Hi everone! I'm writing an essay about euthanasia, a subject that is discussed all over the world.
Is it right to end the life of someone who is really ill?
This question is very difficult to answer and I'm not sure what my opinion is. If something happens to me and I never will be able to leave the hospital. If I'm just lying in a bed not able to move or talk I probably don't want to live anymore, but how can I know if that's my opinion if it really happens? Who is supposed to take this decision if I'm not able to?
Hi! I think that a requirement for euthanasia is that you must be able to make the decision on your own, before it is too late. You have to be able to tell your doctor or relative with witenesses that you want to end your life, or it is too easy to see it as murder.
I agree that it is hard to say today how one would think if one would end up in that situation.
ok, to write a minimum of 200 words about my choise of essay subject is going to behard, as I haven't even started writing yet. I am researching and with that and all this blog nonsense there's not much time. Anyway; I am writing about euthanasia from a legal and emotional aspect, where I will see if the laws are fair and what they accually mean. Here is my introduction:
“If I ever end up on life support, I want you to promise to pull the plug and let me die with dignity.” This is a sentence many of us have heard from the ones closest to us, but is that a promise one can keep? Is there a point where everyone can agree on the passing of the point of no return? Perhaps the question of “who deserves to die” is too hard to answer that the easiest way is to stick with the system we have today; to keep everyone alive as long possible, even if the patients will is compromised? “There are many question marks surrounding the thesis I have chosen to research. I aim to understand more about the legal aspect of this subject as well as the emotional one as I clarify the pros and cons.” Feel free to comment.
Hi all! Im also writing about euthanasia. Her comes my intro:
Introduction “Let me just die, this is not a worthy life she whispered, squeezed my hand hard and looked me deeply in my eyes with suffer in her gaze”. I had been nursing her for several days and this was the first time in a couple of days she managed to say a word, friends and family had been watch over her bed for days now without any change. Euthanasia has become a standard topic of debate in many social, political and policy contexts and many people are ambivalent with the thought if it’s right or wrong to choose if you want to die or not. What I’m going to discuss - Explain the expression euthanasia, passive and active euthanasia. - Arguments for and against euthanasia - The health care role when people asking for euthanasia - Where it is legal with euthanasia and how common is it where it is legal?
I’m responding to Emelie. I think that euthanasia is an important issue. If you are so sick that you just lying in bed and could do nothing and you never would get better. If I could speak for myself it is easier. Then I could decide what I want. But maybe and probably from my disease I’m depressed and don’t wont to live. Could I then decide on my own or should someone else decide if I should live or not. If I’m not could speak for myself who should decide what’s best for me. The relatives how maybe should inherit from me my money and property? The nursing staffs that from the government have got restriction to not exceed the budget? Or your children that loves you over?
Irrespective of the questions I think the best would be if you before you got ill could wrote a specific document, something like your last will. There you could tell if you want life-sustaining aid or not in case of you are so ill that you could not speak for yourself. If you not have written a will about life-sustaining, then they would try to save your life. I think it is very selfish to leave it to the relatives to make the decision about life-sustaining or not. Who could you ask them to make that the decision then they maybe are in middle of sorrow and despair. How many relatives would think clearly and only have what’s best for you in their minds. Yes, some have but some just want to keep you alive no matter what. Despite that the nursing staffs have the best knowledge I don’t think it is the best way to threat it either. I could be that restriction from the management would tell who they would make the decision. In moneysaving time it could be really bad. The hardest question of them all in this case is when should we talk about euthanasia and then should it be murder.
I agree with Pia. Some sort of a last will that clarifies your opinion in this question, is probably the best for everyone.
I must say I'm doubtful if euthanasia should be legalized. There has been a declining interest for research of pain relivers and medication in Netherlands since euthanasia was legalized. What if the nursing staff in order to save money, ordinate euthanasia or relatives are hoping for inheritance, as Pia said. I don't think all humans are this bad but it wouldn't surprise me if it's happening.
But I'm not at all convinced. if someone's going to die within a few months, why not spare him/her from all the suffering? I think we need to draw a border somewhere otherwise it might go to far.
