Euthanasia: Dying with Dignity
Melissa Goodman, Diana Hutchings & Natasha Layden
College of the North Atlantic
“If I cannot give consent to my own death, who’s body is this? Who owns my life (News, 2014)?” Powerful words from Sue Rodriquez the individual who brought to light the topic of euthanasia in Canada during the early 1990’s (News, 2014). Even years after Sue’s attempts at legalizing euthanasia, it still remains a conflicting debate in Canada today. Euthanasia is defined as “an act that brings about the immediate death of a terminally ill patient (Keatings & Smith, 2010).” There are three forms of euthanasia, voluntary euthanasia, non-voluntary euthanasia, and involuntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is defined as euthanasia …show more content…
Although there are many benefits supporting the act of euthanasia, there is also a vast amount of research that brings into consideration the negative consequences. There is a potential for abuse of euthanasia. If euthanasia were legalized, it may become challenging to limit the act to patients that are terminally ill or dying (Keatings & Smith, 2010). This concept is known as the “slippery slope.” If an act such as euthanasia is legalized then society may allow the use of other actions that can be considered morally wrong (Boudreau & Aomerville, 2014). As well, the government must then decide who is permitted to use euthanasia. For example, if a terminally ill patient is permitted to request the use of euthanasia, then who is to prevent an individual suffering from a psychological disorder from using the act as a means to an …show more content…
In stating this, our view is that the patient who is fighting to end their life must be enduring a chronic or life threatening illness, such as ALS. A competent persons interests and rights should be taken into consideration and not frowned upon. With the right to use euthanasia, an individual will have dignity, respect, and empowerment returned to them, which they radically lose in the beginning attempting to fight a degenerative illness. This will allow the patients to feel in control of their own lives. There are many arguments both for and against euthanasia. However, those who argue for the right of the individual believe that it is the individual’s right that outweighs the risks of abuse, physician stress, and the assumption of devaluing human
Melissa Goodman, Diana Hutchings & Natasha Layden
College of the North Atlantic
“If I cannot give consent to my own death, who’s body is this? Who owns my life (News, 2014)?” Powerful words from Sue Rodriquez the individual who brought to light the topic of euthanasia in Canada during the early 1990’s (News, 2014). Even years after Sue’s attempts at legalizing euthanasia, it still remains a conflicting debate in Canada today. Euthanasia is defined as “an act that brings about the immediate death of a terminally ill patient (Keatings & Smith, 2010).” There are three forms of euthanasia, voluntary euthanasia, non-voluntary euthanasia, and involuntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is defined as euthanasia …show more content…
Although there are many benefits supporting the act of euthanasia, there is also a vast amount of research that brings into consideration the negative consequences. There is a potential for abuse of euthanasia. If euthanasia were legalized, it may become challenging to limit the act to patients that are terminally ill or dying (Keatings & Smith, 2010). This concept is known as the “slippery slope.” If an act such as euthanasia is legalized then society may allow the use of other actions that can be considered morally wrong (Boudreau & Aomerville, 2014). As well, the government must then decide who is permitted to use euthanasia. For example, if a terminally ill patient is permitted to request the use of euthanasia, then who is to prevent an individual suffering from a psychological disorder from using the act as a means to an …show more content…
In stating this, our view is that the patient who is fighting to end their life must be enduring a chronic or life threatening illness, such as ALS. A competent persons interests and rights should be taken into consideration and not frowned upon. With the right to use euthanasia, an individual will have dignity, respect, and empowerment returned to them, which they radically lose in the beginning attempting to fight a degenerative illness. This will allow the patients to feel in control of their own lives. There are many arguments both for and against euthanasia. However, those who argue for the right of the individual believe that it is the individual’s right that outweighs the risks of abuse, physician stress, and the assumption of devaluing human