research paper, euthanasia
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Nov 24, 2024
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Euthanasia to be Legal in The United States
Student's Name
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Abstract
Euthanasia has been a dynamic and controversial topic in society. In the USA, it has
fueled heated debate of whether it should be legalized or not. Thus, this paper seeks to establish
whether Euthanasia should be legalized or not. The fundamental research has considered the
previous literature arguments concerning Euthanasia and the perspective of the authors and the
group they belong. On the other hand, Euthanasia is divided into four categories, i.e., active,
passive, voluntary, and involuntary depending on how it is achieved.
Finally, the paper
concludes that Euthanasia should be legalized in all the states in the U.S.
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Chapter one
Introduction
Euthanasia is described as the practice of intentionally ending a human being's life with
the victim's permission or a close relative who can legally give consent on behalf of the victim. It
should only be performed by a physician and not by any other person as it is termed a crime by
the governing law
(Brouwer, Kaczor, Battin, et al. 2018)
. Physicians and guidelines are universal
across jurisdictions; however, others differ from state to state. Only a few states have legalized or
decriminalized Euthanasia and other assisted dying types but with an established strategy
involving a competent and informed request to carry out Euthanasia. Several other states in the
U.S. have made physician-assisted suicide (PAS) constitutional
(Brouwer, Kaczor, Battin, et al.
2018)
. In the PAS method, a doctor prescribes prescription drugs to a patient who, after
following prescribed procedures, intends to die by taking the medication and only doing so out of
their own volition and without being coerced.
Even after the legalization of PAS in Oregon and Washington in 1977 and 1999,
Euthanasia has remained illegal in the U.S. However, there is a particular situation in Montana
that is unclear on the issue of Euthanasia
(Brouwer, Kaczor, Battin, et al. 2018)
. The case of
voluntary Euthanasia is being contemplated in many places, mainly where no legal precedent
exists and has resulted in various advocacy efforts. It is about time that the fifty states of the
United States emulate the Netherlands who legalized both PAS and Euthanasia in 2001 after
approximately thirty years of debating and deliberating on the issue
(Brouwer, Kaczor, Battin, et
al. 2018)
. This research paper addresses why the fifty states of the United States should legalize
Euthanasia or assist dying with clearly established guidelines on who can facilitate Euthanasia
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and what form it should be advocated for to a victim. Legalizing Euthanasia would ease many
people from seeing their loved ones suffer from incurable diseases or accidents.
Chapter 2
Literature Review
Pereira (2019)
conducted a detailed study to analyze the contemporary
arguments for and against the concept of legalizing Euthanasia and assisted suicide across all the
states of America. Based on the study, it is evident that Euthanasia has been legalized in a few
countries and states. Additionally, all the jurisdictions, laws, and safeguards have been erected in
different countries and states to control abuse and misuse of the practice of Euthanasia. In this
context, some of the typical safeguards erected to prevent misuse of the act of Euthanasia include
and are not limited to explicit consent by the person requesting Euthanasia and mandatory
reporting of all cases involving either physician-related acts of assisted suicide. Moreover, the
journal points out that the laws mentioned above and regulations have frequently been misused
and transgressed, particularly in all jurisdictions in the united states courts. For instance, Pereira
(2019) claims that more than 900 individuals in the United States are annually administered to
lethal substances without their consent, which results in unnecessary acts of Euthanasia across
the country.
Kalal (2020), on the other hand, provides a study covering multiple concepts
related to Euthanasia and assisted suicide, including and not limited to the arguments
surrounding the right to die and the right to live, pros and cons associated with the act of
Euthanasia. In this context, the journal reveals that doctors in five states out of fifty states in the
country can prescribe lethal doses to ill patients. As per Kalal (2020), the situation of partial
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authorization of the country's act has sparked the increased popularity of aid in the nation's dying
movement.
According to Emina
(2021),
Euthanasia or physician-assisted suicides are not the actual
goals. However, Euthanasia is just a means of having a peaceful death that is more accurate and
timely. Whether Euthanasia should be legalized or not should not be a debate, but the search to
its appropriateness should be the subject of the USA debate. The legalizing of Euthanasia is not
an issue of morality revolving around the sickness of the patient. Still, it's all about framing
ethics and social policies, which will see the 2.3 million people who succumb in America every
year get honorable death (Emina, 2021).
Moreover, legalizing Euthanasia is not a way of inflicting a lot of pain to the already sick
patients. Still, it is a way of relieving the pain by allowing them to have respected and honorable
deaths. On the other hand, there are two types of Euthanasia, i.e., voluntary and involuntary
Euthanasia. Voluntary Euthanasia is a decision that is made by the patient concerning their next
move in life.
According to Jain & Sahni
(2018),
both euthanasia incidences cannot be termed murder
or manslaughter per the penal code. If the patient has agreed to terminate his life due to the pain
they are undergoing, then that can't be persecuted as murder or violation of the penal code. The
patients, at that point they are responsible for their own life. The article by Jain & Sahni
(2018)
considers lawmakers' viewpoint on legalizing Euthanasia. one of the considerations to be made
while making a law is the consideration of human rights and the societal molarity value. The
issue of Euthanasia to be legalized in the USA should be evaluated on that basis, doesn't have
any positive impact on society, and will violate human rights or not? Jain & Sahni
(2018)
argue
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that legalizing Euthanasia can't violate human rights since there are the patient's consent and
their people in the whole process.