Euthanasia has been one of the most discussed topic in Italy in the last few weeks because of the story of Eluana Englaro, a girl who lives in a vegetative state since she had an accident 17 years ago. Her father has fought to suspend the treatment and to leave her dying to respect her thought which she expressed many times when she was conscious and some days ago he has wont his case. This story has been taken as a starting point to talk about euthanasia and biologic testament. In Italy euthanasia is not admitted but the one of Eluana is a case of interruption of life which is considered intolerable by a sick, who asks over and over again and consciously to end his/her suffering. Politics, journalists, members of the Catholic Church and everyone else in Italy has taken the liberty to express their opinion about this theme without, I think, respect for Eluana’s family’s feelings in this terrible moment; everyone thinks to be in the right!!! A fight is born about euthanasia between who thinks that it is right and who thinks that it is wrong and that it is like a murder to suspend treatments also in extreme situations like the one of Eluana. It’s very difficult to express an opinion… Before all I think that the first thing to do in Italy is to elaborate an act about euthanasia and biologic testament and to take sides. I think that everyone should be left free to decide to live or to die because there is a difference between living and surviving and the one in a bed in a vegetative state is a condition of surviving and not living… none can take the liberty to judge, because when someone asks for death it means that he/she feels physically and morally infinitely bad and at the same time when a father asks for death of his daughters it means that he is desperate and that he cannot see her suffering any more… How can we judge him if we doesn’t know anything about his feelings or his story?… I admit that when someone is between life and death his/her point of view about life and death can change and he/she can also revaluate the sense of life, grasping at life with all his/her might. I can only say that in cold blood this is my thought but I don’t know anything about what is going to happen in my future...
I think that your intro is great. It really catches me as a reader. I also think that you have chosen a good question to discuss.
Euthanasia is a big discussion subject all over the world. It’s difficult to take a stand for or against it. I think that you should decide over your own body. In the same way that you can donate your organs you should also decide if you want to have euthanasia if you get really sick sometimes in the future and just lie in a hospital.
In the same time some people think that it is God’s plan do decide when a human are going to die or not and not up to us people. Therefore many are against euthanasia. Many is also scared that they are making the wrong decision.
I think that it’s really good that you’ve taken up both the passive and active euthanasia, because it’s two different things and I don’t think that too many people know the difference between this two. I have not too much to say about your text. I think it seems really good.
Hi! In respons to Melindah. It must be very difficult to be the person who pulls the plug and it can’t be easy to know when the time has come to do it. Could you live with yourself after. Yes, you made her/his last wish come true, to die with dignity but how would You feel afterwards? As you said, maybe we should live with the laws we have about euthanasia, when you are supposed to die you die but on the other hand, do you want to be the one who lay there and no one helps you? I don’t know were I stand in this question. I see both pro and con. Good luck with your work //alex
In my opinion, people who are very ill and don't have any quality of life at all, shouldn't have to live if all they do is suffer. The problem is who and how to make the decision.
If a person e.g. have sustained severe brain injuries and is kept alive only through a machine (like a respirator), then the question of what to do is to me rather obvious (since you're in Sweden is counted as dead if you don't have any brain function). This is a case were I belive euthanasia is the best alternative.
If the person on the other hand is able to communicate and actively asks to get help to die, then there's a different question. Is this even legal? I don't think it is in Sweden... In a case such as this, I suppose there's more feelings ivolved, especially feelings of guilt and fear. I don't think you should have the right to use euthanasia in this case without a proper investigation. If this was legal, I think there's a big chance that bad people would take advantage of that law and maybe kill someone that doesn't want to die.
Some poeple that are really sick might feel that the're a burden for their family and relatives who have to take care of them. The consequence could be that they ask for euthanasia to make life easier for their relatives. Some people who ask for this help to die, may instead be in need of more pain medication and better care and consideration. Then their quality of life might increase.
This is a very interesting and important subject. Good luck with the essay!
