Mercy Killing

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Mercy Killing
Mercy Killing
Mercy killing is a term that refers to the controversial act of relieving someone off his or her misery through painless death. It is also referred to as good death, physician assisted suicide or euthanasia. The term euthanasia is of Greek origin which means good death. Its literal meaning is letting someone pass by having painless death in cases where there is no cure or signs of ever getting to recover. Life’s purpose is to live in a purposeful way and lets others enjoy it too, until old age. However, the various instances that call for euthanasia arise in different circumstances, which can be at birth, medical error or at point of death.
There are instances where children are born with defects such as being mentally or physically handicapped. The factor to consider is usually the quality of life that the child is expected to face. However, the decision is not always straightforward since there are other factors to consider which include the policies of the land and welfare of the child in absence of the parents. The other circumstance than can warrant for mercy killing is when someone is in terminal stage and no medication can make him or her to recover. In this case, the patients can give their permission to the doctors on what they would prefer done to them to end their misery.
There are instances where people suffer serious injuries to crucial body organs like the brain, and recovery is not forthcoming, and therefore for their bodies to stay alive, they require artificial means. This brings the dilemma of whether this is just extending life or just delaying death. In Such a situation, mercy killing may be considered appropriate though not to all, but just to let the patient pass with dignity and to save resources.
There are also different types of methods of how to conduct mercy killing. One of the types is active mercy killing, which is ending someone’s misery through death by increasing their doses of medicine to quicken death. It is considered an act of mercy since the patients well being does not show signs of improving and them being alive will probably lead to more suffering. Another type is passive mercy killing, which is done when the patient’s medication or life support machines are withdrawn. This method can also involve removing the feeding tube or not conducting an operation, which is important to someone’s life. The other withdrawals can involve discontinuing life-extending medication or removal from a ventilator. The argument around this...