Nevertheless, the religious side of view about Euthanasia has not to be left behind in the
whole discussion. According to Anthony & Sterkens (2019), Euthanasia is against the will of
God. It against one of the laws of God that human beings should not kill. Euthanasia is a
modernized way of killing people. Such is against God's will. Even though God has given human
being the sole power of free will, they believe that is God's divine role to give and take away life,
so nobody who should be participating in the role of God of creation. Euthanasia is a way of
denying God, His divine responsibility of determining the length of one's life (Anthony, &
Sterkens, 2019).
Chapter 3
Research Methodology
The paper adopts the use of a non-experimental research design with a
reasonably qualitative research approach. In this context, secondary data sources will be utilized
to gather adequate information regarding the selected topic of legalizing Euthanasia across all the
states in the United States. Generally speaking, peer-reviewed journals, e-books, government
websites, and case studies will be adopted in gathering reliable data to be used in the subsequent
sections of the study.
In this context, keywords such as Euthanasia assisted suicide and
arguments for and against Euthanasia will primarily be employed as the primary methodology
for unlocking several data sources.
Subsequently, the sources will be selected while considering
the five dimensions of appraising academic journals: the quality of evidence and the retrieved
journals' currency. Ultimately, the data gathered will primarily be analyzed using content analysis
to analyze qualitative data.
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7
Chapter 4
Results/ Findings
The results from the underlying literature pieces still present legalizing
Euthanasia across all the states in America remains controversial. For instance, the study by
Kalal (2020) reveals the legalization of Euthanasia and assisted suicide in different states in
America has sparked increased popularity of the movement of aid in dying. Besides, different
secondary sources have indicated a set of conflicting viewpoints concerning legalizing
Euthanasia since authorizing it comes with both the pros and cons that are almost equal in weight
and magnitude. Additionally, evidence from Pereira (2019) shows that the laws and regulations
erected to govern acts of assisted suicide have been violated, which has led to the evolution of
more than 900 illegal deaths in the country.
Considering the review from Emina
(2021),
Euthanasia should be legalized since it relieves the patient from their agony. It is a way to give to
those people who are dying and should be highly recommended. It is a way of honoring death as
they die; they die not in pain but in peace.
Additionally, Jain & Sahni
(2018),
Euthanasia should be legalized since it doesn't violate
any human rights. It is performed under the full consent of the patient and their people. There are
no bases that can prosecute anybody with an offense or manslaughter or murder. However, the
religious view differs from all other facts when it comes to Euthanasia. According to Anthony &
Sterkens (2019), it is a violation of God's will on humankind. It is a way of denying God the
chance to determine the life span of human beings. Euthanasia is considered sin since it involves
killing and the divine role of God is against human beings taking others' lives.
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Discussion and Conclusion
Evidence from the underlying empirical studies indicates that today's
contemporary society is surrounded by opposing views regarding the broad issue of Euthanasia
and or assisted suicide. Based on the several secondary sources, it is evident that the conflict of
viewpoint on Euthanasia is based on legal
standing, moral, and ethical issues (
Kalal, 2020;
Pereira, 2019)
.
Generally, those who support the act of Euthanasia argue that the laws
controlling the act of Euthanasia have been proven to be inadequate since more the 900 cases are
annually reported despite the laws that protect the sanctity of life and moral obligations for
doctors (
Kalal, 2020; Pereira, 2019)
. Those with conflicting viewpoints, on the other hand,
present that life is God-given. Therefore, all individuals have a moral obligation to protect and
control acts that leads to their termination.
Based on the existing arguments and research, one
can conclude that Euthanasia should be made legal in all states of America since the fact remains
that contemporary society has failed to protect the moral and religious arguments that protect the
sanctity of life.
However, the process must be carried should be done in supervision with the
rules.
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References
Anthony, F. V., & Sterkens, C. (2019). Religion and the right to (dispose of) life: A study of the
attitude of Christian, Muslim and Hindu students in India concerning the death penalty,
Euthanasia, and abortion. In
Euthanasia, Abortion, Death Penalty and Religion-The
Right to Life and its Limitations
(pp. 13-63). Springer, Cham
Brouwer, M., Kaczor, C., Battin, M. P., Maeckelberghe, E., Lantos, J. D., & Verhagen, E. (2018).
Should pediatric euthanasia be legalized?.
Pediatrics
,
141
(2).
Emina, K. A. (2021). LEGAL, SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN EUTHANASIA.
Jurnal
Sosialisasi: Jurnal Hasil Pemikiran, Penelitian dan Pengembangan Keilmuan Sosiologi
Pendidikan
, (3), 53-60.
Jain, G., & Sahni, S. P. (2018). Euthanasia: a review on worldwide legal status and public
opinion.
Kalal, N. (2020). Euthanasia: Right to live & right to Key Words: Euthanasia, Legitimate
medical Euthanasia, Pros and cons of Euthanasia.
Pereira, J. (2019). Legalizing Euthanasia or assisted suicide: the illusion of safeguards and
controls.
Current Oncology
,
18
(2), e38.
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