I also thought it was a good introduction, but the teacher thought it was too journalistic so I had to take away the attention grabber in my intro so I don’t like it that much anymore. But I still work on it and try to make it better! I don’t know my opinion about euthanasia either; I’m very ambivalent to the subject. I’m a nurse myself and often when you work with old people that are really sick and just want to die you wish you could assist them with their highest wish. They have lived a long and worthy life and all their friends have passed away and their families are busy with their own life. Then in another way I don’t want to be “nurse death”, to give worthy death through palliative care is way harder; sometimes euthanasia is an easy way out of a situation. Maybe you miss something very important when we rush in to death? And if we make it legal the value if the human life changes, of course many things has to been fulfilled to be able to get euthanasia but this is might not totally clear for the common man. In Switzerland were it is allowed there were a story couple of years ago about a nurse who killed 22 patients. // AnnaMaria
Hi again :) I'm going to write about abortion on my essay and I also need to change my introduction because the teacher think my attention grabbar also was to journalistic. It's so difficult to change something you have write and is satisfied with. But I do my best :) I hope you find something not so journalistic but attention grabbar anyway. At least we can try :)
In response to Emelie Hi It's Federica and Isabella here. (Federica) I'm a medical student and I will become a doctor soon. This issue is very relevant at the moment in Italy, just because there is a law war between a father whose daughter has been in a coma for at least seventeen years and the government and the church.(Federica e Isabella) Definitely we need legislation about this tricky problem but in our country,referring to many aspects not least the presence of the Pope, at the moment we haven't got any.Moreover we heard about many cases in which some medical operators perform euthanasia on some oncologycal/problematic patients with their consent but completely illegally and in fact they has been prosecuted.
In these days here in Italy the case we have mentioned is strongly debated. This girl had an accident about seventeen years ago and from that moment she has lived in a persistent vegetative state. Her father wants to interrupt the care that keeps her still alive.We think that a nation should take measures for situations like that like preserving freedom of choosing about life and health of its citizens. Federica & Isabella
Unfortunately in Italy there is a total lack of legislation about this topic --- and probably there always will, due to the Catcholic Church influence.
There are (in my opinion) two orthogonal aspects in this issue: 1) the difference between so-called "active" and "passive" euthanasia 2) the possibility of make a decision about this, and who can decide in our place if we are unable to do so.
In Italy there is a specific article in its Consitution, that states that no one must be treated against his will. So, if you are able to take decisions, you can say that you don't want to be treated any more (of course we're not speaking about a treatment that might actually cure you, but only about painkillers or life-supporting machines or things like that).
There is obviously a problem if you are not able to decide by yourself. As you pointed out, delegate this decision to others is too problematic (there may be other kinds of interests and so on); therefore I simply think that everyone must be forced to take such a decision about himself in advance, exactly like right now we can decide if we want to donate our organs. Of course one can change its mind anytime, that's no problem; no one can then do something against his will. This solves completely the second issue.
About "active" and "passive" euthanasia: what I've described is what is called passive euthanasia, i.d., dying by the unability to survive without receiving medical treatments. There is also the possibility of dying by an "active intervention", aimed at killing. This might be wanted by, for instance, those with an incurable disease. I'm not really sure about my opinion on this topic. I don't see anything to be ashamed of if a person seriously wants to kill himself because of his illness, and I believe that if he is able to put an end to his life with his own hands he would do so. Why should we deny to those unable to do that the right to a dignified death?
Does life have to be preserved at any cost? I’m not sure how to answer that. My classmates discussed many aspects related to euthanasia and I agree with most of them. Sometimes I have a feeling that we overrate the power of Church or use it as an excuse to justify a diffuse conservative mentality, but I want to believe that we are better than this.
Discussing death, or the duty to die, is not simple, is something that goes against our nature, our instinct and if it’s so difficult to take a position I think it’s normal and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. From an ethical point of view accepting this practice is not a problem for me, if the patient himself is competent to make his decision about not to go on.
On the other hand we need proper procedural safeguards to allow euthanasia, to protect the terminally ill and vulnerable persons against abuse.
I don’t think that euthanasia threatens the dignity of life, maybe only denying the right to choose can do this.
16 comments:
Hi everone! I'm writing an essay about euthanasia, a subject that is discussed all over the world.
Is it right to end the life of someone who is really ill?
This question is very difficult to answer and I'm not sure what my opinion is. If something happens to me and I never will be able to leave the hospital. If I'm just lying in a bed not able to move or talk I probably don't want to live anymore, but how can I know if that's my opinion if it really happens? Who is supposed to take this decision if I'm not able to?
