminally ill a favor by 'putting them out of their misery', or relieving them from extreme pain. Other arguments for Euthanasia claim that it is simply another case of freedom of choice, and on the upside it helps free up loved ones from being weighed down in unnecessary medical funds. Those against Euthanasia argue that assisted suicide devalues human life, and could become a source of heath care cost containment. Those against Euthanasia feel as though human life should be protected and that no one besides God should be able to take your life away from you.
I'm sure you all remember the case of Teri Schiavo which dominated news stations back in 2005. Terri Schiavo was diagnosed as being in a PVS ( persistent vegetative state) for seven years before her husband, Michael Schiavo ultimately won the case and had her feeding tube removed on March 18, 2005. The case involved 14 appeals, and led to involvement by the Florida Legislature, the United States Congress, and George W. Bush himself to try and keep her alive. Schiavo was euthanized by an act of omission which is the intentional causing of death by not providing ordinary means of survival (such as food and water). Schiavo died on March 31, 2005 due to dehydration and starvation.
Some argue that Schiavo was in such a poor state of being that causing her death was doing her a favor. No one should live in a vegetative state for the remainder of their life. Others think that starving someone to death is no different than murder--no matter what their current physical state of being may be. What do you think? If you found your self in a situation where you had to decide whether a loved one dies or lives, what sort of things would be going through your mind? Is Euthanasia moral?
Check out this website for the legality of Euthanasia in the United States:
http://www.internationaltaskforce.org/assisted_suicide_laws.htm
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I believe that it should be a person's right to be able to die if they want to, but only in certain cases. When it comes to actual suicide which is debated as to whether or not it should be a person's choice to end their life, I believe that it should be prevented. When it comes to mental issues, there is always a way that it can be fixed if the person is really willing to improve their life. But when a person is on their death bed and destined to live in a vegetated state while draining thousands of dollars from their loved ones; it should be their choice to end their life or their families. When a person enters a vegetated state, it is horrible for the family around them. No one wants to remember the person they love being fed by a tube and having their life dedicated to a machine. They should be able to end their life and help their families to move on from their death instead of keeping them hanging on for years. It also costs thousands and thousands of dollars to keep a vegetated person alive, which can leave many families in poverty. Overall people should be able to have a choice as to what they want to do with their life and how they would like to end it.
ReplyDeleteIt is really difficult to say, I believe it depends on the case. I know that if one of my loved ones was in a vegetative state with no hope of getting better, I'm sure they'd want me to "pull the plug" so to speak. It would be the most difficult thing in the world to do, but probably something they would want. If it is something like cancer that can be treated, I would fight to the very last breath. If there is any hope of saving that person I would do it. No question about it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the starvation portion, that is completely out of the question. I do not think that is a humane way to die; you should not deprive someone of their necessities. That just seems to be prolonging the pain, while death is the result that is not a good way of achieving that result. I am not really for this whole euthanasia business, I am more for the fight for life. But sometimes it has to be done when there is no other option.
This is a very difficult topic to say whether it is good or not. I think if it were me I would want to die rather than suffer in pain or live off a machine. If the doctor told me right now I really don't think I would know what to do but after some thought I think I would want euthanasia. I feel like people who are capable of making the choice to have euthanasia should have the right. It is more difficult for those who can't decide because it is hard to say if it is ethical or not. I feel like if a person should have the right to choose if it is an illness that will kill them and they will suffer. It is a very complicated issue.
ReplyDeleteEuthanasia is a very difficult subject to take a definitive stance on. I think that each different situation should be judged individually to determine whether or not euthanasia is the right or wrong thing to do. I personally would not want to live in a vegetative state for the rest of my life, and I would hope that the people who had the power to decide what to do would let me go even if it meant starvation because even though that isn't the most dignified way to die it is still more dignified than living in a vegetative state. I realize though that is an extremely difficult decision to make and a lot of people wouldn't be able to do it. I ultimately believe that it's not murder and people should be able to decided whether or not they want to die now or suffer through a prolonged and painful illness from which they will eventually die. Euthanasia is a very complicated subject with a lot of different ways of looking at it.
ReplyDeleteI think that this article was very interesting and brough up very many good points.
