euthanasia

A detailed Summary of euthanasia

I once heard this story a long time ago. I was working in a cancer ward and I took my break next to the patient's rooms. Oddly enough, the place seemed dreadfully empty, except for one old man whom I suspect had cancer. I thought to myself there could not be any harm in having a conversation with him so I meandered over and I sat next to him. Without hesitation, he asked me, "Have you ever seen anyone die?" I never had, nor had I ever known anyone close to me die. Sure, thousands die on the news everyday, but I'm completely desensitized to issues far away from home. So this question struck me as quite peculiar and I knew I was in for an interesting conversation. I did not want to sound boring, so I boasted that I had seen nearly every way a person can die. I left out the part that I had seen all those deaths on television. He gave me a smirk, but whether he was impressed or saw through my facade, I will never know, he's probably dead now. He began to tell me this story, an!

Not too long ago, in a grand kingdom, lived a king, and this king loved all the joys that life could bring. He especially loved to laugh, often waking up in the middle of the night laughing hysterically from

The recent case of Sue Ferguson, who was terminally ill with Lou Gehrig's disease, made headlines when it went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Because of her articulate and consistent stand, Ferguson has played a powerful role in creating sympathy and understanding for the right of people to choose their own death. She argued that she had the "right to die with dignity" and that she does not want to die in such a pathetic manner. The public was extremely divided on this case. Many argued that she would continue to feel pain until her death, and that a cure was nowhere in sight. In the end, she was reduced to a flaccid dummy that was incapable of even feeding herself, let alone defending herself in court. She required a translator to speak for her. Sue contended that the financial burden on her family was too great, and to see her family in such grief all the time made her final days even more difficult to bear. Conversely, those who favored to keep euthanasia ille!

Consider the problem of nations. In Canada, doctor assisted suicide is illegal. Once the life support has been plugged in, the doctor cannot remove the plug from the patient. Yet the patient can, under certain instances where competency has been established, refuse the machine and thus die. In the United States, the law is varies from state to state. In Kentucky, euthanasia is permitted when a panel of "experts" which include a physician, psychiatrist, and a surgeon, declare that the patient has no chance of recovery and the patient will only continue to suffer until their death. In California, euthanasia is outright illegal and the vast interpretation of the law will label any who assists in the suicide, guilty. At the extreme side, the Netherlands totally permits euthanasia when assisted by a physician. Indeed, public opinion in the Netherlands holds that eighty percent of the population favor euthanasia, while only ten percent are against it. The remaining ten percent have!

a dream he had. All his advisors could not understand the source of his laughter. Indeed, they tried many methods to curtail his humor in the hopes that he would act more like a king than a jester. Finally, at their wits' end, they decided that they should hold a great contest to find the best court jester to entertain the king. Anyway, in the great court, the funniest men in the kingdom convened to prove who could be the king's best personal court jester. After hoards of laughter, the contest came down to two men. One was a very care free and jovial man, and the other, a knight from the king's Calvary. In the end, the jovial man beat the knight and became the court jester. The knight, embittered, vowed to take revenge against the court jester. He planned and connived unt!

no opinion on the matter. Even though the Netherlands is a more progressive country, leaning towards the left, the problem can be seen across the globe. The problem of euthanasia must be considered a global problem, or a social issue because it does not relate to just one individual, nor a group of individuals, but to a society. It was once said that how we treat our sick is a good measure of our society. Canada may be rated the best place to live in the world, but does that mean if we do not let our terminally sick die, then we are barbarians? Conversely, does it mean that the Netherlands is a better country because they allow those terminally ill and in pain to die?

ave plotted against you, I am grateful that you have the kindness to choose my own death. Therefore, sire, I wish to die of old age."

ose interests they must protect. Will it be society as a whole, or the suffering individual? I hope that if I were in a situation like those above, my family and the law would back me up, and let me die with dignity. Euthanasia is not an easy social problem to deal with, and whether or not it is eventually legalized is not the issue. What is important is the question of how society will come to terms wit

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Approximate Word count = 2851
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

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