Euthanasia

Euthanasia

Euthanasia

• •Euthanasia
• is the
• practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering
• •It
• comes in
• several different forms, each of which brings a different set of rights and wrongs
• 

Active Euthanasia

• •When a person
• directly
• causes the
• patient's death
• •For example: when
• a person is killed by being given an overdose of pain-killers or sedatives
• •A person doesn't 'actively kill' the patient, they are aware that the result of
• their action will be the death of the patient
• 

Passive Euthanasia

• •When
• death is brought about by an omission
• For example: when someone lets the person die
• •Withholding
• treatment: not carrying
• out surgery that will extend life for a short time
• •Withdrawing
• treatment: switching
• off a
• machine that is keeping a person alive, so that they die of their disease
• 

Voluntary Euthanasia

• •With the
• consent of the patient
• •Switzerland,
• Holland, Luxembourg, Belgium and the U.S.: California, Oregon, Washington, Montana
• and Vermont
• •Assisted
• Suicide: When the
• patient brings about his or her own death with the assistance of a physician
• 

Voluntary Euthanasia

• •Overdose
• of
• muscle relaxants or sedatives
• •Euthanasia
• is
• only legal if the following three criteria are met:
• 1.The
• person has made an active and voluntary request to end their life
• 2.It is
• thought that they have sufficient mental capacity to make an informed decision
• regarding their care
• 3.It is agreed that the person is suffering unbearably and there is no prospect for an improvement in their condition.
• 

Non-Voluntary and Involuntary Euthanasia

• •Non-Voluntary:
• conducted
• when
• the consent of the patient is unavailable
• •Example: when the patient is in a comma
• •Involuntary:
• conducted against
• the will of the patient
• •Example:
• child euthanasia, which is
• illegal worldwide•
• 

Case #1

• The 14 year old Chilean Girl who
• asked the President to let her die
• She was born with cystic fibrosis. She
• uploaded a video to YouTube asking the president for the injection: “My name
• is Valentina Maureira, I
• am fourteen and I suffer from cystic fibrosis. I need to speak urgently with the president
• because I am tired of living with this disease, and she can authorize an
• injection that will allow me to sleep forever.”
• Valentina Maureira's Request to Die by Injection (English Caption) (Enclavar)

Arguments Against Euthanasia

• •Religious:
• many people
• believe that only God has the right to end a human life
• •Medical
• ethics:
• asking any healthcare professional
• to carry out euthanasia would
• be a
• violation of fundamental medical ethics
• 

Arguments For Euthanasia

• •People
• should
• have freedom of choice, including the right to control their own body and life
• •Life should
• only continue as long as a person feels their life is worth living
• •This
• is already a
• widespread practice, just not one that people are willing to admit to, so
• it is better to regulate euthanasia properly
• 

Conclusion

• •I
• believe that people suffering with an incurable illness should be able to
• decide whether to end their lives or fight more. I think it is inhumane to let
• a person live while they are suffering. I don’t think that is life. We all know that this is happening underground, if
• governments legalized it, it can be regulated properly.
• 

References

• •The Daily Mail (2017). -The
• woman killed by doctors
• [online]
• Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3589929/The-woman-killed-doctors-obsessed-cleaning-Horrifying-Yes-s-just-one-growing-numbers-Dutch-men-women-given-right-euthanasia-mental-not-terminal-illness.html
• •medscape.com.
• (2016). Euthanasia
• [online]
• Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/858786#vp_2
• •ODDEE (2015). 8 euthanasia cases. [online]
• Available at: http://www.oddee.com/item_99258.aspx