Physician Assisted Suicide Essay Example for Free

Physician Assisted Suicide Essay When a person voluntarily and intentionally helps another person to take away his life, by act or omission, this is referred to as assisted suicide. All parties, in clear cases, convey their intentions unambiguously and each individual who is involved make voluntary, informed and competent choice. The person assisting in suicide does not directly kill the person but rather he helps the person to kill himself or herself. The means of assistance adopts various forms which may include providing the means or removing the obstacles. Kopelman, 2007) Physician assisted suicide on the other hand is when a physician assists a patient in taking away his or her life. This kind of suicide has been marked with great controversies with various factions holding viewing it an immoral act while others view it as moral. This paper argues that under various restricted circumstances, physician assisted suicide should be permitted. The act of suicide is not contrary to societal norms as had been argued by many moralists. This can be historically supported. What is known about the ancient Greek society support the idea that suicide was largely acceptable. According to Plato, suicide becomes a justifiable and rational act if life became immoderate. In his view, intolerable constraints and painful disease were a justification enough for one to take away his or her life. Within a period of one hundred years after his death, his followers embraced suicide as a desirable way out. This attitude towards suicide extended to the Roman Empire. The Romans considered suicide with neither revulsion nor fear. To them, it was a deliberately chosen validation of the principles of life. (Weir, 1997) During the time of Justinian, a private citizens suicide was not punishable if the cause was sickness, weariness of life, impatience of pain or lunacy. Since this encompassed all rational causes, all that remained was irrational suicide which had no cause and hence punishable. However, suicide was frowned upon by the Pythagorean School of philosophy which was then a minority view. Nevertheless, there did not exist throughout classical antiquity the prohibition of suicide. Christians later adopted to prohibit suicide even though they found it increasingly difficult to support this view based on the scriptures. There are no verses in the scripture which directly condemn suicide. Christianitys change of attitude toward suicide was largely motivated by practicalities even though the concept of sanctity of life is theologically rooted. The cult of martyrdom could have rapidly led to actual suicide in the name of religion thereby leading to a decrease in the number of faithful who at that time was badly needed by the Church. As such, the Church viewed suicide as a threat to its survival since faithfuls were dying in worrying numbers. With regard to assisted suicide, it becomes very difficult to decide what is right especially when the permission to deliberately take away human life is involved. Under such extreme circumstances, normal moral rules are often stretched to the point of breaking down. There are various circumstances which test the moral wisdom of men such as the intentional suicide by a spy who is preventing torture for the disclosure of important military information. Many people would agree that under such circumstances, ending life would be legitimate. As such, it largely depends on the circumstances. This dependence on circumstances brings us to the issue of physician assisted suicide. My argument is that only under carefully limited circumstances should a physician be permitted to assist an individual to end unnecessary suffering. This may include directly administering drugs which will facilitate the end of the patients life or any means through which the patient can use to take away his or her life. Under certain circumstances, the patients choice may take priority above other considerations. For instance, when a person suffers from an incurable disease such that life to him has become series after series of pain and suffering, losing meaning and a sense of purpose, desiring nothing but death, then assisted suicide may be considered. After all considerations have been made, his choice to end his life should finally be honored. The physicians role is to act in the best interest of the patient, and under some extreme situations, this may include assisting the patient to end his life hastily upon his request. However, many doctors hold that their role is to enhance and preserve life and not to deliberately end it. Lhier, 2008) If the physician’s role is restricted to healing, this automatically disqualifies his role of assisting a patient to end his or her life. However, this fails to address the scope and limit of the proper functions of the physician. The challenge for the physician is finding the best way of assisting the patient to come from a state of extreme pain to a state of wellness. If this cannot be achieved, then the physician may assist the patient in ending this miserable life that is causing so much suffering for the soul. This will be a magnification of the role of the physician and not a contradiction. At times, it becomes preferable to end suffering than extending life and hence suffering. The troubling factor in assisted death is that it involves a conflict in values. As we are bound to comprehend life, it is a wonderful adventure which promises love, pleasure, happiness and joy. However, circumstances alter it into a hopeless burden full of pain, despair and suffering. Every human individual desiring well being but finds himself locked within a body which brings nothing but pain has a right to decide and end his life. Under such circumstances, death may be preferred. If an individual arrives at the conclusion that life brings more pain and suffering and hence desires to take it away, our duty is to grant such individuals their wish. However, we are forbidden to kill by moral imperative. Morality and religion dictates that it is wrong to kill. On the other hand, they both encourage mercy. Every effort should be invested at guarding against abuse even though at a patients request, it would be helpful and merciful to end his unendurable suffering. Legalization of assisted death for the sake of the victims and their loved ones is demanded of by compassion and benevolence. The families of those individuals who have witnessed their loved ones under extreme pain provide a powerful argument in support of physician assisted death. When death has not yet brought relief for the afflicted and medical science has stretched its capability to the limit to no vain, a sense of powerlessness and despair is experienced by the members of his family as they watch in horror as a loved one is tormented by suffering. Thus, opting for death under such intolerable situations would be advantageous not only for the victim but also for the family members. Assisted suicide is just an extension of individual autonomy which individuals seek to enact throughout their lives. (Battin et al, 2002) Every individual, in response to the many convictions which purportedly makes life worth living, act in such a way as to shape these convictions which are also held for how death should be experienced. Medical establishments only penetrate bodily ills without regarding various personal views. Assisted suicide is thus a way of bringing back the sense of control to individuals who are approaching the end of their lives. It is an extension of the freedom to pursue life as one desires as long as it does not harm others. For the patient, assisted suicide becomes a way of customizing death. Assisted suicide apart from honoring peoples right of self determination is also a prudent policy. It is with this regard that physicians are needed as counselors to ensure that a patient makes a competent, unforced and rational choice. Holding high regard for the moral and legal heritage, I contend that physician assisted suicide should be looked upon with much reflection. There are times which call for a rethought of our principles, traditions and codes so as to bring to the fore real life experiences. Those ideals which were designed with good intentions sometimes tend to degrade life, being a source of unfathomable suffering. Prohibiting physician assisted suicide may be one such thing. Individuals with extreme and rare cases can be provided with an opportunity to manage their death without jeopardizing our reverence for life. As such, a way of being merciful to the dying without labeling those who assist them as criminals can be provided.

