What's the Use of Euthanasia - Research Paper Example

Euthanasia Whats The Use of Euthanasia? As the world has developed the human beings have come to know about the rights that they own. The knowledge and revolutions all around the world have led to the recognition of civil rights amongst the human beings. This recognition has led to several controversies in different arenas. One such controversy revolves around the life and death of an individual. People have come to the belief that they can take their life whenever they feel that they cannot bear the pain that is being levied upon them. Physician assisted suicide is the name of such killing which is better known as euthanasia. Euthanasia is an act where the patient voluntarily asks the doctor to kill him as he cannot bear the pain anymore. This action is argued to be the right one by many physicians who believe that it would end the pain of the patient. On the other hand it has been criticized by many too as the opponents believe that the life of an individual should never be taken as miracles can happen anytime. Similarly they also propose that a painful condition can lead to such miserable decisions which would be later on regretted by the patient. This research revolves around this controversy presenting different views of the doctors (Materstvedt et al., 2003). Characters 1. Herbert Hendin is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the New York Medical College. He is against the legalization of Euthanasia because he believes that it would cause problems for the health care society. He has written several research articles on Euthanasia including "Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the Netherlands: Lessons from the Dutch," and "Suicide, Assisted Suicide, and Euthanasia". 2. Len Doyal is a medical ethics professor in the University of London. He believes that euthanasia should be promoted in the society as it would help the patients to get relieved. He has been involved in writing research articles of Euthanasia including “Why active euthanasia and physician assisted suicide should be legalized”. 3. Dr Sherwin Nuland is the Professor of Surgery at Yale Medical School. He believes that euthanasia should be encouraged but does not support it like others do. Hence his status on euthanasia can be taken as neutral. He has been involved with publications like “"Doctors and Discoveries: Lives That Created Todays Medicine". 4. Gary Rogers has done bachelors in Information Technology and is working in a reputable organization. He is tall with gray eyes and a French beard which he is really proud of. He is against euthanasia because he believes that pain causes a person to take wrong decisions. 5. Rachel Bach has completed her masters from the Yale Medical School. She is a short, blond lady with black eyes. She is a strong advocate of euthanasia and believes that it can help in relieving the needy of the unnecessary pain in the ending moments of his life. Statement of Controversy: Euthanasia is an act of killing where the physician is involved himself. It is of two types i.e. voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia occurs when a patient himself cannot bear the pain and asks to be killed by the physician by stopping the treatment. Involuntary euthanasia on the other hand is a process in which the patients do not ask to be killed as they are not in a condition to do so. It occurs when the physician considers that the act can be carried out because there is no hope left for the patient. Many people believe that euthanasia is only a waste of precious lives whereas many believe that it is a just cause for people who are suffering. This research dialogue would present a view of certain people on this issue. Characters: Herbert Hendin Len Doyal Sherwan Nuland Gary Rogers Rachel Bach Setting: Five people are sitting together on lunch during a conference that they start having a conversation on the topic of euthanasia. Three of the people are related to the field of euthanasia whereas the other two have been somehow related to the process. Gary Rogers and Rachel Bach are present on the conference by chance. Gary Rogers is invited by the IT department to check on the instruments whereas Rachel Bach is a doctor herself invited by the organizers. Dialogue: Herbert: - Doyal, do you think that the speech you gave before the people is really an idealistic view for the whole society? You supported acts like Dignity Act so that the physicians can be saved from the wrath of judges and society. Euthanasia is an act of killing which is being supported by physicians like you. It is only a way through which physicians can be saved of the faults that they commit while treating the patient (Herbert 1998). Doyal: - Yes it is an idealistic view for the society as people are seen to be suffering from different diseases which none of us has suffered yet. Late stages of cancers are so painful that not even morphine can work on these patients. The act of euthanasia is only relieving the patients of the pain that they are suffering in this world. It is giving the freedom of death to the patients who cannot bear the pain anymore (Doyal 2006). Gary: - I am sorry to interfere, but the topic you are talking about is somehow related to me and my family. My father was suffering from chronic illness and was said to be dying any moment. The doctors told me that he would not live for longer than ten days but eventually he did. And so I am believe that doctors cannot always tell when the person would die. Rachel: - Ah, that is so easy to say because your family was one in a billion. Exceptions seem to happen everywhere but in this case I believe that Dr Doyal is right. Euthanasia should be supported because I have seen people suffering badly from pain in the last days of their life. Sherwin: - I wonder why are you people fighting on an issue which would not cause any harm or benefit to the whole society. As all of you have seen it is increasing the problems for the medical world and is also solving some of the problems. I believe that it would do no good if