Karl Marx Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia, in the modern sense of the word, is the practice of ending life in order to relieve suffering. Euthanasia can be divided into 3 subcategories: voluntary, non-voluntary, and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are nearly interchangeable terms. The difference is that, in the case of euthanasia, a 3rd party administers the lethal dose of medication. Physician-assisted suicide is when the patient self-administers the drugs. Non-voluntary euthanasia is the practice of ending life when explicit consent is unavailable. This usually occurs when the patient, or in this case, victim is in a vegetative state. Involuntary euthanasia is against the will of the patient. The latter two subcategories are viewed as murder and are, therefore, illegal in all states. Voluntary euthanasia is currently illegal in 46 states in the United States. Just 4 states have laws making physician-assisted suicide legal. The word …show more content…
H. Marx described euthanasia in yet another sense from the two we’ve already discussed. This comes between the original meaning of the word and our current use of it. The euthanasia he described was the medical practice of making death easier, but not shortening or ending life. Marx explains, “whoever refuses his part in this duty and assigns it solely to priests deprives himself of the most noble and rewarding aspect of his work. Where the priest, administering the sacraments, comes to the bedside to sooth the longing soul with the last solace of religion and comfort, who will not see the patient’s deep shock when he faces this quasi-harbinger of death?” (Marx 410). This is a shared view with the Methodists. It is one of the main reasons they rejected their old ways. The priest was only able to give the dying hope for a life after death. The physician was able to give the dying hope in the real world. This is why physicians eventually took over the role of the clergy at the