Euthanasia : Live or Die?

LAST ENTRY>>Euthanasia:The debate continues>>effects on society and religion

2005-12-24T14:16:00.000+08:00

Euthanasia is a complex matter.

It can be said that all types of euthanasia have an impact on society - or perhaps society has an impact on them. Voluntary euthanasia describes the situation where a person requests assistance to help end their life.People suffering from terminal diseases , might have the idea of using euthanasia to end their sufferings and pains.The ethical question is whether people should be given assistance in killing themselves, or if they should be forced to suffer the pain and indignity caused by terminal illness.

Comments by a civilians living in the UK :"A positive choice has to be made by society in favour of protecting the interests of its vulnerable members even if this means limiting the freedom of others to determine their end"

Here are also some comments given by British Medical Association (the BMA) : "considers that acceptance of euthanasia as an option could exercise a detrimental effect on societal attitudes and on the doctor-patient relationship, jeopardising in particular, the fate of vulnerable individuals" .

Now i will touch on the religion part >>why religion grps oppose euthanasia . Does euthanasia has an impact on reglion???

Religious groups oppose euthanasia because it goes against their faiths.One of the other main points made by religious groups is that "God does not send any experience that we cannot handle" . For some faith groups, such as the Roman Catholics, "human suffering can have a positive value for the terminally ill and the caregivers".(comments made by religious grps)

Finally , i will like to say a few things to end my discussion on euthanasia . Firstly , i think that euthanasia should be legalised under certain circumstances as mentioned early in my first entry .Secondly euthanasia should is a way of death but it is certainly not the best choice to end a person's life. Lastly , taking euthanasia is up to a person choice , as it all depends upon the person's will to live.

entry#4 doing case study on whether americans support euthanasia

2005-12-24T14:09:00.000+08:00

ok now i am doing a case study on euthanasia ...

According to a Zogby poll, only one-in-three Americans, if stricken with a painful terminal disease, would prefer assisted suicide to letting nature take its course.

In the March poll of 1,031 nationwide, 30.4% of those surveyed would rather have a doctor put a merciful end to their suffering than wait for a natural death.

Respondents aged 18-29 and over 65 were less likely to consider assisted suicide than were those aged 30-64. Blacks were far less likely than whites to choose euthanasia over a protracted death by terminal disease.

Regarding this case , i feel that nowadays people in this modern world would prefer taking euthanasia to terminal disease . Taking euthanasia might be a best choice to end a terminal patients life , but to me it is not the best choice as there is one less people in this world living.

entry#3 euthanasia not legalised >>>agree ?

2005-12-24T13:56:00.000+08:00

Regarding euthanasia , i can have either two stand , to disagree or to agree. For rebuttal , i disagree that euthanasia should be legalised under 3 circumstances. Firstly , Accepting a "right to suicide" would create a legal presumption of sanity, preventing appropriate mental health treatment.

If suicide and physician-assisted suicide become legal rights, then those seeking suicide would be legally entitled to be left alone to do something irremediable, based on a distorted assessment of their circumstances, without genuine help. To me , people might misuse euthanasia as an excuse to end their life .

Secondly , people seeking euthanasia might be Persons with mental disorders make distorted judgments.The suicidal person suffering from depression typically undergoes severe emotional and physical strainThis physical and emotional exhaustion impairs basic cognition, creates unwarranted self-blame, and generally lowers overall self esteem, all of which easily lead to distorted judgementsThese effects also contribute to the sense of hopelessness that is the primary trigger of most suicidal behavior.

Thirdly , most of those attempting suicide are ambivalent; often, the attempt is a cry for help.
Often, suicide attempters are apparently seeking to establish some means of communication with significant persons in their lives or to test those persons' care and affection.Psychologists have concluded that other motives for attempting suicide include retaliatory abandonment (responding to a perceived abandonment by others with a revengeful "abandonment" of them through).

entry#2 enthanasia legalised

2005-12-24T13:48:00.000+08:00

Erm.....On the other hand i think i oso on the neutral side . Its up to one choice to live or to die .Some people have the strong will to live even though they have some kind of disease but there are also some case whereby some patients cant stand the pain and sufferings they are undergoin which therfore leads to takin euthanasia.

To me , i think taking euthanasia to end a person sufferings may not be a bad thing afterall. If u look things at the person taking the euthanasia point of view , u might see that taking euthanasia to end his/her life can end the sufferings and thus getting rid away his/her burden to her family members . So , to conclude , i really think that using euthanasia is for a choice of death is up to a person choice .

2005-12-24T01:08:00.000+08:00

After some thoughts through all this discussions, i feel that Euthanasia should be allowed only based on certain circumstances. This should be reviewed since we are in no authority to do so. However, i will still state my view on it.