euthanasia is legalized (Nuland 2000). Herbert: - With due respect Dr Sherwin I believe that is totally wrong. Research from a Dutch study clearly shows that euthanasia is promoting the culture of suicide among a group of patients. It is only providing the patients and doctors an easy way out of illness and medical care. It has to be stopped in any case (Hendin 1995). Doyal: - Euthanasia has to be legalized I believe because it can benefit not only the patients who can talk but can also benefit the ones who are not able to ask for it. Patients suffering from terminal illness like brain death should be relieved of the pain that they are suffering. Miracles don’t happen in these cases and they have a right to choose death if the pain exceeds their limit (Doyal 2009). Gary: - I believe that at many instances doctors have said that patients from the end stages of cancer cannot survive for long. But my father did survive and that is only because euthanasia was not chosen by us. Legalization of euthanasia would only kill people who might possibly live longer. Rachel: - The case that happened with you father is somewhat related to my family too. My mother was hospitalized for a year when she was struck by a car. After a year in the bed she eventually died begging for euthanasia. The process was not carried out and I saw my mother die in pain and agony after a complete one year. Sherwin: - These cases that you put altogether are irrelevant in these instances. Gary and Rachel you have been victims of time. Even if euthanasia was legalized in your case Gary the physicians would have sought an advice from you. And in your case Rachel euthanasia would have probably taken the last precious moments that you did have with your mother. Gary: - But involuntary euthanasia would have given the rights to the physician and they might have killed him without seeking my advice. Euthanasia is only giving a way to the physicians so that they can run off from their duties. Euthanasia should not be legalized as it would only increase the number of suicides currently happening in the world. Rachel: - What you call the precious moments Mr Sherwin, I think were the most dreadful moments of my life. I think that seeing a relative in unbearable pain feels bad to the extent that we are crossing our boundaries to support euthanasia. Euthanasia should be supported and allowed all over the world so that the pain of the patients can be ended without much agony. Doyal: -I believe that she is quite right as treating the patients with terminal sickness are similar to providing them with more moments of pain and agony. The patients with such a sickness cannot themselves face the agony that the disease brings upon them. Their life becomes shortened and they cannot lead a life like they used to. Even if miracles happen, which rarely happen I believe that the patients would not be able to lead a life like they previously used to. Herbert: - Ah that cannot be done as it would increase the number of suicides in this world. It would only decrease the responsibilities of the physician and the governments realize that. Even if we analyze the current situation of the world we can clearly see that the governments do not support euthanasia. In the near future I don’t see many governments supporting it as it only protects the interests of the physicians. Acts like dignity acts should be discouraged so that the physicians do not wander off from their duties. Sherwin: - Euthanasia is an act which can never be fully legalized. It is a process which would increase the problems for the medical world and would decrease some problems for the patients too. It can be partially legalized in my view so there is no use fighting over here. Euthanasia should be molded in such a way that the governments accept the flexibility of the act. It is an act which might change the whole course of the medical world. Conclusion Assisted suicide is hence a very important subject and it is argued upon by many groups around the world. It is an act of ending the life of an individual when there is no hope left for improvement of his condition and his chances of leading a quality life without dependency are minimal. Religious groups present their arguments against it and it is also criticized by other groups who fight against the legalization of this practice. But it is not to be forgotten that this act is actually being performed by the doctors and physicians to assist the patients and hence they are not deviating from their jobs but rather they are performing an act of helping their patients. Thus the doctors are catering to the needs of their patients. To live a life of suffering is not very easy and it can be easily realized that to take such an important decision for one self is not easy. References Top of Form Nuland, S. B. (February 24, 2000). Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in Practice. New England Journal of Medicine, 342, 8, 583-584. Top of Form Nuland, S. B. (January 01, 2010). The Uncertain Art: Thoughts on a Life in Medicine. Connecticut Medicine, 74,5, 319. Bottom of Form Top of Form Hendin, H., Foley, K., & White, M. (January 01, 1998). Physician-assisted suicide: reflections on Oregons first case. Issues in Law & Medicine, 14, 3, 243-70. Top of Form Hendin, H. (January 01, 1995). Assisted suicide, euthanasia, and suicide prevention: the implications of the Dutch experience. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior,25, 1, 193-204. Bottom of Form Top of Form Doyal, L. (January 01, 2009). Euthanasia and free speech in Ireland. Bmj (clinical Research Ed.), 338. Top of Form Doyal, L. (June 01, 2006). Dignity in dying should include the legalization of non-voluntary euthanasia. Clinical Ethics, 1, 2, 65-67. Materstvedt, Lars J, David Clark, John Ellershaw, Reidun Førde, Anne-Marie B. Gravgaard, H C. Müller-Busch, i S. J. Porta, and Charles-Henri Rapin. "Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: a View from an Eapc Ethics Task Force." Palliative Medicine. 17.2 (2003): 97-101. Print. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More