Analysis On Racism In Huck Finn Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In July of 1876, a man by the name of Samuel Clemens began writing one of the most important and influential works in America’s literary history. Under the pseudonym of Mark Twain, the work was begun as a sequel to Twain’s popular boy’s adventure novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. As he progressed in the writing of the sequel, Twain, an author already noted for his humor, cynicism, and American social criticism, began to lean away from strictly the boy’s adventure style towards a more serious, critical look at society. By the time Twain had finished writing the novel in 1884, eight years after it was begun, he had produced The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, his greatest work and possibly on of the greatest works of American literature. With The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain attempted to illustrate his contempt for certain aspects of specifically pre-Civil War Southern society through the eyes of the innocent Huck Finn. Howeve r, his focus was not entirely on pre-War Southern society, for criticism of aspects of modern society as a whole was evident, as well as on aspects of human nature. Although Twain had essential produced a superficial boy’s adventure novel, it’s very themes are not characteristic of such a genre. The themes that are developed throughout the novel include that of hypocrisy, racism, violence, and gullibility. These four themes represent the elements of pre-War Southern society that bear Twain’s main criticisms throughout the pages of the novel. Specifically, much of Twain’s critical focus landed upon the theme of racism. Racism, in all of its ignorance and crudeness, is present in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson’s attempt to â€Å"sivilize† Huck to Tom Sawyer’s startling acclamation that Jim was already free. Huck is confronted with example after example of Southern society’s innate racis m, some of which Huck too has inherited. As Jim and Huck journey down the mighty Mississippi, Huck begins to lose those inborn racist sentiments in his through his uninfluenced life with Jim. By closely developing the theme of racism through Huck’s internal struggle with reality and with society’s reality, Twain attempts to illustrate his contempt for the outright injustice of one of society’s most disturbing and irrational aspects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the novel b... ...probes deeper into Jim’s despair, he discovers that Jim feels wholeheartedly guilty about an incident that occurred in his relationship with his deaf and dumb daughter. Jim’s great display of emotion surprises Huck, for he has inherited the belief that a black man is not capable of such a degree of emotion. â€Å"He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe that he cared just as much for his people as white folks does their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so.† (Twain 23) Society’s belief that the black race was inferior to the white race in every way, including emotion, is illustrated in this sentence. Huck’s surprise that Jim loves his family just as much as white people do is simply a belief that he has inherited from civilized society. Twain demonstrates the inherent racial prejudice of pre-Civil War Southern society in a satirical manner. The notion that black people do not care for the families as much as white people care for theirs seems utterly ridiculous to the reader. However, in the South, this notion was commonplace and accepted.

