Euthanasia
A man, well into his forties, lies helplessly in the cold room of the hospital. He eagerly waits for the results of his tests that are to be hand delivered by the warm-hearted doctor. He lies there, his skin is pasty white, his body is slowly deteriorating both inside and out, and his hair is gradually falling out. Yet somehow the man manages to fight for his life, striving to be able to go home to his wife, play football with his son, and take his dog Nasia, for a walk. In the faint distance the man can hear the footsteps of the doctor, the sound intensifying as the doctor get closer. As the physician approaches the door the man's heart thumps louder, and faster, in sync with the sound of the footsteps. Nervously the doctor opens the door, walks inside, and gives the ill man an artificial smile, the kind people give when they pose for pictures. A sound comes out, and the man hears the doctor say, "you have lung cancer, and it is terminal." His once beating heart sinks to the floor, and all hope flies out of the window into the realm of death. The man, pondering the long road of agony ahead, says to the doctor, "I do not wish to suffer the effects of the cancer, I want to die." He continues by asking the question every doctor
fears to answer, "Can you give me something to end my life?" Opponents of euthanasia continue their argument by stating that when symptoms of terminally ill patients are diagnosed and treated properly, euthanasia is not a necessary "treatment." They claim under these conditions, the patient's fears are dealt with, help is provided, they feel safe, and rarely ask for death a second time. Many patients receive excellent palliative care, which makes the ill patients more comfortable. However, people for euthanasia ask the question, "who's to say they are not in pain?" All too often the patients are mute, unconscious, or in a state of coma. There is not one doctor or human being that can accurately predict the amount of pain the patient is undergoing. Different individuals may experience various symptoms with each kind of disease and that makes it tough to estimate the patient's level of pain. Also, who's to say that the doctor diagnosed the patient correctly? They are, after all, human, and all beings make mistakes. Therefore, there is a justifiable reason to say that the patients should be able to make their own decision rather than have the law make it for them. This process is known as euthanasia. The word stems from Greek origin meaning "good death." In general, euthanasia is the process of a physician killing a human being who suffe
Some common words found in the essay are:
, God Enemies, human life, ill patients, questions answered,
Approximate Word count = 909
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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