Euthanasia & Human Dignity
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Euthanasia has become an important issue in the protection of human dignity. It has been in the news a good deal lately because of the crusade of the so-called "suicide doctor," Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who has "assisted" at some 17 or 18 suicides over the past few years, all of people who were facing some debilitating and painful degenerative disease. As medical science becomes more adept at prolonging life, but not necessarily at making that life valuable, euthanasia becomes an option to be considered by those who suffer, those who love them, and those who are charged with their care. Euthanasia comes from two Greek words meaning "good death" or "happy death," and the term refers to any action that brings a painless death to a person suffering from an injury, disease, or the ravages of age. There is a distinction between active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Passive euthanasia refers to the withdrawal of "heroic" measures that keep a moribund person alive. Active euthanasia means taking a positive action that leads directly to the death of another person, and active euthanasia is considered murder in most legal and religious systems (Urofsky 15). A related issue is physician-assisted suicide, a form of self-inflicted euthanasia that has been supported by Dr. Kevorkian and others as a viable alternative for people with debilitating or terminal illnesses. The case of Diane as described by A.J. Dyck can serve as a case in point. Dyck first notes that there is at pres
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5) comforting the family.
Quill also helps the family by not informing the medical examiner that a suicide has taken place, giving instead that the cause of death is acute leukemia. He thus protects the family from autopsies, investigations, and any possible criminal charges. In doing these things, Quill is consenting to the suicide. Quill argues that doing these things helps prevent people from suffering, and controlling and lessening suffering is not the same as ending life. Both Quill and Diane believe it is reasonable and justifiable to avoid choosing between pain and sedation even if that means ending one's own life or assisting another to do so:
Quill is not satisfied to have the physician's role be that of lessening suffering; the physician's role should be extended to include assistance in the elimination of suffering (Dyck 290).
The thinking of Dr. Quill shows the rationale for physician-assisted suicide and suggests the best arguments in factor of this sort of policy. The first argument is that of patient autonomy, noted above, and this holds that the patient has the right to make decisions regarding his or her own life so long as those decisions are based on a full understanding of the choices at hand. T
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1523
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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