Waldemar 1

Spencer Waldemar
Mr. Kaderly
Advanced Health
10/23/13
Euthanasia

Mercy killing, or The act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by

withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable,
especially a painful, disease or condition (Dictionary.com).The Netherlands is the only country
that has currently legalized it and openly practices it. The firsts debates of mercy killing date
back to ancient Rome and Greece. in 1870, Samuel Williams first proposed using drugs to
intentionally set an end to sick patients life, and this raged debates of the ethics of euthanasia in
the United States and Britain. A bill was attempted to pass to legalize euthanasia in 1906 but it
was ultimately defeated.
The word "euthanasia" comes from the Greek "eu" meaning "goodly or well" and
"thanatos" meaning "death." So, euthanasia is literally the "good death"(medterms.com), There
actually are many diseases that can cause excruciating pain. For instance, blood cancer can
include symptoms such as repeated infections, persisting bruises, and bone fractures. euthanasia
is a way out for those in extreme pain and can put a stop a little sooner on an impending death
that could cause a lot of heartbreak and sorrow to the family and the patient.

Waldemar 2

Many peoples religions and beliefs have reject the idea of assisted suicide. They believe
it demeans the value of human life and is against their humanly morals. Also doctors would be
violating their code or law of being a doctor which is called their hippocratic oath. If a medical
personnel is involved directly in the euthanasia of a patient the medical personnel could have be
put on a path to psychological trauma from the guilt, harming not just the patient. A lot of times
Doctors and families may be prompted to give up on recovery much too early, because
Miracle cures or recoveries can occur, said balancedpolitics.org. doctors can give a wrong
diagnosis. If you are euthanized and you ended up with the wrong disease and could have lived
then you would have let your life go for a false realization that your life has already ended or is
coming to an end.
I Believe if you have been fighting the disease but you hit a dead end it is better to meet
death in a dignified manner than to die in a hospital bed while you have recognized the person
youve withered away to. life is hard enough to live without an illness. why make someone in
pain and has been suffering on a day-to-day basis go through what they don't need to or may not
want to. most people see it as unjust and against their beliefs or religion but the idea of the actual
subject is that you have to see it from the patients eyes and not from your morals and common
ideal of the human society.

Works cited

"What Is Euthanasia? - Euthanasia - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. Procon.org, n.d. Web.

25 Oct. 2013.

"Euthanasia." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.

Medicinenet.com. "Active Euthanasia Definition - Medical Dictionary Definitions of Popular

Medical Terms Easily Defined on MedTerms." Medterms. N.p., 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Oct.
2013.
BalancedPolitics.org. "BalancedPolitics.org." - Physician Assisted Suicide (Pros & Cons,
Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages of Euthanasia or DoctorAssisted Suicice). N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013