Euthanasia: The Right To Die

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the increasing number of suicides in Michigan,
Gov. Engler signed an anti-suicide law in late February that made doctor-
assisted suicides a felony. During the 21-month trial period of the new law
anyone assisting in a suicide can be sentenced to up to four years in prison and
fined more than $2,000 (Reuters, 1993).
With the passing of this law I thought that most people would be against
the right-to-die, not so. In a poll cited in a 1991 issue of USA Today eighty
percent of Americans think sometimes there are circumstances when a patient
should be allowed to die, compared to only fifteen percent think doctors and
nurses should always do everything possible to save a person's life. It also
showed that eight in ten adults approve of state laws that allow medical care
for the terminally ill to be removed or withheld, if that is what the patient
"wishes", whereas only thirteen percent disapproved of the laws. Also seventy
percent think the family should be allowed to make the ...

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is
euthanasia will lead to the "devaluation of life" (Low, 1989, p. 37). Also they
think it will force doctors and family members to "judge the value of a
patient's life". Critics also say that acceptance will spread from the
terminally ill to the less serious ill, the handicapped, or the mentally
retarded. (Russ, 1989, p. 117)
One reason that just about everyone who favors euthanasia agrees with is
that a person has the right to a death with dignity. Another reason is a person
should be allowed a "natural death" instead of a prolonged death with medical
equipment(Battin, 1985, p. 19). Still another reason is that doctors are
supposed to ease the pain of people not prolong it ...

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