I am doing a paper in my Ethics class on Euthanasia and assisted suicide, I want to take a poll on what various people think. Are you for the doctor assisted suicide or against it and why, what are your thoughts? I need as many opinions as I can, so I can add them in my term paper, Thanks!
Tags: Ethics, Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide, People, Poll, Term Paper
it goes back to the old ethical question,…..who’s life is it anyway???,…..
For patehtic miserable acting cowards who have no lives.
I think that if the patient is really willing to die and there is not way to recover, then I kinda agree with it. There is a computer that has a special program desinged to see if a patient really wants do die. The patient asnwers a battery of questions.
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I agree with it.
If I had cancer, only being kept alive by medicine, my quality of life is poor and I cant even go to the bathroom on my own I would not want to live. If I did not have the means to kill myself so I could sleep in peace with out pain and suffering I would want suicide assistance.
Assisted suicide and Murder go hand in hand. It is wrong and should if it isn’t already be illigal. I am very adiment on the fact that suicide is wrong and unholy and that in turn tells you how I feel on assisted suicide. Wrong just wrong.
Good luck on your paper
I’m from Oregon, the only state in the union that has legalized doctor assisted suicide. My take on it is this: What’s the difference between “pulling the plug” of a life support system for a terminal patient and “writing a prescription” for a terminal patient? Assuming that the life support person left a living will that stated that they wanted the plug pulled if they were in that situation.
Both situations will end the life of the patient and both were at the request of the patient.
The supreme court has actually debated those two actions and have had difficulty distinguishing them.
i am very undecided on this issue, on the one hand you have people suffering which i would rather they die instead of suffer, because i would rather die than suffer. and if they do not have enough money it can be difficult to pay for needed medical care. but on the other hand you risk this person not being pushed into suicide, being killed and having it be named suicide, alot of curruption can happen there and the person wont be around to defend themselves. also the religious side of it is troubling, in most religions its wrong to kill and wrong to commit suicide, this would be doing both. even with good intentions. you know what they say”the road to hell is built on good intentions”
I am totally for it. When a person gets to where they are soooo miserable, or sick, or weak, and really don’t want to go on, why not help them die with dignity? Better than letting them die without dignity, like with a big cleanup involved in the aftermath. Why is it that our animal shelters can euthanize 11 million innocent animals each year, or we can request that our sick animal be euthanized, but we can’t do the same for our loved ones? It’s not right. Kevorkian is my hero. He meant well and wanted to help desperate people. They knew what they wanted, were clear about it, it wasn’t an impulsive decision. I see nothing wrong with that. I am agnostic so no ‘god’ or higher power intrudes on my decision. If I want to die, I should be able to choose that. If a doctor is willing to assist me with it, I would be very appreciative. My family would probably be much more accepting of a pondered, considered decision that I end my life with dignity, than to get news that I blew my head off. No one else should get to decide how I live my life, if I’m not hurting anyone else.
I am pro-euthanasia. I see it as a quality of life issue and a line each person should be able to determine for themselves. If I am in constant pain or impaired physically or mentally and want out I don’t think being denied relief would ease anything. To prevent snap judgments maybe you should have to wait three monthes after you’ve declared your intention, and then if you still felt that way, put it on youtube.
I’m in favor of it as long it is clearly spelled out under which circumstances the assisted suicide is to be carried out. And that is the root of problem – there are so many different potential life outcomes in which assisted suicide might be appropriate, but in most of those cases, the person who might want to commit suicide is unable to participate in the decision, due to being unconscious or unable to communicate.
The result is that someone might make a laundry list of possible life issues (conscious vs. unconscious; mobile vs. immobile; terminally ill. life expectancy 3 months or not; capable of unassisted breathing or not; capable of unassisted feeding or not; bowel control or not; etc. ad nauseam). The inevitably likely result is that the individual winds up with some combination of the attributes that is not on the list and it is up to the “executor” as it were to make the hard decision.
If you want a humorous take on this, take a look at the Seinfeld season 8 episode 13 “The Comeback” in which Kramer is filling out a living will and wants Elaine to carry out his wishes because he believes she won’t cave in.
This is a tough topic. Did you pick this topic? You may want to think about another topic. I am on the fence. On one hand, I think death should happen on it’s own. On the other, if the person is suffering tremendously, let them rest. So I don’t have a pro or con answer. I guess it depends on the situation.
It’s your life and it’s your decision.
The one who assist you should agree to do it too.
I don’t see why a voluntary agreement should be anyone else’s business.
That’s the base of freedom. You can’t be free if you can make the choices for your life. Even putting an end to it.
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well i don’t agree with it at all because if it was that persons time to go god would have taken them .
The hippocratic oath traditionally banned both abortion and usually mortal one persons suicide because suicide is disgusting virtually every religion declares suicide it is victimless crime and therefore nobody else is also absurd things.
Obviously, it’s all up to the individual and each case on an individual basis. Under no circumstances should it be an issue that involves the opinions of anyone other than the ill person and his or her family and doctors. At the most.
My grandmother was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, and she has been told, point-blank, that she will die very soon, and likely in a great deal of pain. She is also elderly and has other health issues. She has told all of us in the family, also quite point-blank, that she does not want to suffer, and doesn’t want us to suffer, watching her writhe in agony and cough her lungs out. While her dying is the last thing I want, I would rather a) follow her wishes, and b) allow her to die with a certain amount of dignity and without pain, which is the way she lives her life.
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As Christians, we believe that human life is a sacred gift from God to be cherished and respected because every human being is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).
In heeding God’s command, “Thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13), we recognize that we cannot end of our lives or the lives of others as we please. We must respect and protect the dignity of human from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.
Both euthanasia and assisted suicide violate God’s commandment not to kill.
Euthanasia occurs when a doctor or medical staff person administers a lethal dose of medication with the intention of killing the patient.
Assisted suicide occurs when a doctor or medical staff person prescribes a lethal amount of medication with the intent of helping a person commit suicide. The patient then takes the dose or turns the switch.
We also recognize the need for the proper management of pain. Modern medicine provides effective treatments for pain that guarantees that no one will suffer a painful death. No one needs to escape pain by seeking death.
Suicidal wishes among the terminally ill are due to treatable depression similar to that of other suicidal people. If we address their pain, depression and other problems, then there is generally no more talk of suicide.
Repercussions of Assisted Suicide
+ The patient seriously, possibly completely, damages his or her relationship with God.
+ Anyone assisting a suicide gravely endangers his or her spiritual, psychological, and emotional well-being including family members and medical professionals.
+ Corruption of the medical profession: whose ethical code calls on physicians to serve life and never to kill. The American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and dozens of other medical groups argue that the power to assist in taking patients’ lives is “a power that most health-care professionals do not want and could not control.”
+ Society will more and more disregards the dignity of human life.
Possible Corruptions
+ Exploitation of the marginalized: The poor, the elderly, minorities, those who lack health insurance would be the first to feel pressure to die.
+ Cost control: Patients with long term or expensive illnesses and considered economic liabilities would be encouraged die.
+ Rebirth of historical prejudices: Many able-bodied people, including some physicians, say they would “rather be dead than disabled.” Such prejudices could easily lead families, physicians, and society to encourage death for people who are depressed and emotionally vulnerable as they adjust to life with a serious illness or disability.
Jesus uttered the words of faith that continue to inspire and to guide the Church’s teaching in this mystery of Christian death: “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again” (John 10:17).
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 2270 and following:
With love in Christ.