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Debates about the ethics of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide date from ancient Greece and Rome. After the development of ether, physicians began advocating the use of anesthetics to relieve the pain of death. In 1870, Samuel Williams first proposed using anesthetics and morphine to intentionally end a patient's life.
As applied to the euthanasia debate, the slippery slope argument claims that the acceptance of certain practices, such as physician-assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia, will invariably lead to the acceptance or practice of concepts which are currently deemed unacceptable, such as non-voluntary or involuntary euthanasia.
It also brings up many important issues that are still being addressed to this day. [49] [50] One of the critical points that the Quinlan case brings up is the patient's right to deny or withdraw treatment. Cases in which the patient rejected or withdrew treatment were then unheard of and went against medical ethics in preserving one's life.
The petition brought tensions between the American Euthanasia Society and the Catholic Church to a head that contributed to a climate of anti-Catholic sentiment generally, regarding issues such as birth control, eugenics, and population control. However, the petition did not result in any legal changes. [43]
Death is dealt with differently in cultures around the world, and there are ethical issues relating to death, such as martyrdom, suicide and euthanasia. Death refers to the permanent termination of life-sustaining processes in an organism, i.e. when all biological systems of a human being cease to operate.
This form of death is known as passive euthanasia, ... (Aiken) Pg 65 1 *Saunders, Legal and ethical issues in health care Occupations (Aiken) Pg 65 1
Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints is a book in the Opposing Viewpoints series, published by Greenhaven Press. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] A year 2000 edition was edited by James D. Torr, while the previous 1989 and 1995 editions were edited by Neal Bernard and Carol Wekesser respectively.
Cases of people choosing assisted suicide programs have been met with some controversy in the media and public. One famous case is that of Brittany Maynard.She was diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer and chose to end her life, but before doing so, she chose to speak out about her situation and her choice, thus opening up the debate about the right-to-die movement in America.