Please tell me what you're thinking!
Have a nice day!/Emelie
Hi!
I think that a requirement for euthanasia is that you must be able to make the decision on your own, before it is too late. You have to be able to tell your doctor or relative with witenesses that you want to end your life, or it is too easy to see it as murder.
I agree that it is hard to say today how one would think if one would end up in that situation.
ok, to write a minimum of 200 words about my choise of essay subject is going to behard, as I haven't even started writing yet.
I am researching and with that and all this blog nonsense there's not much time.
Anyway; I am writing about euthanasia from a legal and emotional aspect, where I will see if the laws are fair and what they accually mean.
Here is my introduction:
“If I ever end up on life support, I want you to promise to pull the plug and let me die with dignity.”
This is a sentence many of us have heard from the ones closest to us, but is that a promise one can keep? Is there a point where everyone can agree on the passing of the point of no return?
Perhaps the question of “who deserves to die” is too hard to answer that the easiest way is to stick with the system we have today; to keep everyone alive as long possible, even if the patients will is compromised?
“There are many question marks surrounding the thesis I have chosen to research. I aim to understand more about the legal aspect of this subject as well as the emotional one as I clarify the pros and cons.”
Feel free to comment.
Hi all!
Im also writing about euthanasia.
Her comes my intro:
Introduction
“Let me just die, this is not a worthy life she whispered, squeezed my hand hard and looked me deeply in my eyes with suffer in her gaze”. I had been nursing her for several days and this was the first time in a couple of days she managed to say a word, friends and family had been watch over her bed for days now without any change. Euthanasia has become a standard topic of debate in many social, political and policy contexts and many people are ambivalent with the thought if it’s right or wrong to choose if you want to die or not.
What I’m going to discuss
- Explain the expression euthanasia, passive and active euthanasia.
- Arguments for and against euthanasia
- The health care role when people asking for euthanasia
- Where it is legal with euthanasia and how common is it where it is legal?
What do you think?
Cheers AnnaMaria
I’m responding to Emelie. I think that euthanasia is an important issue. If you are so sick that you just lying in bed and could do nothing and you never would get better. If I could speak for myself it is easier. Then I could decide what I want. But maybe and probably from my disease I’m depressed and don’t wont to live. Could I then decide on my own or should someone else decide if I should live or not. If I’m not could speak for myself who should decide what’s best for me. The relatives how maybe should inherit from me my money and property? The nursing staffs that from the government have got restriction to not exceed the budget? Or your children that loves you over?
Irrespective of the questions I think the best would be if you before you got ill could wrote a specific document, something like your last will. There you could tell if you want life-sustaining aid or not in case of you are so ill that you could not speak for yourself. If you not have written a will about life-sustaining, then they would try to save your life. I think it is very selfish to leave it to the relatives to make the decision about life-sustaining or not. Who could you ask them to make that the decision then they maybe are in middle of sorrow and despair. How many relatives would think clearly and only have what’s best for you in their minds. Yes, some have but some just want to keep you alive no matter what. Despite that the nursing staffs have the best knowledge I don’t think it is the best way to threat it either. I could be that restriction from the management would tell who they would make the decision. In moneysaving time it could be really bad. The hardest question of them all in this case is when should we talk about euthanasia and then should it be murder.
I like your intros, Anna-maria and Melindah!
I agree with Pia. Some sort of a last will that clarifies your opinion in this question, is probably the best for everyone.
I must say I'm doubtful if euthanasia should be legalized. There has been a declining interest for research of pain relivers and medication in Netherlands since euthanasia was legalized. What if the nursing staff in order to save money, ordinate euthanasia or relatives are hoping for inheritance, as Pia said. I don't think all humans are this bad but it wouldn't surprise me if it's happening.
But I'm not at all convinced. if someone's going to die within a few months, why not spare him/her from all the suffering? I think we need to draw a border somewhere otherwise it might go to far.
Have a nice weekend!
