The Right To Die
Modern medical technology has made it possible to extend the lives of many far beyond when they would have died in the past. Death, in modern times, often ensures a long and painful fall where one loses control both physically and emotionally. Some individuals embrace the time that modern technology buys them; while others find the loss of control overwhelming and frightening. They want their loved ones to remember them as they were not as they have become. Some even elect death to avoid burdens of lingering on. They also seek assistance in doing so from medicine. The demands for assisted suicide and euthanasia are increasing (Kass 17). These issues raise many questions, legal and ethical. Although neither assisted suicide and euthanasia are legal, many people believe they should be. A great number of those people may never be faced with the decision, but knowing the option would be there is a comfort (Jaret 46). For those who will encounter the situation of loved ones on medication, being treated by physicians, sometimes relying on technical means to stay alive arises a great moral conflict. I wish to explore this topic on ethical, not legal issues. Do people have a right to choose death? Mor
Jaret, Peter, "Can There Be Comfort and Dignity at the End of Your Life?" Family Circle, November 18, 1997, v110, n16, pp42-46. Meier, Diane E., Carol-Ann Emmons, Sylvan Wallenstein, timothy Quill, Sean Morrison and Christine Cassel, " A National Survey of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the United States," The New England Journal of Medicine, April 23, 1998, v338, n17, pp1193- 1203. Brock, Dan W., "Palliative Options of Last Resort," JAMA, December 17, 1997, v178, v23, pp2099-2104. "Last Rights," The Economist, June 21, 1997, v343, n8022, pp21-24. Gletzer, Randi, "Life/Death Decisions," American Health For Women, March 1997, v16, n2, pp80-85.
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Approximate Word count = 1277
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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