Having The Right To Live Or Die

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 12th grade February 2008

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Having The Right To Live or Die Euthanasia is probably one of the most talked about issues today. According to David Cundiff's book, Euthanasia Is Not The Answer: A Hospice Physician's View, "Euthanasia, coming from the Greek phrase meaning 'good death,' today means killing a terminally ill person as a way to end that person's pain and suffering" (1). Is it right for someone to kill a loved one because they are either in a great deal of pain or because they have an incurable disease? If it is right, what factors make it right? If it is wrong, what factors make it wrong? How many people think that it is right? What is the family's perspective on if they should let their loved one die? I will be answering all of these questions throughout my essay.

In every country, except the Netherlands, euthanasia is considered murder, which is a crime.

Michigan is the only state in the U.S. where euthanasia is not considered a crime. This also goes for assisted suicide with the exception of Oregon. According to Cundiff, "Assisting suicide means to provide a person who plans to kill himself with the means to do so. This may be accomplished by supplying a lethal overdose of medication, by providing a gun, or by other means" (2). Today, euthanasia and assisted suicide go hand in hand. Euthanasia can be broken up into two terms, passive euthanasia and active euthanasia according to Cundiff. "In [passive euthanasia] the person dies naturally of the disease process; in [active euthanasia] the person is killed" (3).

Some people choose to die by either euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide because they cannot afford to be in a hospital. Hospital bills can be a burden to the patient and his family. Here is a quote is...