Euthanasia Evaluation How much do you trust your physician? Do you trust them enough to put the faith of your life in their hands? The focus of this evaluation is on euthanasia, or also known as physician assisted suicide. Physician assisted suicide is the practice of putting the end to a terminally ill person who requested this option. Should euthanasia be legalized? The practice of euthanasia is becoming more and more widely accepted around the world today and yet, it continues to be a topic of huge controversy. Euthanasia basically gives a person the right to end their life by allowing someone else (in this case the physician). An article written by Dr. Paul J. van der Maas called the “Evaluation of the Notification Procedure for Physician-Assisted Death in the Netherlands” talks more in depth about this subject. Maas is pro physician assisted suicide. He does not see any harm or injustice to cases related to physician assisted suicide. Maas’s article on pro physician assistance suicide proves to be highly effective through the uses of ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos is used in the article which makes Maas’s arguments stronger and valid. Maas has a Ph. D and M.D, so he establishes his credibility through that. Not only that, but Maas, alongside with several other doctors, performed experiments and surveys to see just how many physicians actually practiced physician assisted suicide. This shows that it is not just one doctor that approves of this option or has this belief; there are many others. This also makes his side of the argument stronger and provides evidence. Also, he has many resources and important contacts such as the Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine and the Department of General Practice, Nursing… … middle of paper … … and “terminally ill”. Words like this make readers feel pity and empathy. Maas appeals to the readers emotionally which makes his argument more effective. Dr. Maas is pro physician assisted suicide. He believes there is no harm in allowing euthanasia to be legalized. He makes strong arguments as to why. His article is clear, concise, and flows smoothly. It is easy for readers to comprehend. Maas provides detailed documentation about the research he and his colleagues conducted. He is a doctor and knows what he is talking about. With the help of ethos, logos, and pathos, Maas provides a strong argument as to why he is pro physician assistance suicide. Works Cited maas, Dr. Paul J. van der. “Evaluation of the Notification Procedure for Physician Assistance Death in the Netherlands.” The New England Journal of Medicine (1996).
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
There has been much debate over euthanasia and assisted suicide with
no agreement in sight. Currently Oregon is the only state that allows
euthanasia and assisted suicide in the United States. Like all
questions involving the projection of personal beliefs upon the fate
of an entire population, this is an issue that may never be resolved.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are methods people may take to end
their lives either on their own with lethal prescriptions from
physicians, or under the care of a doctor or assistant with various
methods, lethal injection and the “pulling of the plug” on life
support machines being the most common. An assisted suicide would be
granted only to a person “who is terminally ill, and who feels that
their life is not worth living because of intractable pain, and/or
loss of dignity, and/or loss of capability and who repeatedly and
actively asks for help in committing suicide and who is of sound mind
and not suffering from depression”. [Robinson]
Conservative religious groups, and some medical associations and
disability groups are the most common protesters of assisted suicide.
Many fundamentalist religions believe that it violates the natural
desire to live, it harms other people, and ultimately, that life is a
gift from God and should only be taken by God. [Robinson] Some
disability groups fear that assisted suicide may lead to more cases of
people being killed against their will in order to fulfill society’s
desire for a disability-free population. Medical associations often
disagree because their goals are often to extend and prolong life as
long as possible. Th…
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…g. To rule out the
option completely is taking away a personal human right.
As with most ethical squabbles, the debate over legal euthanasia is a
personal one. The desire is strong, in government and religion, to
decide the fate of it’s people based on individual position. It seems
that personal choice is the only resolution to the debate over
euthanasia. Those opposed to assisted suicide would not choose to have
one and would respect the choice of others to live or end their lives
as they so choose. Assisted death is not something to be taken lightly
or to be used often. Strict laws to govern the use are necessary. In
conclusion, a quote by Derek Humphrey, a euthanasia advocate,
describes the necessary conditions for euthanasia. He said,
“Euthanasia should always be voluntary, justified, legal, and rare.”
[Gray]