Firstly, if the patient is still mentally sound and can communicate, it will be his/her will to do so. However, the patient must be diagnosed with some terminal disease or some other diseases/sickness that can never recover, such as parkinson's disease. The patient must also be an adult to ensure that they can be trusted that they are capable of coming up with a responsible decision.

Secondly, if the patient is mentally unsound, it should be up to the doctors advice and the family's decision for euthanasia to be performed. Preferbly the closer ones such as the spouse of the patient.

Lastly, anyone who performs euthanasia should be a doctor who was, upon the request from the family of an mentally unsound patient, asked to do so. Anyone else who perform Euthanasia should be held in custody of the police to investigate this act.

REBUTALS REBUTALS REBUTALS~!

2005-12-24T01:03:00.000+08:00

oh right , i did a short poem .. a small tribute to Terri Schiavo. Right, back to official business.

Obviously i'm rebutting to Stabby's comments. Anything can happen at any time, any moment. How can Terri Schiavo choose to die when she's already in a coma? Normal people wish to die peacefully and not spend their days thinking of which ways are available to end their lives. That is already suicide ._.".

Euthanasia would be the last resort. Normally, it would be the family's choice to choose to implement that as the patient has already lacked the ability to make the decision at that point of time. Of course, the family have to go through serious pondering. It concerns the life of a human being.

Actually, it is really up to the family. Should they think that they're acting on the goods of the patient, to conduct euthanasia or not, we have no say. However, debating strictly on the grounds of human rights, euthanasia is a definite no-no. Which big shot are you to end the life of a human being? However, standing more in depth to the reasons why some chooses euthanasia though it's an abominable action, euthanasia is actually the key to free the patient from misery.

2005-12-24T00:51:00.000+08:00

Phileo:
Right now, i would like to post an entry on the the will of the paitent to live or die. More importantly, his choice to live and die. Should people be forced to stay alive? I dun think so. And neither the law nor medical ethics requires that "everything be done" to keep a person alive. I is too cruel and inhumane. There comes a time when continued attempts to cure are not compassionate, wise, or medically sound. That's where hospice, including in-home hospice care, can be of such help. That is the time when all efforts should be placed on making the patient's remaining time comfortable. Then, all interventions should be directed to relieve pain and other symptoms as well as to the provision of emotional and spiritual support for both the patient and the patient's loved ones. All in all, i believe that if it is not the choice of the paitent to live, so be it. Eunthanasia should then be carried out accroding to the paitent's decision.

Purgatory*

2005-12-24T00:23:00.000+08:00

Singing for death and your call is answered : Euthanasia

Letting them live,
Does the family believe?
The patient's pain and misery.
Condeming them to purgatory.
Is it worth it?
Do they know it?
The love they claim to show
Is nothing like the love we think we know.

Death, a relief.
Is something we fear to achieve.
The ominous Grim Reaper laughing menacingly,
waiting to gnawl your soul silently.
We pray to die painlessly,
Awaiting for The Almighty One to come bring me peace.
Away from this,
am I living in rubbish?
Away from pain,
am I actually waiting in vain?

Singing for death,
Taking in your one last breath.
The relief came,
Not early not late.
Passing through St Peter's gates,
You wish to let your family know your eternal life is now great.

No more tears,
No more pain.
No more efforts going down the drain.

The public's comments,
it's not as if you gave a damn.
But you just can't stand,
when they think you're not a man.

What do they know about your life,
and the unbearable sufferings of your wife?
You hope to strive.
But without your wife you have no drive.

A painful decision,
a fast-exploding ignition.
I wish i had other options.
But given the situation,
inevitable was the dreadful action.

The feeding tubes removed,
I started to croon
My wife's favourite tune.
"This is my last gift of love to you,
Hoping you could feel my love too.
Goodbye Terri,
My one and only joy, happiness and merry."

*This is a small tribute to Terri Schiavo (:*

2005-12-24T00:20:00.000+08:00

I can only agree to furly to a certain extent.

I agree to her is because, firstly, it is true that it will help them by ending their sufferings. secondly, it will truely remove the burden off the family and that they will not be as physically tired as they currently are. Thirdly, it is also true that they should learn to let go. As with the saying, "If you love someone, let them go." Lastly, it is very true that they cannot take care of these patients for life, just like parents cannot take care of their child for life.

However, i feel that people should view death as a life-cycle, rather than something scary or something optimistic. They should take a neutral stand and think carefully. Their decision may cause a great impact on others.
With reference to the article on euthanasia, the victim, Terri Schiavo. If she could and chose death earlier on, what will happen to her husband who truly loved her, who stood by her for that 15 years? What will he become? He may commit suicide out of sadness, or he may go into a frenzy, or he maybe his normal self then. We cannot predict all this.

2005-12-24T00:14:00.000+08:00

For this post, i will touch on the severely incompetent patients; that is those who may require euthanasia.

