Euthanasia Essays (1687 words) - Euthanasia, Medical Ethics

Euthanasia Euthanasia, is one of the most controversial issues of our time. This diver se issue raises many questions such as: how should decisions be made, and by whom? What should be determined as a matter of law and what left a matter of discretion and judgment? Should those who want to die, or who are in a "persistent vegetative state" be allowed to die voluntarily? Who should decide: the patient, the physician, the courts, or the families? The pro-euthanasia arguments turn on the individual case of the patient in pain, suffering at the center of an intolerable existence. When life becomes nbearable, quick death can be the answer. If living persons become so ill that they cannot tolerate the pain they have a "right to die" to an escape from torment. So long as the right to die means not prolonging the life by undesireable treatment, it may be classified as rational suicide. The term "euthanasia" means "good health" or "well dying"; it is derived from the Greek "eu" and "thanatos". In its classical sense, it is a descriptive term referring to an easy death as opposed to an agonizing or tormented dying. In Greek literature, euthanasia connoted a "happy death, an ideal and coveted end to a full and pleasant life." The concern to die well is as old as humanity itself, for the questions surrounding death belong to the essence of being human. All people die, but apparently only people know they are to die. They live with the truth that life is under the sentence of death. Thus, from the "beginning of the species concern with how one dies has been an implicit part of the human attempt to come to terms with death." (Paul D. Simmons, 112) There is still a question involved in the contemporary debates about euthanasia which is posed by a case such as the terminally ill who are dying. The issue concerns the morality of mercy in aiding the dying patient. The question goes beyond simply withdrawing treatments. The issue is whether, in the name of mercy, one might morally aid someone's dying? "Are circumstances under which it is morally responsible to terminate a person, or does lovealways require resisting death through every means possible?" (Wickett, 109) Paul D. Simmons declares bluntly that "it is harder morally to justify letting somebody die a slow and ugly death, dehumanized, than it is to justify helping him to escape from such misery. (Samuel Gorovitz, 113) Some very prominent people are making packs with friends or relatives that specify that either will help the other die when life becomes desperate from pain or tragic accident. Families and physicians feel a variety of powerful emotions when dealing with a patient dying a slow and agonizing death. Certainly they wish that the pain were relieved and that health restored; that the patient not die but go on living and sharing concerns and joys together. "When the illness is terminal and there is no hope of relief or recovery, however, death is often desired for the patient as God's appointed way to relieve suffering." (Paul D. Simmons, 116) Mr. Sorestad, my junior high teacher, shared his experience at the death of his beloved wife after her prolonged battle with breast cancer. She had deteriorated physically and mentally practically beyond recognition. "I prayed for death," he had said, "because I loved her so much and could not bear to see her suffer so. And when death finally came, I thanked God for his good gift." She'd had enough, made her choice, and her choice was honored. But suppose that Mrs. Sorestad had asked her husband to help her die! He felt already that death was imminent and desirable. As a true Christian, he felt that death would be a merciful relief of pain and suffering. He was morally justified to act out his love for his wife by ending her suffering life in a painless manner. "The meaning of death, the morality of taking or ending life of one's own spouse or the "relationship of the person to the processes of nature and the activity of God in one's life." (Ann Wickett, 109) This issue raised concerns to doctors. Even the best doctors, given all the pressures that they must bear, could "benefit from more structured ways of remaining informed about how their efforts are viewed by their patients." (Samuel Gorovitz, 10) Importantly, it also heightened my curiosity about what it is like to be a physician c about what sorts of problems and pressures sustain their distance and separateness, and make it so hard for them to be open