Getting over a Betrayal Essay

This song brings forth a feeling of that even though a loss of a loved one is a heart wrenching experience there is nothing a person can do to change the outcome of what has happened. My Immortal† seems to be more about losing one’s own sense of identity and self-worth due to the loss and/or betrayal of a loved one than about the actual loss of the loved one: These wounds won’t seem to heal/ This pain is just too real/There’s just too much that time cannot erase (7-9) By the end of the song, the survivor of the story is emotionally drained and paralyzed with the fear by the memory of the betrayer. The survivor of the incident just wants those memories of hurt and betrayal to go away. This pain is felt in the opening stanzas of the song. And if you have to leave/I wish that you would just leave/Your presence still lingers here/ And it won’t leave me alone (3-6). The theme of â€Å"My Immortal† is the struggle of trying to get rid of the feeling of betrayal and of guilt. The betrayer has hurt or betrayed her in a way that she can never recover from the emotional damage. You used to captivate me/ By your resonating light/ Now I’m bound by the life you left behind (14-16) For the rest of the girls’ life, she will be imprisoned by him. She sacrificed everything for him. After years of being together, he throws everything she has done for him back in her face. She know feels like that she will never be free of him Your face it haunts/My once pleasant dreams (15, 16) The effect of this song brings forth many different emotions. This song brings to light that if one lets a past betrayal or losses rule their life, there will never be any peace for the individual. The individual needs to let go of the hurt, even though they are feeling that they were alone the entire time they were with that one person. I’ve tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone/ But though you’re still with me/ I’ve been alone all along ( 24-26) It hurts being betrayed by a loved one. The reality that she was all alone in her love when he was with her†¦ and ironically, now that he’s left her, she isn’t alone: He torments her with the memories of his betrayal (perhaps complicated by her genuine love for who she thought he was. ) These wounds won’t seem to heal/ This pain is just to real/ There’s just too much that time cannot earse (21-23) Works Cited Evanescence.

Comparison/Contrast Essay For Catcher in the Rye and Stand...

These days our artistic landscape is so deeply defined by visual narratives on TV and in the movies that we can hardly imagine a world without images. Sometimes quality is judged solely based on a stories actions. In this image drenched society we sometimes struggle to appreciate and celebrate books and movies where the quality arises not exclusively from plot but also from the language and characters itself. The novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger and the movie Stand by Me directed by Rob Reiner are examples of having uninteresting story line concepts but involving beautifully executed details. The Catcher in the Rye is about a teenager retelling the time when he spent three days in New York and Stand by Me is about a†¦show more content†¦Just like Holden, all they ever long for is just some little acts of affection and care, little things that are enough for them to feel loved. In contrast to The Catcher in the Rye following the story of a single person, there is Stand by Me which is a movie following the tale of four boys. This is a story about a road trip, but unlike typical road trips, this one involves travel by foot, and not over an extended distance. The main characters are Gordie: a troubled individual lacking parental affection due to the loss of his brother, Chris: an introspective, abused child labeled being a â€Å"bad boy† (Stand by Me), he is also Gordies best friend, Teddy: the slightly crazy wild card with an abusive father, and Vern: the outcast of the group who no one pays much attention to. In many ways, the story is more about what the characters discover along the way than what they find at the end and their growing up is accelerated by lessons they learn about life and death. This story is centered more on the boys in a path way between their childhood and adulthood. As the four friends make their way through junkyards and leech- infested watery areas and along railroad tracks, they learn things about their inner thoughts. Each wrestles with his own demons and the film shows how all these individual weaknesses could be overcome in a group context. Through primary relationships, with their social support, intimacy, the â€Å"we† feeling, can function asShow MoreRelatedEssay Writing9260 Words   |  38 PagesThe Essay Writing Process In Greek legend, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, was born fully armed from the head of Zeus. Unfortunately, this is the only recorded instance of instant wisdom. Especially in the medium of the written word, the communication of complex ideas is a process—a process that requires thinking and rethinking, working and reworking. The student who claims to have dashed off an A essay at one in the morning the night before it was due is either a liar or a genius. ThisRead MoreChildrens Literature13219 Words   |  53 Pagesreading. He argued that children should only be taught to read at age twelve and then be limited to the bookRobinson Crusoe. The best-known English follower of Rousseau, Thomas Day, wrote History of Sandfordand Merton (1783–1789), a three-volume comparison between the virtues of Harry Sandford, the poor but virtuous son of a farmer, and Tommy Merton, the spoiled son of a wealthy merchant, who are educated under the constant moralizing of their tutor, Mr. Barlow. Mary Wollstonecrafts Original Stories