Euthanasia Rhetorical Analysis

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The recent deaths of Fernando, Maria, Martin and Elisa Manrique has caused much controversy and discussion in regards to euthanasia. Claire Harvey’s saddened opinion piece “This wasn’t a murder-suicide. It was cold-blooded murder” contends that Fernando Manrique “had no right to kill” his family and himself, as “autism and disability are not justifications for murder”.

Adopting a dismissive tone, Harvey belittles opinions that their deaths are due to “disability” or of “the tale of a man driven to despair by society’s failure to help him”, with the hope that the audience will reconsider their own opinions. Moreover, she states her belief that “It’s about an intelligent, capable, strong, health man” who has committed “a crime beyond comprehension.”

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