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Active Euthanasia Argumentative Analysis

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Active Euthanasia Argumentative Analysis
Euthanasia has continually been a heated debate and there are reasons that it should and shouldn’t be legalized. The Oxford English Dictionary states that euthanasia is a gentle and easy death (Oxford English Dictionary). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, active euthanasia is the ending of a terminally ill person's life by direct intervention, such as administering a lethal dose of painkilling drug (Oxford English Dictionary). While passive euthanasia according to the Oxford English Dictionary is the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment in the knowledge that the person concerned will die (Oxford English Dictionary). Len Doyal, the author of “ Why active euthanasia and physician assisted suicide should …show more content…
Doyal suggests that “doctors should be able to withdraw life sustaining treatment when they intend to accelerate death as well as to relieve suffering” this quote reconfirms that Doyal believes that suffering should not go on any longer than it has too ( Doyal 2). I agree to Doyal’s argument for this stance more so than any of the other reasons. An individual should not have to be in unbearable pain if there are other options. Active euthanasia would give the patient an option to alleviate the pain and end suffering. If the quality of life is not up to standards, and the patient is in an immense amount of pain, then the doctor should legally be able to cause death. Dragging out a patient’s life will not be a benefit if there is no sign that the patient will ever get better. I support this reason even more if the patient is in extreme pain and …show more content…
Doyal proposes that “it must be morally justified to give ( the patient) the medical withdrawal to kill themselves (Doyal 2). This quote justifies Doyal’s reasoning to legalize active euthanasia. For this reason, I support the legalization of active euthanasia because it gives the patient a voice. Any medical procedure should be in the “ best interest” of that patient (Doyal 2). A death should not be prolonged for any longer if that is what the patient wishes. A competent patient should be given the right to be able when to decide their own death. In terms of physician assisted suicide, the patient wouldn’t be killing themselves, they would just be receiving the resources needed to alleviate the pain and suffering (Oxford English
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