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Essay / Range of moral, ethical and legal perspectives on the right to die or euthanasia
The purpose of this article is to explore whether there are viable circumstances in which euthanasia should be permitted. Euthanasia is a term defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable illness or in an irreversible coma”. It will take into account all moral, ethical and legal perspectives. The paper will also examine the implications of recent real-world case examples and the different laws that exist globally. Additionally, it will explore the different types and methods of euthanasia. My opinion is that in certain circumstances euthanasia should be accepted. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay There are two classifications of euthanasia: active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia occurs when death is caused by deliberate intervention, such as when a person is killed by an overdose of painkillers. Passive euthanasia occurs when death is caused by omission or simply allowing death to occur. This can be done by stopping or suspending treatment: stopping can be illustrated by stopping a machine that keeps a person alive; restraint would include deliberately not carrying out surgery that would extend a person's lifespan. Euthanasia can further be classified as voluntary and involuntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia takes place at the request of the deceased person. Involuntary euthanasia is carried out against the will of the patient. Another type of euthanasia is indirect euthanasia, which occurs when a person administers a treatment that has the side effect of hastening the patient's death. The term “assisted suicide” refers to cases where the person who is about to die needs help to commit suicide and requests it. Euthanasia divides opinions across moral, ethical and religious lines. Most religious views believe that this should not be allowed because it clearly goes against the word of God. It is believed that every human being is God's creation and that this imposes certain limitations on us. Our lives do not exist for us to run as we see fit and only God should and does have that authority. Some Eastern religions believe that we live many lives and that the quality of each life is determined by how we behaved in the previous one. People who follow this believe that ending one's life in short order prohibits their end goal of ultimate liberation. An example of a religion that follows this is Buddhism. Another supporting religious argument is that all humans are created by God, which makes them special: human life must be protected at all costs. An important ethical argument is that euthanasia devalues lives. If euthanasia were permitted, it would send a powerful message that it is better to be dead than sick or disabled. The message that some lives are not worth living will argue that death is more valuable than life – which should not happen. Another ethical perspective is that it puts pressure on vulnerable people. Existing euthanasia would give people the ability to pressure those who are vulnerable to end their lives. This coercion or persuasion will be almost impossible to prevent, which is the essence of debate. A major pressure argument is a financial argument. This argument is that the last months of a sick person's life are often the most costly and thateuthanasia is an easy way to prevent this money from being spent: sick people may be pushed to end their lives prematurely in order to save money. and ethics of having the right to die in the same way as the right to live. People live in their own bodies and should have the power to decide what happens to them and control the consequences – this includes the right to die. People should be able to determine what time, how and when he or she will die. A compelling view in favor of euthanasia is that if an action promotes the best interests of the majority, it should be carried out. This is essentially a utilitarian view of euthanasia. Utilitarians believe that euthanasia should take place if the greatest number of people are happy with the decision, so that it is morally and ethically acceptable. A supporting worldview is that euthanasia may be necessary for the equitable distribution of health resources. In practice, health resources could be transferred from a patient who died by euthanasia at an earlier stage to a sick but treatable person. The final premise of euthanasia is that euthanasia occurs even though it is illegal in most countries in the world. Legalizing it would bring better regulation and a more consistent approach. Frank Van Den Bleeken was someone who had committed murder and requested euthanasia to relieve his "psychological pain." He argued that the pain and grief of having to live with himself after this murder was unbearable and therefore he would prefer death to life behind bars for the rest of his life. Critics of his case say it reflects the poor mental health services available in Belgium. Ultimately, Frank was euthanized and died. In 2002, Belgium legalized euthanasia and is one of only three countries to allow the practice, the others being the Netherlands and Luxembourg. More and more countries, including Switzerland and some American states, allow doctors to assist in suicide in certain circumstances. Tony Nicklinson has gone to the High Court to fight for the right to end his life with medical assistance. He died six days after the verdict. because he had starved himself. Nicklinson was paralyzed from the neck down after a stroke seven years earlier. He wanted the court to be assured that anyone who helped him end his life would not be prosecuted. Although the judge acknowledged his case and that of another paralyzed man, known as Martin, was deeply moving, he said it was up to Parliament and not the courts to decide whether the law should be changed . In a statement released through his lawyers, he added: "I am saddened that the law wants to condemn me to a life of increasing indignity and misery." Tony actually moved the court but did not get euthanasia and so took it upon himself to end his life through starvation. This illustrates the view that people are responsible for their own death and a view in favor of better regulation and effective monitoring of euthanasia. Valentina Maureira Riquelme was a Chilean teenager who gained international attention after using social media to ask Chilean President Michele Bachelet to allow her to die by euthanasia. She posted her message on YouTube and the video went viral. Bachelet was deeply moved but rejected his request. Valentina said the idea of ending her life began when she heard about the case of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old American woman with stage-stage brain cancer..”