For those patients who wish to die due to their conditions, i feel that they should be responsible for their own life. Their decision can affect many people and as such, i feel that should they want to have euthanasia performed, they should take this decision seriously. However, the ultimate decisions still lies with them. But for them to make a choice, they have to be able to communicate and that they have to be mentally sound. If not, i feel that euthanasia should not be performed on them.

In addition, for a person who wants euthanasia to be performed, the person has to be an adult. This is to prevent teenagers who wishes to commit suicide, but has no courage to do so, to exploit it.

The decision to allow euthanasia performed on them should be done when they are both physically and mentally capable, they are an adult, and that they should sign an agreement or state in their will that only under what circumstances should euthanasia be performed. Unless there are other better ways, i feel that these methods i have stated should be deemed very useful.

Death Is Only The Beginning*

2005-12-24T00:09:00.000+08:00

Death Is Only The Beginning

Everyone seems to view death as something scary. Perhaps the potrayal of the ominous Grim Reaper purged our minds and faltered the different perceptions of death in us. We could try to view death in a different way? Picture this : Passing the gates of St Peter. Bright lights, beautiful clouds, the melodious singing of angels greeting you. This marks the end of your pain, your suffering and the fresh beginning of eternal happiness and peace.

Euthanasia, same analogy. People view it as something scary, an action that should be condemned for it is against human rights. Why can't the human population view it in a optimistic way? See it as a way to release the sufferings and pain of the patient. It is a way to die painlessly.

The death of the patient will come as a great relief of the family. They'll be too numbed to be filled with sadness and tears. The financial problems will cease. They'll not be physically tired of having to take care of the patient. Yes, you may say it is their responsibility to take care of the patient. But, you can't do this for life. You have to learn how to let go. Do you think the patient will be happy to see you running to and fro, exhaustion written on your face ? The final gift for the patient, is learning how to let go. This is the only way to end their sufferings.

2005-12-24T00:01:00.000+08:00

I have to agree with Phileo to a certain extent that "even if permission is gained by his/her close family members, no rights should b given to anyone to perform euthanasia to the paitent, or else, as an opinion, it is murder."

This is because we have no idea whether the person carrying out the so-called euthanasia is doing it out of love and mercy, or is it out of greed and revenge. We will not know it except for the person who did it. What is in his/her mind? What is he/she thinking? Hence, we should never allow euthanasia to be performed unless it is the will of the patient who is mentally sound at that moment.

For my disagreement will be the part which Phileo said that it is considered murder. As stated above, we do not know why the person did it, and therefore should not make such a conclusion. To add on, if the person who had performed euthanasia had actually been told to do so by the patient himself, then deeming him/her as a murderer will be wrong.

With Reference To Terri Schiavo

2005-12-23T23:58:00.000+08:00

With reference to the article on euthanasia, the victim, Terri Schiavo, was actually in coma for 15 years. For the whole of 15 years, her husband stood by her religiously, tending to her needs daily, showering her with endless care and concern. Whatever that made him choose to end her life, it was definitely a devastating moment for him.

For 15 years, Mr Schiavo did not remarry nor fool around with other woman. He remained faithful, which was noble of him. He was not able to enjoy the joys of having a family. I truly empathise with him. Not only did he not mind that, he truly loved his wife alot. Pondering further, which normal man with the right mind will stick to a vegetable spouse without the faltering of heart to the sinful lures of other women? Nevertheless, he proved that stereotyping of married men fooling around once their wives are gone wrong. He broke the barriers. I feel that to attain the highest level of love, is learning how to let go of your love ones. Life and death, they're inevitable. Perhaps he understood that point.

The family of Terri Schiavo may be right to object to euthanasia initially. However, as time passes by, will they be right too ? I do not think so. Firstly, the welfare of Terri Schiavo. Should they let her continue living, will they piously stay by her side to clean and take care of her? Morever, she is indeed a vegetable with no hopes of recovery. Doesn't her family feel that sense of despair and helplessness when they see her lying on the cold hard hospital bed, all pale and weak, with no hopes of regaining conscious? Perhaps they were afraid they will not be able to see her again and could not bear to part with her. That is understandable. However, this is not the time to let emotions engulf your judgements. They will have to end her misery and pain. It is either they suffer or the patient. A choice has to be made.

2005-12-23T03:17:00.000+08:00

Phileo:
I feel that whether euthanasia should be or should not be legalised, to be carried out or not, i believe that the decision should be made depending on the seriousness of the situation. If the patient is certified in the right stable mind to propose euthanasia to be carried out, the paitent has rights to do so. However, if the paitent is in no state and of not a right mind to make such a decision, euthanasia should never be carried out. Even if permission is gained by his/her close family members, no rights should b given to anyone to perform euthanasia to the paitent, or else, as an opinion from me, it is murder. Have you ever thought? Imagine being "slienced" in the midst of coma without you even knowing it. And you just pass on, just like that. All in all.. i feel i'm more towards the stand of "euthanasia should not be legalised."

