Voluntary Euthanasia
"The word 'euthanasia' comes from the Greek-eu good and thanatos death. But there has been a more complex meaning developed in recent times. The word euthanasia has now come to mean doing something to achieve a good death. Doing something, either positive or negative, about getting that good death" (Humphry 80). The world is concerned about the denial of human rights. Human rights' violations include imprisonment without trial, torture, killing, and discrimination. A less recognized but also important violation is increasingly occurring in our freedom-loving country. We deny incurable patients the right to die with dignity. Individuals, who have lived free lives and made their own personal choices, are being denied this last choice. The dying must have the right to choose the manner and time of that final exit: death. Distaste for such openness about voluntary euthanasia undoubtedly lies within the realm of modern man's horror of irrational suicide. Suicide for an emotional reason is always tragic and almost always unnecessary. Nevertheless, suicide is endemic in humankind. However much we regret it, suicide will not go away. Moreover, if we care so much, why do we not
In addition, dying can be slow and agonizing. Pain, which can be devastating, is not the only problem. Other symptoms, such as breathlessness and nausea, can be worse and even harder to relieve. The best palliative care and strongest pain medication often cannot remedy the ravages of chronic illness (Humphry 73). The vomiting, wasting, immobility, incontinence, and total dependence are elements of some deaths that destroy life's quality. Under these circumstances, some people simply want to get it over with. They must have the legal right to choose a gentle, humane, quick, and certain death and to be assisted by a doctor who can prescribe the appropriate means. Ahroheim, Judith, and Doron Weber. Final Passages: Positive Choice for the Dying and Their Loved Ones. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. Nuland, Stephen B. How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994. Outerbridge, David E., and Alan R. Hersh, M.D. Easing the Passage. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991. Compassionate doctors have helped dying patients to end their lives by turning off life support, giving large doses of morphine, or prescribing more sleeping pills
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 803
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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