ReplyDeletea friend of mine had had a tragic experience involving his grandfather. His grandfather had had a stroke, and to this day, still is in a vegatative state. The family doesn't want to see the man in pain anymore, but they don't want him dead either. what could a family do in such a situation? This is a very touchy subject, you don't want to see someone suffer, but you don't want to see their demise.
I believe that if the person, like in my friends case, can make at least minimal communication and give yes/no answers to questions, then they should say if they would like to live or die, and the qaulity of life is in their opinion. If the person is totally vegetative, it should be the families issue, but how to go about that decision i really couldn't say. I guess I would want the person to go if there were no chance of return and their quality of life would never be enhanced. If there were chances for a brighter future i wouldn't do it, but would the person themselves want that?
Like many others, I believe that it is very difficult to take one side on the euthanasia argument. On the one hand, I think that euthanasia is "assisted suicide" and that if we believe that no one should be allowed to kill themselves while they are healthy, they should let nature take its course when they are sick. On the other hand, I agree that it is very difficult for families to see their loved ones suffer unnecessarily, and that if someone is in such a weak state that they can't decide for themselves if they'd like to be euthanized, their family has the right to decide for them. However, I agree with capuano when they stated that starvation is definitely not a humane way to die. If someone is going to be euthanized, I think that we should find an easier way to "put them out of their misery" than by causing more misery before their eventual death.
ReplyDeleteI think that this issues comes down to the quality of life. I know that I personally would not want to depend on machines to live and be in a complete vegetative state. I think that if someone is on life support and many doctors concur that the patient has no hope of recovery, then the machines should be turned off. I also believe that for the most part the family of the patient has a fairly good understanding of what that person would want. If doctors say that there is hope for recovery, the family should wait in hope that that person would get better.
ReplyDeleteMy step-dad was in a motorcycle accident about 6 years ago. He was in a coma and surviving on life support. The doctors said there was a chance that he would wake up, but would be severly brain injured if he did. It was horrific seeing someone I loved in that state. Watching a strong and independent person be so vulnerable and helpless is a heart wrenching experience. My step-dad made a full recovery and only has slight problems now. However, if he continued to remain in that state I would have liked to see him die peacfully, and he agrees.
I do not think that euthansia or suicide is ever acceptable. I can understand depression and the feeling of no hope, regardless ending your life should never be an option. The fact of the matter is is that most people (especially in cases of suicide) are not in a healthy state of mind when they make those decisions.
While I agree that euthanasia is a tough topic I have feel that it should be allowed. After watching my grandfather die of cancer, after a long year battle with a disease that was never going to get better. He suffered for a long time, no radiation was going to touch the tumors which he had. While this was not an easy battle to watch him go through, my entire family supported him. When left to choose startving him to death or letting him live it out they let him live it out until he was forced to let go. However, I knew throughout this long battle he was unhappy and was sad to let us watch him die. I think he would've wanted to be put out of pain and let go of. I think while many call it assisted suicide, when someone has no other options but to wait in pain until they die, why delay the inevitable. But if someone is young and has a chance of survival then I do feel euthanasia is not right. It is then taking the life of a person since they could recover and live a happy life. Therefore, I feel the subject is a touchy one. While in some cases I support it, others I am forced to re-evaluate my support.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is a difficult topic to talk about and take a side on. I think that if someone is going through a lot of pain, or just in a vegetated state, then euthanasia should be used. I think most people would choose to be put out of their pain than be suffering until they die. Taking away a life source from a loved one is very difficult, but it is better than watching them die. Their misery causes the whole family pain, so I think it is just better to put them out of their pain than let them live.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm not saying to use euthanasia right away when someone is in pain. But if it is going on for years and years, and there is no way they will recover, then you should put them out of pain. It's a hard thing to do and a tough decision to make.
“Euthanasia” or “mercy killing” is defined according to the 1980 declaration from the Vatican as "an action or an omission which of itself or by intention causes death, in order that all suffering may in this way be eliminated." Killing a human being is not a pleasant concept, however to soften it up, some people play with terminology. For example they use words such as “vegetable,” which causes me to question what kind? A green bean? A carrot? A piece of broccoli perhaps?
