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With names like Dr. Jack Kevorkian and Terri Schiavo making international headlines during the past few years, the complicated subject of euthanasia remains on everyone's mind. But when considering the plight of the terminally ill and their potential suffering, is "pulling the plug" a matter of dying with dignity or tragically playing God?
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Mitigate Pain
- From ALL
By American Life League - Roman Catholic Pro-Life Organization
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Ranting
Rather than supporting their argument with statistics and other useful information, the American Life League destroys their credibility by stating "This is ludicrous and inhumane" to those in favor of the right to die. Insulting an argument based on your beliefs does nothing but change your image from a credible organization to a ranting critic. Furthermore, they do nothing to expand on their point that "The proper response to terminal illness is to alleviate pain, provide comfort and share one’s self in every way possible so that the dying person is never isolated". Had the American Life League explained their reasons and stayed away from outbursts, this would have been a very good argument.
- SweeneyToddInc
February 17, 2009 8:24PM
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Side: Yes
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Because I Could Not Stop for Death...
Euthanasia is not synonymous with "a right to die". Everyone has a right to die, just as everyone has a right to live. And everyone always has those rights, whether they are able to voice it or not. As for the terminally ill who are not physically able to speak for themselves, it would be inhumane to "pull the plug", the ending of human lives is never something to be taken lightly. But isn't it also inhumane to prolong death when the patient is truly suffering in life?
- Inigo Montoya
February 26, 2009 10:17PM
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Side: Yes
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Documentation
What if there is documentation that death is what the person wants? This is why there are living wills.
- StriveforYourDreams
March 1, 2009 10:01AM
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Side: Yes
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Pain Medication Insufficient
While oftentimes the proper approach to a dying person is to “alleviate pain, provide comfort and share one’s self in every was possible so that they dying person is never isolated,” as the American Life League states, sometimes this is not effective. In fact, according to Susan Tolle, director of the Ethics Center at the Oregon Health Sciences University, at least two thirds of dying patients do not get adequate pain medication. This is partially due to the fact that doctors are concerned about potential addiction to the drug, but this is clearly not an issue with patients who are not long for this world, anyway. Nevertheless, doctors have a difficult time transitioning to the state of mind where addiction is not a concern.* So many patients do not get adequate pain medication when they are suffering from a terminal illness; it cannot be relied on as a means by which to make the patient's last days happy or even tolerable.
What’s more, pain alone is often not the only reason a person may wish to end their life. The loss of dignity and economical reasons may also play a big part in their decision.
*Kathleen M. Foley, M.D., “The Relationship of Pain and Symptom Management to Patient Requests for Physician Assisted Suicide,” Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (July 1991), pp. 289-297.
- Yesterday
March 1, 2009 8:11PM
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Good point on the "Ranting"
You’re exactly right; the American Life League definitely damages its ethos by making blatant statements like “This is ludicrous and inhumane.” Without effective evidence, as you stated, like statistics, this argument is left empty; it fails to actually argue its point. Instead, the American Life League chooses to impose its beliefs rather than prove them.
- Nada
March 1, 2009 9:23PM
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Terro
Your question is a little off: does anyone have a right to die ? We all will die, do we have a right to choose the terms is more to the point. As a Christian, I believe not. I believe death is a part of God's purpose for my life. Do I have a right to "impose" my belief on others? ... perhaps not except so far as I may vote against a referendum on euthanasia.
On the other hand, the state does not have a right to determine the circumstances of my death (assuming I'm not the villain in a capital case)-- neither do doctors or hospital administrators who need an empty bed. Allowing euthanasia will not only encourage the depressed and elderly to seek death for reasons other than terminal illness and grave pain, but will lead to the kind of abuses found in The Netherlands and Belgium where many cases of euthanasia are discovered not to have been voluntary.
- Terro
June 9, 2009 2:18PM
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Side: No
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