Brittney Maynard was a young woman who was suffering from agonizing pain due to terminal brain cancer. She choose to apply for euthanasia and was able to die with dignity, because of this choice. Moreover, Euthanasia should be legalized because we should have the right to end one’s suffering, one should have the individual freedom to choose to die, and because of the laws in the United States.
First , euthanasia should be legalized so that we can end a person’s suffering. For instance, doctors have a motto to not do any harm, but when they have to deny relief to a person who is suffering from a terminal illness, then they are in fact harming that patient. This is because when a person is terminally ill, they have to endure excruciating pain. Next, Brittney Maynard wrote on FaceBook , “ this terrible brain cancer has taken so much from me , but would have taken so much more.” Brittney Maynard was was suffering from her brain cancer, but was able to be relieved of her pain through euthanasia . No one should have to suffer through something like that. Also, a life is more full if one does not have to suffer. Similarly, if a person has to
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For example, Brittney Maynard was told that she had only six months to live, so she decided to choose euthanasia, and therefore chose quality of life over quantity. Moreover, life is considered to be of worth based on the quality of it and not by the length. Furthermore, states that allow doctor-assisted require that the patient is mentally stable. If a person is suffering and is mentally aware enough to make a choice, then they should be allowed to make one. One of the American rights is the right to a life of quality . Therefore, we must follow the Constitution and give people what they need to have a life of quality , in this case that can be done by offering a way to relieve people of pain, or by legalizing
For the terminally ill the decision of ending their lives with compassion should be a fundamental right, a personal
In Brittany’s case, it was not the first option she had chosen. After being told that she had sixth months to live, there was treatment options that she had looked at and researched. However, there is not always a treatment for every disease that exists in the world. That is where Physician-assisted suicide comes into the list of options. The options that patients can seek to end their life is never an easy conversation or topic, especially with the opinions of family and friends constantly surrounding the patient as well.
(“When Death Is Sought: Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the Medical Context”, 1994) Essentially, we may have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness but we do not have a right to pursue death written in the constitution nor the declaration of independence. The constitution also does not have a right written that states people can control their time of death and
Public opinion polls showed increased support for physician assisted suicide. This was due in part to technological advances in medicine as well as a greater recognition of patient’s rights.” Twenty-nine-year-old Brittany Maynard, utilized Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, took her own life in November 2014 following a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. “A Pew poll conducted after Ms. Maynard’s death, revealed that people viewed this as a heroic act. Also, revealed, the majority of Americans, most likely including physicians, now favor legalizing physician-assisted suicide for painful and incurable conditions: 68 percent in favor, 28 percent opposed.
The physician has to remain willing to care for and the patient has to remain willing to be cared for and that is a respect for life. PAS neglects that respect for life. Dyck then says that when the respect of life is present in the patient, they seek pain relief methods which have shown to successfully prolong life and ease pain until the illness takes the life of the patient (Dyck, 40). Killing is also a violation of an individual’s inalienable right to life, according to Dyck. He states that suicide leaves adverse effects on those that are intertwined with that individual’s life.
This contentious theory contends that people should have the freedom to decide how and when to end their lives in situations where pain and suffering are unavoidable. Although there is much discussion about this concept and it creates ethical and moral issues, it emphasizes how crucial it is to provide people choices and support so they may control their end-of-life experiences. In the end, society must decide how to handle this delicate situation and make sure that everyone's rights and well-being are
Assisted suicide is a tough decision that comes down to what you morally believe in. The author of the article “The right to die” believes that doctor assisted suicide should be legalized in more states than just the four that it is. He approaches the topic from an ethical standpoint, stating its rights and wrongs. This essay will include reasons as to why assisted suicide should be legalized, how the system of death should work and if it is morally right. Only in four states is assisted suicide mandated by state law: Oregon, Washington, Vermont and California.
These matters should belong to god and family, not the government. (Crist, 2006) Legalizing euthanasia undermines the quality of palliative care. For example, the Netherlands has little access to palliative care because they have easy access to euthanasia. (Smith, 1997)
This is significant because this supports the fact that this is not an instance of killing to the patient, but by withdrawing the artificial support for the patients, it “allows for the patient’s disease to complete its natural course” (Jansen, 106). In addition, one’s dignity of being worthy of honor or respect can be an important feeling of one’s self. Susan Behuniak portrayed the point involving dignity to the pros of hastening death by mentioning a statement from a patient in the Montana constitutional that depict the terminally ill point of view. This patient had mention that if there comes a point where his suffering is unbearable then there should be an option for him to die peacefully by taking a pill for that purpose (Behuniak). He also mention that it is his life and decision so having “the right and responsibility to make that critical choice” should be available for him (Behuniak).
In recent years, physician-assisted suicide was mostly used by “wealthy, white, and elderly people” (Issues in Law and Medicine). However, one case has changed the audience of physician-assisted suicide. The case that has sparked a change in audience is the case of Brittany Maynard. Maynard was a 29 year-old college graduate that was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She had two choices: to live with pain and suffering or die with dignity.
The Right to Die 1) Introduction a) Thesis statement: Physician assisted suicide offers patients a choice of getting out of their pain and misery, presents a way to help those who are already dead mentally because of how much a disease has taken over them, proves to be a great option in many states its legal in, and puts the family at ease knowing their love one is out of pain. i) The use of physician assisted death is used in many different countries and some states. ii) Many people who chose this option are fighting a terminal illness.
There are real case incidents in which a 14 year old girl suffering from terminal cystic fibrosis is asking her country’s president for permission to end her life. She had self shot a video in which she says “I am tired of living this disease and she can authorize an injection through which I can sleep forever”. The girl's video has sparked a broader conversation about whether euthanasia should be legalized in the largely Catholic nation. According to me we should let euthanasia be legal as there is no significance in keeping them alive against their wish as we don’t know how much they are suffering. Another incident is where the woman moved to Oregon where euthanasia is legal to take advantage of Oregon’s death with Dignity Law.
For example, people have argued for the right to live and the right to die. The term, euthanasia, is sometimes misinterpreted and not thoroughly analyzed by others to be truly understood why its controversies exist. To introduce the term “euthanasia”, euthanasia is when a person feels that their life is not worth living and would like to kill themselves with the assistance of a professional painlessly. Euthanasia does not include stopping a medically “useless” treatment, killing the pain without killing the patient, or, “refusal of medical treatment by a competent patient.”
The Right to Die has been taking effect in many states and is rapidly spreading around the world. Patients who have life threatening conditions usually choose to die quickly with the help of their physicians. Many people question this right because of its inhumane authority. Euthanasia or assisted suicide are done by physicians to end the lives of their patients only in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana, New Mexico and soon California that have the Right to Die so that patients don’t have to live with depression, cancer and immobility would rather die quick in peace.
While some are convinced that ending a person 's life is wrong, others believe that it’s right. If the person accepts their condition and wants to end their life, doctors and people around them should respect their authority whether it’s right or wrong. In the case of Brittany Maynard, she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The doctors had told her that she only had six months to live.