The And Gay Williams On Euthanasia - 2095 Words

Alexa Chavez Professor Rogerson PHI 2600 28 April 2015 Rachels Vs Gay Williams on Euthanasia By definition, â€Å"Euthanasia† refers to the act of taking an individual’s life deliberately to terminate their pain and suffering. It entails killing persons who are struggling with ailments and suffering from severe pain as a result of chronic diseases such as cancer and physical injuries. It also encourages someone to intentionally take his or her life and commit suicide. Two philosophers named James Rachels and J. Gay-Williams hold two very opposing arguments on euthanasia. James Rachels was born on May 30, 1941 in Columbus, Georgia and died on September 5, 2003 in Birmingham, Alabama from cancer. J. Gay-Williams is a pseudonym for Ronald Munson. According to Rachels (248), a proponent of euthanasia, states the act is justified if death is the only way out of one’s awful pain. On the other hand, Gay Williams (353), an opponent of euthanasia, views it as immoral to take someone’s life before his or her own natural death time reaches. Medically, euthanasia can be acceptable for those patients that are extremely suffering and their doctors have no idea on what to do to help a patient whose condition is only worsening. Often, it is administered on consultation with the family members of the patient in question. However, health practitioners are held within the bounds of professionalism where they are made to understand sanctity of life. Doctors are not supposed to decide the future ofShow MoreRelatedThe Wrongfulness Of Euthanasia By J. Gay Williams1473 Words   |  6 PagesJ. Gay-Williams’ piece â€Å"The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia†, he begins by asserting that euthanasia is gaining popularity within our society, then defines euthanasia, and finally offers retributions as to why euthanasia is neither morally nor practically right. According to Gay-Williams, â€Å"euthanasia is intentionally taking the life of a presumably hopeless person† (Gay-Williams 1979, 278). Based off aspects of his definition, Gay-Williams formats his three main arguments against active euthanasia whichRead MoreThe Wrongful of Euthanasia: J. Gay Williams955 Words   |  4 Pages J. Gay Williams attempts to prove the wrongfulness of euthanasia with three separate arguments. The topic of my paper relates to his first argument--the argument from nature. J. Gay Williams (1992) tries to show that euthanasia is naturally wrong, but there are good reasons to believe that his argument is unsound. The argument extracted from J. Gay-William’s selection goes as follows: 1. Every case in which a person is euthanized is a case in which a person acts against the natural goal of survivalRead MoreEuthanasia Often Surfaces In Mainstream News As Being A1238 Words   |  5 PagesEuthanasia often surfaces in mainstream news as being a highly controversial issue, with strong arguments for both positions. To be clear, euthanasia can be defined as the following, â€Å"Intentionally taking the life of a presumably hopeless person† (Gay-Williams, 781). There are also several other distinctions that classify euthanasia as either active or passive, based on the level of action involved, or as voluntary, involuntary, or non-voluntary, based on the level of consent (Dittmer). However,Read More Is Euthanasia Morally Acceptable? Essay2334 Words   |  10 PagesQuestions like these are debated by those considering the morality of euthanasia, which is a very controversial topics in A merica. Euthanasia can be defined as â€Å"bringing about the death of another person to somehow benefit that person† (Pojman). The term implies that the death is intentional. Because there are several different types of euthanasia, it is difficult to make a blanket statement concerning the morality of euthanasia. This paper will discuss the particular morality of the passive andRead MoreEssay about Euthanasia2829 Words   |  12 Pages Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Individual cases presented to justify legalizing physician assisted suicide fail to deal with underlying medical failures to control pain, creating an illusion of control over death, and not acknowledging the thousands of patients murdered inappropriately. This is an interesting and a very controversial issue in today’s society. Euthanasia has negative sides, it can hurt society, and everyone needs to learn more bout it. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;TheRead MoreEssay Euthanasia is Morally Wrong2415 Words   |  10 PagesAccording to Webster’s Dictionary, Euthanasia is â€Å"conceding painless death to a patient who is considered to be hopelessly ill, because of a non-curable disease†. The term is used to refer to the act of deliberately taking the life of a sick person, especially those who are sick from terminal illnesses. Patients in this category are normally those who are nearing their death from a persistent terminal illness and medicine does not to have much effect on them. Different scholars hold different opinionsRead More The Possibility of Justice for All Essay790 Words   |  4 Pagessituation in which all parties feel that they are being treated justly. After examining examples such as: Euthanasia, discrimination based on sexual orientation, and equal opportunity offered within the book, it becomes clear to me that there is in fact no possible way for there to be justice for all because everyone?s judgement is in some way or another clouded by their own self interests. Euthanasia, people can decide exactly how they want to live but should we as a society allow them the right toRead MoreA Good Death Essay1627 Words   |  7 PagesA Good Death Death is final. Some die naturally in a peaceful manner while others suffer through tremendous pain in order to get there. Euthanasia is the only way for some people to leave all their pain behind. Euthanasia is the act of killing another person in a merciful way. Of course, euthanasia has many more meaning to it than that. A person that is suffering from a terminal illness decides that life is not worth living because there is too much pain involved and ends his own life, wouldRead MoreIs Euthanasia Immoral? Essay1690 Words   |  7 PagesIs Euthanasia Immoral? Mr. Blackburn Inquiry Skills 2 Dec. 1996 In todays society there are many disagreements about the rights and wrongs of euthanasia. Although death is unavoidable for human beings, suffering before death is unbearable not only for terminal patients but for the family members and friends. Euthanasia comes from the Greek word Thanatos meaning death and the prefix eu meaning easy or good (Russell 94). Thus, eu- Thanatos meaning easy or good deathRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Euthanasia1302 Words   |  6 Pagesbehind Euthanasia In an ethics class I took in high school, I have learned about many controversial topics. One that caught my attention specifically was euthanasia or the â€Å"right to die† as some call it. There are many types of Euthanasia, including active and passive. In class we debated the difference between the two and why passive euthanasia is legal and active is not. Active euthanasia is defined as â€Å"a person directly and deliberately causing the patient s death.† (Forms of euthanasia) Passive