Outline

Introduction

Discussion and Analysis

Types of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

Pro: Arguments Supporting End-of-Life Measures

Con: Arguments Opposing End-of-Life Measures

Conclusion

Euthanasia

Introduction

Derived from the Greek eu (good) and thanatos (death), euthanasia is the practice of painlessly causing the death of those who suffer from painful or incurable diseases or disorders. It is sometimes referred to as mercy killing. In euthanasia, someone else causes the death of the suffering individual. In the closely related practice of assisted suicide, however, the suffering individual takes his or her own life, aided by one or more assistants. Although anyone can assist with suicide, physicians are often asked to do so because of their medical expertise and access to controlled medications (Carrick, pp98). Physician-assisted suicide, however, is highly controversial, as it highlights the fundamental tension between the physician's goal of relieving misery and the doctor's traditional role as a healer.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are both forms of voluntary homicide, but they differ from other varieties of voluntary homicide (such as murder or manslaughter) inasmuch as their principal objective is not to inflict pain, but to alleviate it (by ending a life of suffering). This incongruous coupling of deliberate homicide and a benevolent motive creates thorny legal and ethical puzzles (Carrick, pp98).

In the United States, euthanasia is illegal in all states and punishable as murder. However, two states, Oregon and Washington, have legalized assisted suicide under certain circumstances. Several other countries have legalized euthanasia and/or assisted suicide. But while medical societies in other countries have approved euthanasia and assisted suicide for physicians, the American Medical Association (AMA) has concluded that physicians must not perform euthanasia or participate in assisted suicide. Instead, the AMA believes that if physicians diligently attend to matters of respect for patient autonomy, good communication, support, and adequate pain control, public demand for euthanasia and assisted suicide may decrease dramatically (Dworkin, pp89).

Euthanasia and assisted suicide have been matters of debate for centuries, but became particularly controversial topics during the late 20th century. Increased interest in health-related matters such as living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders, and access to abortion services fueled already-heated public debates over the definitions of life and death, and who has authority to make decisions in these areas. As advances in medical science continue to increase human life expectancies and permit more individuals with serious chronic, degenerative, and terminal diseases to survive for longer periods of time, these controversies can be expected to escalate.

Medicine and life-support equipment can maintain biological functioning of individuals in persistent vegetative states, but leave unanswered many normative questions, such as when life is or is not worth saving, what kinds of autonomy individuals should have over their bodies, and the appropriate role of the state in regulating end-of-life decisions. These questions have broad implications in the areas of ethics, religion, public policy, and the law (Dworkin, pp89).

Discussion and Analysis

In the ancient world, many societies were more open about (and accepting of) suicide. In some cultures, suicide was actually encouraged. For example, among the Goths and Celts, it was believed that dying a ...