ReplyDeleteNo matter what illness an individual suffers from, a human being is always a human being, and has a right to life which nobody can take away for any political, religious, or philosophical reason. In fact, when a person suffers, is our duty to take care of them. Although we are not obligated to use every possible means to prolong life, like the article states we are obligated to provide “ordinary” means.
Often euthanasia is called the “right to die”. We as humans do not have this right! A “right” is a moral claim, and we defiantly do not have a claim on death. We cannot decide when our life on earth ends, just like we could not decide when it began. No one, no doctor, relative, or friend, has the right to terminate life, for only God our creator has that right. He alone can take away our life, for He gave it to us.
I have always thought it is a person's choice to live or die. In the Declaration of Independence it says that everyone has the "pursuit of happiness" .. but if they don't want that pursuit, it should be their choice to give it up and decide if they don't want to live anymore. Yes, it is a sin in the Christian faith, but if you aren't religious then it should have no affect on your decision. Just like with Life Support, and if you would chose to keep living off it or have told your family you would want to have the plug pulled, I believe it should be the same with someone in a vegegtive state. I know I wouldn't want my child, husband, or parent be laying in a hospital bed for the rest of their lives, especially if there is a one in a million chance of them waking up. It is one thing to be hopeful and another to be realistic and humane.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that getting the feeding tube pulled is a good way to let someone go. Their body shouldn't have to go through that and it is more inhumane then just giving them a shot or something to end their life. There should be restrictions and I believe there are about assisted suicide. I also don't believe in assisted suicide for people who are manic depressive and just don't want to live anymore. There are other ways to help them besides death-- a mental hospital, counseling, ect. Some of the assisted suicide out there is not right and is totally different then someone in a coma who can't make the decision themself.
I think that everyone in today's world should think about this dilemma and tell a loved one or write it in their will to be ready if something this bad happens. I know that my mother has already told me what she would want me to do if this happens to her. And I have let her know my wishes if this was to happen to me. It is a reality we all have to face and I think if more people accept it then there wouldn't have to be as many complications if the situation occurs.
This subject I agree is an extremely hard one to talk about. When a loved one is that sick, nobody wants to give up that desperate hopw that they're clinging to that they will get better.
ReplyDeleteWhen my best friend was dying of cancer, she tried twice to kill herself. To be honest I don't really blame her. At 16, your life should be beginning, it shouldn't be the beggining of the end. She told me once that nobody should have to live like this. She was so ashamed of her frail appearance and how her mom and I had to help her takes baths and eventually feed her.
When it became clear that the chemo was not doing any good, Sarah was placed in a hospice facility. When she lost conciousness for good, her mother was given the choice to 'pull the plug,' and thats what she did. Sarah didn't want to be in pain anymore. And if there was no chance of her ever getting better, there was no way I wanted to see her suffer anymore.
Euthanasia is such a personal topic that no matter how many blogs there are agreeing or disagreeing with it, there will never be just one correct answer. Personally, if someone is in pain and has expressed feelings of not wanting to suffer, Euthanasia should be considered. I feel like the bottom line here is “talk to your family about what you want!” If there is no possible cure for a certain disease, and the patient is suffering, Euthanasia may not be so bad. But of course, there’s always that thought going through anyone’s head of “is there a chance he/she could get better?” I think that’s what makes the topic of Euthanasia so controversy because we will always wonder if a cure is coming; if there is any hope.
ReplyDeleteIf one of my loved ones was in the vegetative state, and was to stay that way for the rest of their lives, it is hard to say but I would unplug them. Even if I was in tht state, I would appreciate it if they did the same thing because there is no point in living in that state, all I would be doing is suffering.
ReplyDeleteDo I think dying of hunger is right? No, I completely disagree. When one is thirsty or hungry, it is hard not to reach out for a bottle of water or something to eat. Imagine someone who cant move, how desperate they must be feeling inside. That is just a horrible death that I wouldnt ever like to see.
It is so hard to know what I would do in a situation like that. Part of me says, it is wrong to use euthanasia, especially if you are not in a vegatative state. The other part of me says that if someone I love is in a vegatative I wouldn't want them to suffer any longer then they have to.
ReplyDelete