Euthanasia, the right to die

Essay by Alex MacCuaigHigh School, 11th gradeA-, October 1996

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Euthanasia is a very controversial topic. People argue as to whether or not a person who is terminally ill, or handicap, should have the right or not to ask their doctor, or relatives to die by euthanasia. People say that dying by euthanasia is to die with dignity, instead of living an artificial life on respirators and other life support machines. My personal feelings on this topic is one of the minority. If a person is terminally ill, and there is nothing anyone can do for them, why should they have to suffer? Not only do they suffer but their family does also. They will watch as their condition gets worse, and then the vision in their head of the loved one who has finally died many months after they were diagnose as terminally ill, is a memory of a person lying there helpless, not able to feed themselves, get out of bed, or talk to you.

One notable euthanasia case would be Sue Rodrigous. She had a disease known as Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS, which is a rare incurable disease of the nervous system. ALS gradually destroys the nerves that control the muscles. The results of which are weakness, paralysis, and eventually death. That is what Sue Rodrigous was suffering from for well over a year. Knowing that her condition was only going to get worse, and eventually, after the pain and suffering, would result in death, Sue wanted to die. She wanted people to remember her as a lively healthy woman, not just a body lying helpless in a hospital bed. With that thought in mind, Sue went to court to fight for right to die by euthanasia. The courts did not agree with her though.

Dr. Jack Kevorkian, proposed the creation of a new medical...