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Can Euthanasia be Safely Can Euthanasia be Safely Legalized in United States?Legalized in United States?

Reading and Composition 1: Section 1920 Reading and Composition 1: Section 1920

Professor:  Timothy Cramer Professor:  Timothy Cramer

Presented by:Presented by:CHENCHENCHENCHEN TIANTIAN

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What is Euthanasia?What is Euthanasia?EuthanasiaEuthanasia (from (from GreekGreek: : εὐθανασίαεὐθανασία; "good ; "good death": εὖ, death": εὖ, eueu; "well" or "good" - θάνατος, ; "well" or "good" - θάνατος, thanatosthanatos; "death") refers to the practice of ; "death") refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. and suffering. The challenge of legalizing euthanasia is divided The challenge of legalizing euthanasia is divided into the issues such as legal, moral, family, and into the issues such as legal, moral, family, and health care. health care. Medicine has become increasingly capable of Medicine has become increasingly capable of postponing death.postponing death.

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Categories of EuthanasiaCategories of EuthanasiaPassive Euthanasia: not taking the necessary Passive Euthanasia: not taking the necessary actions to maintain life by refusing water, food, actions to maintain life by refusing water, food, drugs, medical or surgical procedures.drugs, medical or surgical procedures.Voluntary Active Euthanasia: Voluntary Active Euthanasia: a competent a competent person makes a voluntary and enduring request person makes a voluntary and enduring request to be helped to die. to be helped to die. Non-voluntary Active Euthanasia: killing a Non-voluntary Active Euthanasia: killing a person not competent to give consent in order to person not competent to give consent in order to relieve suffering.relieve suffering.Involuntary Active Euthanasia: killing someone Involuntary Active Euthanasia: killing someone to relieve suffering without consent when to relieve suffering without consent when consent could be given.consent could be given.

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Assisted SuicideAssisted Suicide

Physician-Assisted Physician-Assisted Suicide: Suicide Suicide: Suicide accomplished with the accomplished with the help of a medical help of a medical doctor.doctor.Assisted Suicide: Assisted Suicide: Suicide accomplished Suicide accomplished with the help of with the help of another person.another person.

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History of EuthanasiaHistory of EuthanasiaIn ancient Greece and Rome, euthanasia was In ancient Greece and Rome, euthanasia was an everyday reality where many people an everyday reality where many people preferred to die voluntarily instead to suffer in preferred to die voluntarily instead to suffer in pain for a prolonged time.pain for a prolonged time.Christianity reinforced the Hippocratic view on euthanasia – prohibiting the human killing and forbidding any aid in suicide – – and culminated in the steady opposition to euthanasia among medical doctors.

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Revival of Euthanasia DebateRevival of Euthanasia DebateThe proposals for euthanasia revived in the 19th century with the revolution in the use of anesthesia. In 1870, Samuel Williams first proposed using anesthetics and morphine to intentionally end a patient's life..By the 1890s, the euthanasia By the 1890s, the euthanasia debate has expanded beyond debate has expanded beyond the medical profession to include the medical profession to include lawyers and social scientists. lawyers and social scientists.

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Parliamentary BillsParliamentary BillsIn 1906, first Parliamentary bill to legalize euthanasia was introduced in Ohio but it was ultimately defeated ..Two more Parliamentary bills were Two more Parliamentary bills were introduced; this time in Britain in introduced; this time in Britain in 1936 and 1969. 1936 and 1969. With the increasing acceptance of With the increasing acceptance of patient autonomy and the right-to-patient autonomy and the right-to-die in the United States the die in the United States the euthanasia debate has once again euthanasia debate has once again become a matter of public concern.become a matter of public concern.

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Public Awareness of EuthanasiaPublic Awareness of Euthanasia

During the 1990s huge public attention was During the 1990s huge public attention was given to euthanasia: books, articles, and TV given to euthanasia: books, articles, and TV programs promoted the concept to a wide public.programs promoted the concept to a wide public.Activist groups supporting the legalization of physician-assisted suicide or medical euthanasia, such as the Hemlock Society and Compassion in Dying, sprung up.

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Ballot InitiativesBallot InitiativesBills on the topic surfaced in state legislatures around the country and voters in five states faced ballot initiatives to legalize physician-assisted suicide..Oregon Death With Dignity Act, passed by a 51% to 49% margin in 1994.In New York and Washington State, concerned physicians and patients filed suits in federal court to overturn state statutes against assisting suicide.

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Supreme Court DecisionSupreme Court Decision

Those lawsuits that ended in the United States Supreme Court in 1997 became the central issue of the political and moral debate debate over euthanasia in the country. The Court refused to recognize a constitutionally protected liberty interest in physician-assisted suicide.The justices expressly reserved the matter to resolution through state political processes.

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Pros and Cons of EuthanasiaThe arguments and justifications advanced both for and against euthanasia have hardly changed in over a century.The history of euthanasia in America suggests this is a gravely complex social, political, economic, and cultural matter. Talk of a right to die raises the troubling question: once legalized for the dying, who can be denied such a right?Where does the freedom to die end and the duty to die begin??

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Pro Euthanasia ArgumentPro Euthanasia Argumentss

It is human right born of self-determination. Patients have rights, autonomy, and freedom of choice in deciding when and how their life should end. Legalizing euthanasia would help alleviate Legalizing euthanasia would help alleviate suffering of terminally ill patients. It would be suffering of terminally ill patients. It would be inhuman and unfair to make them endure inhuman and unfair to make them endure the unbearable pain.the unbearable pain.

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Cons of EuthanasiaCons of EuthanasiaOnce granted to some, many infirm, depressed, or simply suicidal people might claim it, too. Parents or other surrogate decision-makers might demand it on behalf of minors or other incompetent persons. The infirm and disabled might feel obligated to die to lessen the burden that they impose on society and family members.Euthanasia legislation will be a step towards a callous attitude regarding human life.

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The Legal Status of EuthanasiaThe Legal Status of Euthanasia

In the United States, individual states enact their own laws regarding murder, homicide, and end-of-life situations. Passive euthanasia is legal in all states, where the medical professionals establish guidelines for what types of treatment can be withheld from dying patients. No state permits active euthanasia.Only four states permits assisted suicide: Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont.

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What about other Countries?What about other Countries?Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are prohibited in most countries worldwide. However, end-of-life debates tend to occur more in North America, Europe, and Australia than they do in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, although there are exceptions to this trend. Active euthanasia is legal only in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Assisted suicide is also legal in these three countries.Assisted suicide is also legal in Albania, Assisted suicide is also legal in Albania, Switzerland, and Germany.Switzerland, and Germany.

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Safe Legalization of EuthanasiaSafe Legalization of Euthanasia

I believe that euthanasia should be legalized on the national level, following the strict guidelines of Oregon’s “Death With Dignity Act”, among others that the person must be suffering from a terminal disease and voluntarily express and repeat a wish to die.A national government has to be prepared to enact a law.Medical professional organizations should not block such a law.

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ConclusionConclusion

If healthy adults are given the choice of themselves or their loved ones dying with unrelieved pain and suffering or legalizing assisted suicide, most caring people will vote for latter. But the terminally ill are the ones who make a final decision and may demonstrate different ideas. Why don’t we give THEM a choice?