/Emelie
In response to Melindah
Hi Melinda! I’m Marinella…
Euthanasia has been one of the most discussed topic in Italy in the last few weeks because of the story of Eluana Englaro, a girl who lives in a vegetative state since she had an accident 17 years ago. Her father has fought to suspend the treatment and to leave her dying to respect her thought which she expressed many times when she was conscious and some days ago he has wont his case.
This story has been taken as a starting point to talk about euthanasia and biologic testament. In Italy euthanasia is not admitted but the one of Eluana is a case of interruption of life which is considered intolerable by a sick, who asks over and over again and consciously to end his/her suffering. Politics, journalists, members of the Catholic Church and everyone else in Italy has taken the liberty to express their opinion about this theme without, I think, respect for Eluana’s family’s feelings in this terrible moment; everyone thinks to be in the right!!!
A fight is born about euthanasia between who thinks that it is right and who thinks that it is wrong and that it is like a murder to suspend treatments also in extreme situations like the one of Eluana.
It’s very difficult to express an opinion… Before all I think that the first thing to do in Italy is to elaborate an act about euthanasia and biologic testament and to take sides.
I think that everyone should be left free to decide to live or to die because there is a difference between living and surviving and the one in a bed in a vegetative state is a condition of surviving and not living… none can take the liberty to judge, because when someone asks for death it means that he/she feels physically and morally infinitely bad and at the same time when a father asks for death of his daughters it means that he is desperate and that he cannot see her suffering any more… How can we judge him if we doesn’t know anything about his feelings or his story?… I admit that when someone is between life and death his/her point of view about life and death can change and he/she can also revaluate the sense of life, grasping at life with all his/her might. I can only say that in cold blood this is my thought but I don’t know anything about what is going to happen in my future...
In response to AnnaMaria.
Hi Anna Maria!
I think that your intro is great. It really catches me as a reader. I also think that you have chosen a good question to discuss.
Euthanasia is a big discussion subject all over the world. It’s difficult to take a stand for or against it. I think that you should decide over your own body. In the same way that you can donate your organs you should also decide if you want to have euthanasia if you get really sick sometimes in the future and just lie in a hospital.
In the same time some people think that it is God’s plan do decide when a human are going to die or not and not up to us people. Therefore many are against euthanasia. Many is also scared that they are making the wrong decision.
I think that it’s really good that you’ve taken up both the passive and active euthanasia, because it’s two different things and I don’t think that too many people know the difference between this two. I have not too much to say about your text. I think it seems really good.
/Sara
Hi!
In respons to Melindah.
It must be very difficult to be the person who pulls the plug and it can’t be easy to know when the time has come to do it.
Could you live with yourself after. Yes, you made her/his last wish come true, to die with dignity but how would You feel afterwards?
As you said, maybe we should live with the laws we have about euthanasia, when you are supposed to die you die but on the other hand, do you want to be the one who lay there and no one helps you?
I don’t know were I stand in this question. I see both pro and con.
Good luck with your work
//alex
In response to Emelie,
In my opinion, people who are very ill and don't have any quality of life at all, shouldn't have to live if all they do is suffer. The problem is who and how to make the decision.
If a person e.g. have sustained severe brain injuries and is kept alive only through a machine (like a respirator), then the question of what to do is to me rather obvious (since you're in Sweden is counted as dead if you don't have any brain function). This is a case were I belive euthanasia is the best alternative.
If the person on the other hand is able to communicate and actively asks to get help to die, then there's a different question. Is this even legal? I don't think it is in Sweden... In a case such as this, I suppose there's more feelings ivolved, especially feelings of guilt and fear. I don't think you should have the right to use euthanasia in this case without a proper investigation. If this was legal, I think there's a big chance that bad people would take advantage of that law and maybe kill someone that doesn't want to die.
Some poeple that are really sick might feel that the're a burden for their family and relatives who have to take care of them. The consequence could be that they ask for euthanasia to make life easier for their relatives. Some people who ask for this help to die, may instead be in need of more pain medication and better care and consideration. Then their quality of life might increase.
This is a very interesting and important subject. Good luck with the essay!
/Anna
I also thought it was a good introduction, but the teacher thought it was too journalistic so I had to take away the attention grabber in my intro so I don’t like it that much anymore. But I still work on it and try to make it better!
