Euthanasia 11

A detailed Summary of Euthanasia 11

In this literary work by James Rachels, the author is fighting to make his opinion believed, rather than give an unbiased article. He is arguing about the differences between active and passive euthanasia. The author makes references to several stories to try and sway the reader to believe that the best thing to do in cases where people want to die, is to go ahead and perform assisted suicide. He states that, "If one simply withholds treatment, it may take the patient longer to die, and so he may suffer more than he would if more direct action were taken and a lethal injection given." Then, towards the end of the article, Rachels says, "If a doctor lets a patient die, for humane reasons, he is in the same moral position as if he had given the patient a lethal injections for humane reasons." He switches his stance from saying it's better to give then patient a lethal injection, then turns around and says there is no moral difference between giving the injection and watching the patient die. He does also point out that most people prefer passive euthanasia, when compared to someone actively helping someone die. He seems to state by the last paragraph that his final opinion is that there is no moral difference between active

Another assumption is made when he says, "it would be wrong to prolong his suffering needlessly." Rachels is a doctor, and if the doctor, patient, and patient's family all agreed to let the patient die, then it should take it's natural course. There should be pain medication administered to make the passing of time easier, however we are not God, and no man has ever created life. Whether you believe in God, the Big Bang Theory, Evolution it doesn't matter, because all of them agree that man did not create man; therefore, it shouldn't be up to us to decide when others die. Along with the above statement from the article, the author also makes an argument that once the agreement is made to let the patient die, it is worse to keep them alive, rather than giving them a lethal injection. This also can be argued by what I stated about the right to end the life of others. The way to clear both of these assumptions as well as the euthanasia issue up is to simply say that if the patient wants to die, have the family release him from the hospital and any doctor's care and let him or her jump off a building, or put a gun to his or her head, and do the job themselves. This might sound crass, and unsympathetic but when all the lawsuits and hurt is caused by doctor's actively or passively committing euthanasia, what better choice is there than to let the patient kill themselves?

The thesis idea is that the author states his belief several times throughout the art

Some common words found in the essay are:
James Rachels, Theory Evolution, passive euthanasia, patient die, active passive euthanasia, lethal injection, active passive, moral difference, difference active passive, difference active, active euthanasia, wrong prolong, author belief, , humane reasons, wrong prolong suffering, moral difference active,

Approximate Word count = 990
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics