Euthanisa essays

Euthanisa essays Not many of us spend our days in agonizing pain lying in bed wishing we were dead. Not many of us ponder up ways to end our own lives while thinking of ourselves as just burdens on those around us. For those that do however, there is often that chance to call for help. Having someone knowingly and intentionally provide the means to help suicidal persons kill themselves in a dignified manner is called assisted suicide, also known as euthanasia (Merrian-Webber 56-59). But, does assisted suicide really insure a dignified death? Euthanasia has been accepted legally and ethically in various forms in many societies. Euthanasia (Greek meaning "easy death") is the act of inducing gentle death (Cassell 1) . In ancient Greece and Rome it was permissible in certain situations to help others die. Both Socrates and Plato sanctioned forms of euthanasia in certain cases. Voluntary euthanasia for the elderly was an approved custom in several ancient societies. Great Britain, in 1935 and the United States, in 1938 established organizations supporting the legalization of voluntary euthanasia(Rehnke 7). The United States Supreme Court ruled that individuals have the constitutional right to decide what they want to happen to their body in the event that they become terminally ill or comatose (Russell 1). As, always there are those who disagree with anti-euthanasia task forces, and they will stop at nothing to continually push for the right to have assistance in dignifying their own death (Offsie 3). Many fight for those with a terminal illness arguing that it is their only way out of the pain and agony, and many speak out for those sentenced with other life changing problems, arguing that life no longer has any quality. It is not right for people to stop others from pursuing their hopes and wishes when it comes to suicide, but it is not justifiable to provide m ...