I don’t know my opinion about euthanasia either; I’m very ambivalent to the subject. I’m a nurse myself and often when you work with old people that are really sick and just want to die you wish you could assist them with their highest wish. They have lived a long and worthy life and all their friends have passed away and their families are busy with their own life. Then in another way I don’t want to be “nurse death”, to give worthy death through palliative care is way harder; sometimes euthanasia is an easy way out of a situation. Maybe you miss something very important when we rush in to death? And if we make it legal the value if the human life changes, of course many things has to been fulfilled to be able to get euthanasia but this is might not totally clear for the common man. In Switzerland were it is allowed there were a story couple of years ago about a nurse who killed 22 patients.
// AnnaMaria
I forgot to write that I was responding to Sara, and thank you for the comments on my work!
In response to AnnaMaria.
Hi again :)
I'm going to write about abortion on my essay and I also need to change my introduction because the teacher think my attention grabbar also was to journalistic. It's so difficult to change something you have write and is satisfied with. But I do my best :) I hope you find something not so journalistic but attention grabbar anyway. At least we can try :)
//Sara
In response to Emelie
Hi It's Federica and Isabella here. (Federica) I'm a medical student and I will become a doctor soon. This issue is very relevant at the moment in Italy, just because there is a law war between a father whose daughter has been in a coma for at least seventeen years and the government and the church.(Federica e Isabella) Definitely we need legislation about this tricky problem but in our country,referring to many aspects not least the presence of the Pope, at the moment we haven't got any.Moreover we heard about many cases in which some medical operators perform euthanasia on some oncologycal/problematic patients with their consent but completely illegally and in fact they has been prosecuted.
In these days here in Italy the case we have mentioned is strongly debated. This girl had an accident about seventeen years ago and from that moment she has lived in a persistent vegetative state. Her father wants to interrupt the care that keeps her still alive.We think that a nation should take measures for situations like that like preserving freedom of choosing about life and health of its citizens.
Federica & Isabella
Unfortunately in Italy there is a total lack of legislation
about this topic --- and probably there always will, due to the
Catcholic Church influence.
There are (in my opinion) two orthogonal aspects in this issue:
1) the difference between so-called "active" and "passive" euthanasia
2) the possibility of make a decision about this, and who can decide
in our place if we are unable to do so.
In Italy there is a specific article in its Consitution, that states that
no one must be treated against his will. So, if you are able to
take decisions, you can say that you don't want to be treated any more
(of course we're not speaking about a treatment that might actually cure you,
but only about painkillers or life-supporting machines or things like that).
There is obviously a problem if you are not able to decide by yourself.
As you pointed out, delegate this decision to others is too problematic
(there may be other kinds of interests and so on); therefore I simply
think that everyone must be forced to take such a decision about himself
in advance, exactly like right now we can decide if we want to donate
our organs. Of course one can change its mind anytime, that's no problem;
no one can then do something against his will. This solves
completely the second issue.
About "active" and "passive" euthanasia: what I've described is what
is called passive euthanasia, i.d., dying by the unability to survive
without receiving medical treatments.
There is also the possibility of dying by an "active intervention", aimed
at killing. This might be wanted by, for instance, those with an
incurable disease. I'm not really sure about my opinion on this topic.
I don't see anything to be ashamed of if a person seriously wants to kill
himself because of his illness, and I believe that if he is able to put
an end to his life with his own hands he would do so.
Why should we deny to those unable to do that the right to a dignified death?
Does life have to be preserved at any cost?
I’m not sure how to answer that.
My classmates discussed many aspects related to euthanasia and I agree with most of them.
Sometimes I have a feeling that we overrate the power of Church or use it as an excuse to justify a diffuse conservative mentality, but I want to believe that we are better than this.
Discussing death, or the duty to die, is not simple, is something that goes against our nature, our instinct and if it’s so difficult to take a position I think it’s normal and there’s nothing to be ashamed of.
From an ethical point of view accepting this practice is not a problem for me, if the patient himself is competent to make his decision about not to go on.
On the other hand we need proper procedural safeguards to allow euthanasia, to protect the terminally ill and vulnerable persons against abuse.
I don’t think that euthanasia threatens the dignity of life, maybe only denying the right to choose can do this.
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