Support Of Euthanasia In The United States

Name Instructor’s name Course Date Euthanasia Some health conditions are irreversible; these conditions could be incurable diseases or incapacitating physical conditions. Individuals suffering from such conditions can decide to end their lives with the assistance of their physicians. The choice of an individual to terminate his/her life with the assistance of a medical doctor because of an incurable and painful disease is known as euthanasia. In some countries euthanasia is allowed while in other countries, it is illegal; the country's decision to legalize or legalize euthanasia is dependent on the morals and ethics of individuals in the country. The act has sparked a lot of debate in the United States, with some people agreeing to it while others are disagreeing. History of Euthanasia The debate surrounding euthanasia began in the United States in 1870 (Law Teacher). The debate started as a result of the proposal made by commentator Samuel Williams to the Birmingham Speculative club encouraging them to permit euthanasia. According to William, this procedure was only to be allowed to people undergoing painful and hopeless situations in their sicknesses; the idea was meant to induce a painless death to the patients. The idea was further motivated by the introduction of morphine anesthetic which could relieve patients of pain and also induce painless death. After the Williams proposal, allot of debate ensued. The proposal was printed in books and magazines; it was further published in journals, literary and political. The printing and publication popularized euthanasia, and therefore many people had the chance to debate the issue. The matter was discussed by both the medical practitioners and non-medical professionals; with some agreeing and some denying. The debate got a boost when it was presented by an Ohio legislator to the Ohio legislative assembly in 1906 in the form of a bill, where it was debated for quite some time (Emmanuel). The Ohio legislators rejected the bill, and people thought that it was the end of the long debate. The issue of euthanasia again emerged in the U.S. in 1976. In that year, California legislatures passed the Natural Death Act. In the Act, patients were given free will to request their physicians to withdraw or withhold life-prolonging treatment. In situations where the patients are incapacitated to make the decision, the relatives could be used to request for life termination. The Act also allowed patients to sign through the attorney the life termination agreement. Since California's introduced the Act, many states in the U.S. have also embraced it, and each state has its laws concerning euthanasia. The first euthanasia case was seen in 1976, the case of the Quinlan’s family. Karen Ann, the daughter of the Quinlan's family who was in a severe condition, when the parents requested through the Supreme Court that she be removed from the ventilator and allowed to die. The New Jersey court ruled in favor of the family and that marked the start of an assisted death. The ruling brought a lot of confusion and debate; with some quoting people’s ethical values and some saying that it would bring bad precedence in the medical history. A second and noted case again occurred in 1990, a case between Cruzan ...