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Should Euthanasia be Legal?

Should Euthanasia be Legal?. Alex Steele Domini VF. Types of Euthanasia . Types Passive Euthanasia : is withdrawing some form of life support and letting nature take its course

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Should Euthanasia be Legal?

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  1. Should Euthanasia be Legal? Alex Steele Domini VF

  2. Types of Euthanasia • Types • Passive Euthanasia: is withdrawing some form of life support and letting nature take its course • Active Euthanasia: involves a doctor administering something that results in death of a patient at the patient’s request • Physician Assisted Suicide- when a physician supplies the means of committing suicide to the patient. The patient then chooses to terminate their own life when they desire.

  3. Washington State

  4. Pro-Euthanasia • Compassion in Dying v. State of Washington • Made euthanasia legal in Washington • Ruled that prohibiting physician assisted suicide violates the 14 amendment’s due process clause. • “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property” • By making euthanasia illegal, you take away an individual’s liberty to choose how, and when to end one’s life .

  5. Case Cont. • Court also ruled that a patient has a protected liberty interest to be free from unjustified government intrusion • An individual has the right to end their life to avoid prolonged suffering.

  6. Other Important Cases • Gonzales v. Oregon which legalized physician assisted suicide in Oregon • Baxter v. Montana which legalized physician assisted suicide in Montana

  7. Anti-Euthanasia • Main arguments • Decrease in actual medical care • Instead of trying to make some one better, doctors are giving patients a way to commit suicide • Slippery Slope argument • Puts pressure on certain individuals • Elderly people pressured by selfish families • Pressure to free of medical sources • Patients abandoned by their families may feel suicide is the only choice, when counseling would most benefit them.

  8. Possible Middle Ground? • Reaching a compromise on whether or not euthanasia should be legal is difficult • It’s not always clear how medical intervention will affect someone’s life • Legislation should draft a bill that address both legal, and moral concerns • Highly regulating the process • Requiring multiple doctors sign a waiver • Must be done in a hospital setting

  9. Works Cited • DeSoto, Marla , ed. "Bioethic Issues ." Glendale Community College Library and Community Services . N.p., 3/16/2005. Web. 1 Apr 2012. <http://web.gccaz.edu/~mdinchak/eng101/argbioethics.htm>. • BBC, , ed. "Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide ." BBC. N.p., 1/18/2011. Web. 1 Apr 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/>. • Ertelt , Steven . "Assisted Suicide Support Drops to Lowest Level in 8 Years." LifeNews.com . Life News, 1/18/2011. Web. 5/31/11. <http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/31/assisted-suicide-support-drops-to-lowest-level-in-8-years/>. • United States Court of Appeals , . "Find Law ." United States Court of Appeals,Ninth Circuit.. Find Law , 2012. Web. 1 Apr 2012. <http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1139892.html>. • LeBaron, Garn. "The Ethics of Euthanasia ." Quantonics. Quantonics Inc., 02/08/1999. Web. 1 Apr 2012. <http://www.quantonics.com/The_Ethics_of_Euthanasia_By_Garn_LeBaron.html • Huff, Charlette. "Doctors Debate Ethics of Assisted Suicide ." ACP Internist . 1 Aug 2010: n. page. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. <http://www.acpinternist.org/archives/2010/07/suicide.htm>.

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