2005-12-23T00:12:00.000+08:00

Phileo:
Ya. Thanks felica. Right now, i am going to touch on the crucial points in which i feel that euthanasia should not be legalised. Firstly, miracles do happen in this world. Therefore in any of the cases when the paitent is suffering from any illiness or diseases which is death-threatening, in cases when they are in coma, they should be at least given a chance to live, to allow a miracle to happen rather thn having euthanasia carried out. Every life, even to someone who has a death-threathening disease, has an opportunity to live the best out of his/her life. Life is very important and therefore, life and death should not be taken lightly. I feel that having euthanasia legalised will rob and deprived patients of even minimal chances of survival. Also, allowing euthanasia to be legalised will ultimately lead to the country's increase in death rates. I believe deaths is not the solution to everything. I just feel that it's so irresponsible of oneself to choose death over problems. Yea true. Many will choose death over painful sufferings. Yet again, it may be just an escape to a temporary problem.

stabby : comment

2005-12-22T18:43:00.000+08:00

I agree with sekky that it is up to each's opinion whether Euthanasia should be legalised or not. It is also up to one's decision whether to have Euthanasia performed on oneself or not. As stated by both Phileo and Furly, i agree that it does not only covers human rights but also the personal point of view.

As for my own point of view, i feel that Euthanasia should be legalised. If it isn't legalised, there will be a problem for people who wished to have it performed. This is because Euthanasia involves another person to assist in the "suicide" and if Euthanasia is not legalised, the person who performed Euthanasia would be deemed to have commited a crime, and will have to face the punishments of the law. Do you wish to see these kind people who had to pluck up enough courage to end another person's life? Therefore, Euthanasia should be legalised so that such people will not hold back due to the law factor.

Furly Comment #1

2005-12-22T18:09:00.000+08:00

i have to agree with phileo. euthanasia covers not only human rights but the personal aspects of the victim and the family themselves. Sure enough, there're pros and cons for everything in life. For euthanasia, it's not an exception.

Firstly, looking from the patient's point of view, i feel that we have to consider the welfare of the patient. To be reduced to being severely incompetent from a fit and healthy person, the patient is already dealt with a blow. He cannot accomplish the slightest of task. What if he was once a breadwinner of the family and now, he is becoming a strain to the family's fast-depleting savings? How would he think? Being terminally ill, he needs assistance for every aspect of his life. Example, being unable to even take care of his personal hygiene and requiring help in that aspect, his dignity will be totally wiped out, self-confidence crushed. If he sees how his family is suffering because of him, he will rather not survive and add on the the burden of his family. To attain the highest level of love is to learning how to let go, just to see your loved ones happy. (:

2005-12-22T02:21:00.000+08:00

Phileo:
Firstly, i sitting on the fence for this one. But i would like to have my first posting to touch on several points on why i think euthanasia should be legalised. In short, if the patient has minimal chances of survival, or we are talking about brain-dead cases, euthanasia will simply put an end to the sufferings of the paitent. Also, it may serve as an extra burden to the family members, be it emotionally or financially. I believe that the life of a person depends on the willingness of the person to live. I'm not encouraging that we should take our lives whenever we face a dead end in the ups and downs of our lives, but we should all know the fact that we should take full responsibility of our own actions and decisions. If one's willingness to stay alive is not strong, and he is suffering under an incurable disease or illiness, under a stable mind should he chosses euthanasia, putting an early end to his sufferings may be the best solution offered to him. However, i feel that death may not always be the way out, for every problems lies a solution. It only depends on the determination to search for it.

view on euthanasia #1 by "SEK"

2005-12-20T11:20:00.000+08:00

For my view i got 5 comments on it ..its up to a person to decide whether should euthanasia be legalised ......as to see it as an act of compassion , for me i think euthanasia should be legalised under 5 circumstances ......Firstly for those severly incompetent patients ...the medical treatment must be of no benefits to them ....secondly if euthanasia can relieve them from sufferings and deemed it as a best options from the doctors ...then euthanasia will be the best choice ....thirdly i think the person who is taking euthanasia should be fully aware of what is happening in other words he muz be clear minded ....fourthly the person taking euthanasia should be an aged person who has a terminal disease ..eg if there is a teenager seeking euthanasia just for the prupose of suicide then it shall not be allowd ....Lastly the patients family members must know the patients conditions before making sure that euthanasia should be legalised ....phew comments done liaoz ..happy reading

Euthanasia : Act of compassion?

2005-12-14T15:19:00.000+08:00

FURLY SAYS :
ok guys .. now we have done the evaluations of our individual articles, what are your comments about euthanasia?