Euthanasia (revisions)

Euthanasia

Let’s say that a person that you know has been in the hospital, terminally ill in a vegetative state for quite a while and every option that is available has been done to help this person but no progress has been shown. The only thing that is keeping her or him “alive” is a feeding tube, and a respirator. Most people would just keep with the treatments and hope that the person miraculously wakes up. But what if he or she does not wake up and remains in this state for years, what would be left to do than to take an alternative option like euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act of ending someone’s life by hastening death for terminally ill or injured patients. This would bring a lot of attention because then, what would happen to babies that are born with a disease that is incurable? and they are going to die anyways?  Is it ethically correct to assist in someone Else's death even if they are not physically or mentally capable of deciding on their own? This would cause a lot of arguments and disagreements between what is right and what is wrong, but at the end of the day decisions need to be made and answers need to be answered whether this person if ever, will wake up.

Today there is a lot of confusion between euthanasia and physician assisted suicide and it’s important for people to know that there is a difference between them. Physician assisted suicide is when a doctor prescribes medication upon the patient’s request so that the patient can basically end his or her life. Euthanasia is when someone else takes the decision for the patient. In most cases euthanasia is used for someone who is terminally ill. They discontinue the treatment whether it is by removing food and water or medication. The U.S is less apprehensive when it comes to euthanasia used on terminally ill people.

There is a similar story that occurred in the U.S a few years ago about the case of Terri Schiavo, it was a big debate over whether or not her breathing tube should be removed. Basically Terri had suffered from a heart attack which left her in a vegetative state because she had no oxygen going through her brain. Terri remained like this for years. Eventually it was determined that there was nothing else that could be done to bring her back. Her husband decided that it was finally time for her feeding tube to be removed. One of his main reasons was because the treatments that were done to her did not work or show any signs that she was improving. There debate was between the husband and the parents of Terry Schiavo. It was later decided the feeding tube should be removed.(Gay, Kathlyn. "Terri Schiavo.")

             What most people don’t know is that euthanasia is not only used on adults but also infants. As well as euthanasia being practiced on adults it has also been practiced on children. Euthanasia is used as a means to end a child’s life because he or she was born with a disease that is terminal. That means that it has no cure or way of treating it, which in most cases the child will end up dying eventually. This is why some people are debating the use of euthanasia on infants. Rita Marker, executive director of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide said that, “Once you’ve transformed euthanasia into a medical treatment, there’s no logical way you can say that it should not be available to children.” If euthanasia were to become legal then it would most likely be used on infants as well. Even now there are some cases in which euthanasia has been used on a child to its life.

For example, a case in the Netherlands about a couple that gave their 18 month old child sedatives in order to shorten her life. The child suffered from a progressive neurodegenerative disease in which the nervous system was affected, she would have trouble moving, and it was estimated that the child only had weeks to live and would have died without the drugs, but the couple did not want to see their child in any more pain and suffering therefore went for a different approach, a more peaceful way to die. They had that option because of the recent Netherlands's protocol, it allows parents of disabled babies to request euthanasia for them (Somerville, Margaret. "The Role of Death."). Euthanasia offered hope for these parents that didn't want to see their child in any more pain. It's a way for people to move on.

The Netherlands is the first country to actually legalize euthanasia. In the U.S there is a similar law in the state of Oregon for physician assisted suicide as well as in Montana and Washington(Byock, Ira. "Dying with Dignity."). It seems to me that some people are more open to practice assisted suicide on patients, although it is also controversial. Doctors in the U.S are more willing to use sedatives on adults and children when death is assured. However a lot of pro-life groups would be against using euthanasia to end someone’s life for the main purpose that it is murder. Pro life groups are saying that many people would abuse this law and use it for their own benefits, whether its for social, economic pressures or by family manipulation.  

There are some fears that people might have about euthanasia ever becoming legal more specifically doctors. Most doctors would dislike it if euthanasia were to become a law because it would be violating the whole purpose of what a doctor’s job is to do, which is to do everything that is in their hands to try and save the patient’s life. Doctors take an oath that states that a patient’s life is above all and they should do everything that is possible to save them doctors save lives not end them. However if this person is in excruciating pain, and lets say, is suffering from severe osteoporosis then what would be left to do then to offer them an alternative. In the end there has to be a way that euthanasia can benefit society or harm it and after researching this topic, do the ends really justify the means?

Work cited

Gay, Kathlyn. "Terri Schiavo." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 6 Oct. 2010.

Byock, Ira. "Dying with Dignity." Hastings Center Report (Vol. 40, No. 2). Mar/Apr 2010: 3. SIRS Researcher. Web. 07 Oct. 2010.

Somerville, Margaret. "The Role of Death." Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, Canada). 14 May 2009: A15. SIRS Researcher. Web.  7 Oct. 2010.

A Quick Introduction Guide:

1.       Ask yourself: “Why am I interested in the topic? What initially caused me to research the topic?”

I am interested in the topic of euthanasia because I didn’t really know much about it until I started to look for topics to research.

2.       Then consider how you relate with the topic (e.g. I own pit bulls: they should not be banned; I have family that immigrated to the United States: open border policy; I always dreamed to be an astronaut and go to the moon: the truth about the first lunar landing).

I see things in the news being debated about someone who is being kept alive by machines and families fighting over removing life support from a patient.

3.       Once you simply define your relation to the topic, explain a personal experience that elaborates upon your relation to the topic.  If you are having trouble thinking of something, simply call me over.

I can’t really relate to this topic to a personal experience that I’ve had but I know I wouldn’t want to see the people that I love suffering, and again the fact that you hear sometimes in the news about families fighting over a patient’s life.

4.       Lastly, consider the purpose in arguing your topic.  How will you defend your stance?  What will you do to argue your purpose?

The purpose in arguing the topic of Euthanasia is so people can take a second look into the idea that it should be allowed to be used in certain cases and it’s not all bad.

Journal entry on controversial statement:
         Euthanasia or the right to die should  become legal specifically for the people that are terminally ill and are suffering from a disease that will come with suffering. No one should endure any type of pain. A lot of people would say that that is ending someones life without their consent but if there is nothing else to be done then why keep a person like that.

The article talks about the story of Terri Schiavo, and example on euthanasia and how it grew into a big debate over whether or not her breathing tube should be removed. Basically Terri had suffered from a heart attack which left her in a vegetative state because she had no oxygen going through her brain. Terri remained like this for years.Eventually it was determined that there was nothing else that could be done to bring her back.Her husband decided that it was finally time for her feeding tube to be removed. One of his main reasons was because the treatments that were done, did not work or show any signs that she was improving. This brought a lot of attention because the ethical question was asked...Is it ethically correct to assist in someone else's death even if they are not physically or mentally capable of deciding?

 

Article
http://issues.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/913372?sid=966697&useConcept=False   
MLA Citation
Gay, Kathlyn. "Terri Schiavo." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 6 Oct. 2010. <http://issues.abc-clio.com/>

Controversial Topic

My controversial topic:
Euthanasia
There are certain occasions in which the right to die should be allowed. More especifically  a patient who is terminally ill, or is suffering from a deadly disease.