The Right to Die

The word "euthanasia" comes from the Greek eu, signifying "good," and thanatos, signifying "death." But the "good death" has acquired a more complex meaning in recent times. Progress in medical technology has given euthanasia an entirely new character. Previously, euthanasia more often concerned the "right to die" issue. An individual for whatever reason would choose whether to continue living. This choice was usually prompted by a hopeless situation of immense pain and misery. Euthanasia at this point, however, was always a voluntary decision.

Life-preserving medical technology has placed the issue of euthanasia in a potentially nonvoluntary dimension. For example, brain-dead patients may be kept physically alive for years with artificial respiratory and blood circulation technologies. The case of Karen Quinlan serves as a case in point. Voluntary consent for turning the life-support systems off - in effect, committing euthanasia - cannot be obtained from the patient. Any decision for euthanasia must be obtained from doctors and/or family relatives. Does a person who is incapable of choosing euthanasia deserve a "good death?"

Voluntary death is usually referred to as suicide. There are very strong similarities,

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this type of patient is in clear mind, understands the facts and what lies ahead in the future, and freely chooses the right to die. In recent years, the courts have reversed earlier decisions and now recognizes a passive right to die in which a patient may choose to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment. William Bartling was a competent 70-year old with five separate fatal illnesses. He asked that the hospital remove his mechanical ventilator. The hospital refused and a lower court affirmed the refusal. Bartling spent the next six months restrained in his hospital bed on the ventilator. He died on November 6, 1984, the day before his appeal was heard. The Court of Appeals later ruled in his favor (Bartling v. Superior Court, 1984). Elizabeth Bouvia, a 28-year old quadriplegic, was being forced fed through tubes to increase her weight to an "ideal." A lower court denied her request for an injunction to stop the force feeding. An appeals court reversed the ruling in a strongly worded opinion: "The trial court mistakenly attached undue importance to the amount of time possibly available to petitioner (15 to 20 years) and failed to give equal weight and consideration for the quality of that life; an equal, if not more
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1775
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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