The Morality of Euthanasia Essay - 1414 Words

The Morality of Euthanasia Technology has brought about drastic changes in the morality of today’s society. One organization it has greatly effected is the medical field. Few would argue with the fact that medical technology has greatly improved the quality of life. However, with doctors and other health care workers having the authority to contribute to both the patients’ well-being and inevitable death, society believes there should be limits to best serve the patient’s wishes. The controversial issue that society now stands against, and questions is the practice of euthanasia. Is this â€Å"medical advancement† ethical? Attitudes towards death changed rapidly in the twentieth century as a result of the tremendous†¦show more content†¦It had come under the control of the doctor who could manipulate the time and length of dying with medical technology. The medical profession, however, saw death as a failure and doctors frequently chose to av oid dealing with a patient who would soon die. As a result, patients were, and still are, heavily medicated, permitting them to slip away, unknowingly or â€Å"snowed out†(Williams 112), the complete opposite of the medieval period when men and women prepared themselves, made their peace, and then welcomed death. But by 1985, an estimated eighty- percent of those who died did so in a hospital or a nursing home, under the care of strangers. In addition, these strangers have been taught in their medical education that their job is to fend off death. So they perform their duties under the growing fear that if every effort is not made to postpone death they have failed and may be sued for a â€Å"mercy killing† (Knopf 8). Today death is often correlated with seriously ill or aging patients and physicians and other health care workers all over the world are receiving training to deal with death, hospice care is taking death out of the hospital and bringing it back to t he home. Even though many still want to follow the traditional way in dealing with death, family, friends and health officials should be able to handle the situation in accordance with the best interest of the terminally ill patient. AsShow MoreRelatedThe Morality Of Euthanasia And Euthanasia1350 Words   |  6 PagesThe morality of euthanasia continues to be a controversial topic. Its subject matter, death, is shrouded in emotional feelings that often obscure the logical appraisal of the subject. For opponents of euthanasia, passive and active euthanasia are seen as distinct and subject to different morality rulings. According to Vaughn â€Å"Active euthanasia is said to involve performing an action that directly causes someone to die†¦ Passive euthanasia is allowing someone to die by not doing something that wouldRead MoreEuthanasia Essay : Euthanasia And Morality1627 Words   |  7 PagesDenise Maranhao Professor Joseph Anderson Ethics across the professions November 29, 2014 Euthanasia (Euthanasia and morality) Could you pull the plug? Is mercy killing considered murder and should it be illegal under each and every circumstance? There are many questions and even more controversies when it comes to euthanasia and assisted suicide. There are those who believe euthanasia is immoral regardless of the situation, it is illegal and therefore always wrong. But most people have never beenRead MoreThe Morality Of Voluntary Euthanasia1563 Words   |  7 PagesEuthanasia, defined as the act of â€Å"putting a person to painless death especially in case of incurable suffering,† is a controversial subject surrounded by many moral dilemmas (Murkey, 2008). Although euthanasia is the overarching term used to describe the act itself, within it are three principal forms: voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary, each of which pertains to case specific issues. Following The Supreme Court’s recent decision deeming Canada’s controversial law against physician-assistedRead MoreThe Debate Con cerning The Morality Of Euthanasia915 Words   |  4 PagesAmericans , arguably more than any other nationality, have a right to their opinion and there exists few subjects that generate more opinions than does euthanasia. The debate concerning the morality of euthanasia parsimoniously rests on the moral assessment of whether or not the physician intentionally kills or intentionally let die the patient. An assumption has been perpetuated that there is a line of demarcation between intending to let die and intending to kill. This pseudo-practical barrierRead MoreThe Morality Of Euthanasia By James Rachels1086 Words   |  5 PagesID: 3339147 Active Euthanasia Does James Rachels in â€Å"The Morality of Euthanasia† successfully argue that in at least some cases active euthanasia is morally acceptable? Explain his view and respond to it. In this essay, we are going to analyze the main ideas included in â€Å"The Morality of Euthanasia† by James Rachels to provide a response to the following question: Does James Rachels in â€Å"The Morality of Euthanasia† successfully argue that in at least some cases active euthanasia is morally acceptableRead MorePurpose of a Living Will and the Morality of Euthanasia829 Words   |  4 Pagesmedical treatments. Euthanasia, also called assisted suicide, or physician-assisted suicide, offers one of many options for terminal-ill patients or those with intractable pain. Many infer euthanasia as the action that brings about the end of a patient’s life because it has been decided they would be better off dead. Since euthanasia involves killing another person, voluntarily or not, a virtuous person considers euthanasia acceptable. There are two main categories of euthanasia, voluntary (conductedRead MoreThe Morality Of Euthanasia And The Application Of Utilitarianism1213 Words   |  5 PagesThe Morality of Euthanasia and the Application of Utilitarianism. Introduction When a patient is in immense amounts of pain from a terminal illness, one of the options to relieve a person from the pain is euthanasia. Euthanasia is seen as a controversial and moral issue because of the different viewpoints. Euthanasia is seen by some as killing, while others see it as removing a person from immense amounts of pain. This paper will first discuss the principles of utilitarianism through BenthamRead MoreEssay on The Morality of Euthanasia1765 Words   |  8 Pagesas heated as euthanasia. Euthanasia comes from the Greek word meaning good death. Euthanasia is the practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment. Most religious beliefs say that God is the only one that has the right to decide the termination of any life. Euthanasia should be a person’s right of choice legally and ethically. People are faced with choices on a daily basis throughout their lives. Having the choice of euthanasia allows a q uickRead MoreEuthanasia: Utiliarianism and Morality of Death Essay1945 Words   |  8 Pagesperson be in the pain when they leave their physical form? Euthanasia, or assisted suicide, gives a person the chance the take the ending of their life into their own hands and make, an otherwise undefined, decision of how he/she would want their final moments to be. In this paper I plan to display that based on the utilitarian perspective, Rachels’ writings, and contemplating human rights constructed from a governmental outlook, that euthanasia is just and morally acceptable and should be consideredRead MoreUtilitarianism and Euthanasia1031 Words   |  5 Pages April 28, 2011 ETHICS The moral issue that I will discuss about is Euthanasia. Euthanasia simplu means bringing the death of another for the benefit of that person and also known as mercy killing. â€Å"When a person carries out an act of euthanasia, he brings about the death of another person because he believes the latters present existence is so bad that she would be better off dead, or believes that unless