The Slippery Slope Of Euthanasia - 1794 Words

In 2001, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, nicknamed Dr. Death, was convicted of second degree murder for administering a lethal drug to Thomas Youk, who was suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. In 2014, 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, moved from California to Oregon to establish residency in order to commit euthanasia. On February 7, 2014, Belgium became the first country to allow euthanasia of children, with no age restrictions. How is this not morally and ethically wrong? How is this not murder? Why should doctors be allowed to play God? We see in this short paragraph the slippery slope of euthanasia, from second degree murder to legalized suicide to legalized euthanasia of children. Where will it stop? Euthanasia is defined as deliberately putting to death someone who is suffering from an incurable disease. The word ‘euthanasia’ has Greek roots, meaning â€Å"good death†. Euthanasia, the deliberate hastening of a person s death, was supported by Socrates and Plato in ancient Greece and Rome. The Hemlock Society, a national right-to-die organization, likely took its name from the practice of using hemlock â€Å"as a means of hastening death† (S. Biswas). Should terminally ill patients be allowed to end their lives through euthanasia? Is it morally or ethically wrong to allow doctors to assist patients in killing themselves? What are the limits? Who sets the rules? Where has the value placed on human life gone? Euthanasia is morally and ethically wrong andShow MoreRelatedThe Slippery Slope Of Euthanasia1396 Words   |  6 PagesThe slippery slope argument has been ongoing in the euthanasia debate. The â€Å"slippery slope† refers to the belief that legalizing voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide will lead to undesirable outcomes. Many speculate that the legalization of involuntary euthanasia will lead to the legalization of murder. Since euthanasia is legalized in the Netherlands, some argue that it has caused a slippery slope. Now, people believe legalizing euthanasia in the United States will also cause a slipperyRead MoreEuthanasia Essay : Euthanasia And Euthanasia863 Words   |  4 PagesThis is why Euthanasia is important and summarizing the research that I found on Euthanasia. Euthanasia is important because there is a lot of arguments about Euthanasia. Some people support it and some people do not support Euthanasia (Euthanasia and assisted suicide- Arguments). Euthanasia allows people to be free from physical pain. It is the hastening of death of a patient to prevent further sufferings (Euthanasia Revisited). The religious argument states God chooses when human life ends. EuthanasiaRead MorePhysician As sisted Suicide And Euthanasia Essay1039 Words   |  5 Pagespain and suffering. Others claim that the concept of physician assisted suicide is a slippery slope. A slippery slope in the sense that if society accepts euthanasia as a rightful death for the terminally ill, they will potentially accept it for other ailments as well. There are multiple types of physician assisted suicide. Collectively, they fall under the categories: active or passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is when someone steps in and deliberately ends a life. An example of this would beRead MoreEuthanasi An Incurable Form Of Cancer Essay1488 Words   |  6 Pagesclear that the United States had come to the right conclusion benefiting our society and making our country a better place. One of the up and coming policies in the political spotlight is the right to euthanasia. Euthanasia is â€Å"the act of causing death painlessly, so as to end suffering† (â€Å"Euthanasia†). Fully healthy people take for granted their autonomy, privacy, and dignity provided by full functioning bodies. Some people, however, are not so lucky. Chantal Sebire is one of those unlucky peopleRead MoreEuthanasi Ethical And Legal Issues Within The Australian Context1550 Words   |  7 Pagesis more challenging to reconcile than that of euthanasia. The legalisation of euthanasia continues to be passionately debated. It has been a pertinent issue in human rights discourse as it affects ethical and legal issues pertaining to both the patient and the health care practitioner (Bartels Otlowski, 2010). The following essay will define euthanasia and make the distinction between active, passive, voluntary, non-voluntary, involuntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Relevant legalRead MoreIssues Surrounding The Legalization Of Euthanasia2019 Words   |  9 Pageswill critically discuss slippery slope arguments with reference to the issues surrounding the legalization of euthanasia. Firstly, the foundations of a slippery slope argument will be discussed, along with the usual fallacious nature of this type of argument, also to be discussed, is if slippery slope arguments ever provide good reasons for accepting their conclusions. Secondly, euthanasia will be introduced and discussed, this will be done using an example of a slippery slope argument by John KeownRead MoreEuthanasia Is The Other Form And It Takes Place Against The Patient s Consent1005 Words   |  5 PagesInvoluntary euthanasia is the other form and it takes place against the patient’s consent. Finally, n on-voluntary euthanasia is whereby a physician carries out the act despite the fact that the patient does not have the ability to make the decision. To understand the slippery slope here, it is important to take note of the fact that all these forms of euthanasia are morally demeaning since they do not uphold the right to life. Legalizing PAS would, therefore, imply that the right to life is beingRead MoreMany years ago, in a small town in Michigan, a woman by the name of Janet Adkins was diagnosed with1200 Words   |  5 Pagesheard her desperate plead and decided to help. He used his own invention called the Suicide Machine: a way of killing an ill patient by means of injecting lethal drugs via an I.V. This is an example of one of two types of euthanasia, known as Active Euthanasia. Active Euthanasia occurs when an action is done with the intention of ending a persons life, such as injecting a fatal drug or medication (Kastenbaum 531). Finally, in a public park inside his Volkswa gen van, Kevorkian attached the I.V. toRead MoreThe Great Debate On Doctor Assisted Suicide Essay1239 Words   |  5 PagesDoctor Assisted Suicide Euthanasia, in today’s world, is a word with opposing meanings. Originally, it meant â€Å"a good death† (Leming Dickinson, 2016). Since the legalization of euthanasia around the world in the early 1990’s, the meaning has changed. Several pro-euthanasia sites would call it a humane and peaceful way to end the dying process, by either stopping the course of treatment or the use of lethal doses of medications (Leming Dickinson, 2016). Con-euthanasia activists are most concernedRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Euthanasia715 Words   |  3 PagesEuthanasia (Physician-Assisted Suicide) Euthanasia has been around for a long time. In 1990 every state had laws that made assisting suicide a felony. Assisted suicide been in the news since the 1990s. A supporter of euthanasia Dr. Jack Kevorkian played an important role in more than 100 suicides before he was charged with murder. In Oregon voters passed the death with dignity act in 1994, but a lawsuit blocked its enforcement until 1997, when it went into effect. The consideration of potential