Hosam Hawamdeh
01-03-2010, 04:22 AM
Euthanasia, as defined by Webster, is a painless, easy death. The word actually comes from the Greek language: eu means "good" and thantos means "death". The meaning of the word has evolved from "good death". It now refers to the act of ending anthers life, in order to minimize suffering. There is an enormous distinction, that is crucial to undertand, between active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is the intentional killing of another human being. Passive euthanasia is simply withholding treatment and allowing the person to die naturally. As quoted by James Rachels, "The idea is that it is permissible, at least in some cases, to withhold treatment and allow a patient to die, but it is never permissible to take any direct action designed to kill the patient" (Rachels 560).
This above policy is accepted by most doctors today. The House of Delegates of the American Medical Association adopted a statement similar to the one stated above. It states that:
"The intentional termination of the life of one human being by another-mercy killing-is contrary to that for which the medical profession stands and is contrary to the policy of the American Medical Association. The cessation of the employment of the extraordinary means to prolong the life of the body when there is irrefutable evidence that biological death is imminent is the decision of the patient and/or his immediate family. The advice and judgement of the physician should be freely available to the patient and/or his immediate family
(Rachels 561)."
In cases where death is the only option that the patient wishes to choose, passive euthanasia is the only suitable option.
There are positive and negative sides to passive euthanasia but the positive ones seems to outweigh the negative regarding morals, ethics, and logic. The positive side to passive euthanasia includes a few main points. One is that in the case of refusing treatment, a patient dies from an underlying fatal disease, whereas, when a patient takes a fatal dose of medicine (as prescribed by a physician), the patient is killed by that medication. Some terminally ill patients are in terrible pain and/or experience an intolerable poor quality of life. They would prefer to end their life rather than continuing until their body finally gives up--in this case, as some say, one is able to "die with dignity (Faria 22)." But in these cases there is no dignity in dyeing because one merely gives up and takes the easy way out. In the article "A Crime of Compassion", Mac is resuscitated fifty-two times in one month. There is no hope for him and each time he is resuscitated he lives on in severe pain.
This above policy is accepted by most doctors today. The House of Delegates of the American Medical Association adopted a statement similar to the one stated above. It states that:
"The intentional termination of the life of one human being by another-mercy killing-is contrary to that for which the medical profession stands and is contrary to the policy of the American Medical Association. The cessation of the employment of the extraordinary means to prolong the life of the body when there is irrefutable evidence that biological death is imminent is the decision of the patient and/or his immediate family. The advice and judgement of the physician should be freely available to the patient and/or his immediate family
(Rachels 561)."
In cases where death is the only option that the patient wishes to choose, passive euthanasia is the only suitable option.
There are positive and negative sides to passive euthanasia but the positive ones seems to outweigh the negative regarding morals, ethics, and logic. The positive side to passive euthanasia includes a few main points. One is that in the case of refusing treatment, a patient dies from an underlying fatal disease, whereas, when a patient takes a fatal dose of medicine (as prescribed by a physician), the patient is killed by that medication. Some terminally ill patients are in terrible pain and/or experience an intolerable poor quality of life. They would prefer to end their life rather than continuing until their body finally gives up--in this case, as some say, one is able to "die with dignity (Faria 22)." But in these cases there is no dignity in dyeing because one merely gives up and takes the easy way out. In the article "A Crime of Compassion", Mac is resuscitated fifty-two times in one month. There is no hope for him and each time he is resuscitated he lives on in severe pain.