Is euthanasia an acceptable medical practice? For those of you who don't know what euthanasia is, its when doctors kill their patients upon their request. Is it unethical and unmoral, or just the opposite?

i think the key bit of this is the part about the PATIENT'S CONSENT. as long as the patient wants to move on, and make the pain stop, they should get their request granted. it would need to be monitored closely, grudges between doctors and patients could cause problems, but as long as all procedures were monitored and recorded, i don't see why "mercy killing" is wrong.

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Originally posted by burgermeister:
I think, in theory, it's ok, but I think there should be some sort of court process or case review or something that you'd have to go through in order to get legal approval... otherwise, there'd be too big a risk of an actual murder taking place.

Agreed, It should be legal, as long as the person is in great pain. Like a coma for instance. If the person has been in the coma for long, and the chances of the person coming out are slim to none, then the family should be able to choose life or death.Euthanasia is mercy killing, so if it fits a mercy killing then by all means help the person ease the pain.

One problem, would be Doctors killing with out permission.

Papers for it would be nice. We would have to watch it very carefully, I suppose.

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Originally posted by Maya:

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Originally posted by hubbabaloo:
euthanasia: EVIL!

euthanasia of animals: EVIL!

It's just ethically, morally and otherwise wrong.

why?

Because it's murder on humans. I think it's random and thoughtless killing on animals. It's not you choice as to whether someone lives or dies. This isn't even like an abortion "Is it murder." No matter what way you present euthanasia, it's murder.

I don't believe it is moral and a great thing to do, but it's not wrong if the patient requests it. Doctors are here to preserve one's quality of life, and sometimes death does just that if that's what the patient firmly believes and not only consents to, but asks to be done.

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Originally posted by hubbabaloo:
euthanasia: EVIL!

euthanasia of animals: EVIL!

It's just ethically, morally and otherwise wrong.

why?

euthanasia: EVIL!

euthanasia of animals: EVIL!

It's just ethically, morally and otherwise wrong.

I think it's ok. If I wasn't going to survive anyway, I wouldn't mind. Animals it's ok too.

I think it's acceptable...no sense in wasting that type of money or the hospital bed if you're on full life support or won't make it through an operation. I wouldn't want to be kept alive like that: people DO have to die, ya know. Pull the plug and give my kidneys to someone who can use them.

-rito

euthanasia: YES!!!!!!

.. haven't we already messed enough with nature? so its really not worth it making someone live on the respirator or on any other machine. thats just not natures way..is it really worth livin like a vegie or anything else for the rest of your life when u can't provide for yourself and depend on someone. i mean to live u need a lot of independence and most importantly u need to be able to stand on your feet, otherwise u would be the living dead. believe me its not worth it. imean i have seen paraplegic people who are waiting to die but can't even kill themselves cause most of them can't even work their hands. people even have to swat flies for them, they don't have control over their bladders and they go thru a lot..
people mix up euthanasia and suicide.
they are 2 completely different things. in both cases u are desparate to die but with only one difference that suicide is a permanant solution to a temporary problem and euthnasia is a permanant solution to a permanant problem plus its not like your mudering someone, its completely the persons will and consent that matter. the doctors are just acting as the medium to make that happen.
thats why i think they should legalise euthanasia everywhere in the world. man should not live because someone feels and hopes he can live but because he feels he can live and mind u this is not valid for suicide but only for deadly life crippling illness's.....

i want to live as long as i can no matter how much it hurts. but i haven't gone trhu the suffering and pain that alot of ppl go thru so i can't say that it's really right or wrong for other ppl. imagine being in a hospital bed in the worst most tourturous pain of your life and your doctor is telling you you will eventually die. you are just waiting it out. do you do yourself in? put up with it to the end? hope for a miricle? my grandpa shot himself because he was in so much pain from breathing problems... i wondered what about them was so different from my grandma's similar breathing problems... she's been on oxygen for years... she's a fighter i guess... but i'm rambling. i guess it's a personal thing, like having in your will a certain state at which to pull the plug.

ok, i see where you're going w/ this monkmiester, but how come this has to be so morally wrong? If you're really sick (physically or mentally), and you are practically a terminally-ill veggie living in excruciating pain, then why are either one of those so wrong? you're right, the methods are really the same. euthanasia tends to be more for the physically ill, and suicide for the mentally ill; euthanasia is practiced by a doctor, suicide by yourself. but i don't see why either has to be so MORALLY wrong for crying out loud provided for the reasons above.

I decided to actually look this Euthinasia stuff up... I went to a website that was both on both sides for euthinasia so I could make an opinion, here was the headline when I first got there
EUTHANASIA AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE (PAS)
Just to show you that really is sucide, it is just your friend helping you put the rope around your neck and pulling the box from under your feet, and saying "good bye, sorry you couldnt handle life". I have gone some websites today, and they all compare it to suicide wich I thing is wrong, and so do most of you all whoe hav answered this topic. It is like sucide, someone is just helping you! I mean you consent yourself when you commit suicide dont you? There are many leans on if this is right or wrong, but there is way more weight leaning on the wrong rather than the right.
And about the pets. They are not human beings, they are animals, why is putting them to sleep wrong when we eat animals everyday? I am not ashamed to bring religion into it, but we are God's children, HE will take care of us, and what we are supposed to do. Even if that means laying like a vegitable.
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All in all, I don't think that euthanasia is going to help in a culture where the value of life is quickly eroding.

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I agree with that, americas value of life should be cheerished more.
Just my opinion..... -monkmiester

no, the constitution does not pursuit death, but we live in a democracy...and, not to mention, are free to do as we please...or, so i personally think. under certain circumstances, a person should be able to go thru euthanasia. go to page 2 of this board and read my original post about euthanasia -- since my most recent one was more about suicide.

I don't see the point of making someone suffering. He's dying anyways, why the punishment? I see it more like a cruel and unusual punishment. As long as there is the proper written consent, then it's okay. Suicide, on the other hand, is a totally different issue.

when I get around to my will....

I will have it written that if I am ever mangled beyond recovery or that I will be a vegetable for the rest of my life...to just pull the plug or do whatever it takes to end my misery.

There's a difference between "pulling the plug" and euthanasia. You pull the plug, and the person naturally dies or they don't. You euthanise, and you actively participate in thier death, the chemical overdose (or whatever the method) being the sole cause for thier demise.

I think whether it's acceptable or not vastly varies on the situation. There are some cases, like a coma victim with no hope of recovery, where it can be acceptable, at the family's discretion of course, and other times, when it is quite overused. There are instances where doctors "pull the plug" too soon in my opinion, and with elderly people, when it just isn't a necessary act.