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Euthanasia - Just the Facts

One of the most public and controversial social issues today surrounds the issues

of euthanasia. The outcome of that debate will profoundly affect family relationships, interaction between doctors and patients, and concepts of basic ethical behavior. With so much at stake, more is needed than a duel of one-liners, slogans and sound bites. Euthanasia is a rapidly growing social problem. The opinions on this topic are influenced by different groups and beliefs, such as religion, culture, governmental standards, and personal beliefs causing euthanasia to become a major social problem in the world today.. Euthanasia has been an intense issue all over the world causing a constant debate among differing opinions. Oregon and the Netherlands have legalized euthanasia giving permission to the physician for the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit.

Purely at an objective point of view, euthanasia is definitely considered a social

problem. Euthanasia is defined by The American Heritage Dictionary as "the action of

killing an individual for reasons considered to be merciful". Here, killing is described as

the physical action where one individual actively kills

. . .

5% would prefer to tough it out against the painful disease, and 6. However, the issues that surround euthanasia are not only about death, they are about ones liberty, right to privacy and control over his or her own body.

In conclusion, Euthanasia has become more than ever a very heated debate. Respondents aged 18-29 and over 65 were less likely to consider assisted suicide than were those aged 30-64. Blacks were far less likely than whites to choose euthanasia over a protracted death by terminal disease.

In two relatively recent cases, the Supreme Court had to decide the future of patients that were considered to be in chronically persistent vegetative states. Whether the issue is refusing prolonged life mechanically, assisting suicide, or active euthanasia, we eventually confront our society's fears toward death itself. The most visible and vocal proponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide are right-to-die organizations made up of committed activists who seek to change the laws. However, the word "euthanasia" is much more difficult to define. Religion plays a key role in the way a person’s opinion can be developed. Euthanasia is tolerated in

the medical field under certain circumstances when a patient is suffering profoundly and

death is inevitable. These statistics speak for themselves. In March of 2000, The Zogby poll asked: "If you had a disease that was fatal, and was causing great pain and discomfort, which of the following courses of action would you prefer: Physician assisted suicide or euthanasia, wait and let nature take its course, or not sure?" according to the Zogby poll, only one-in-three Americans, if stricken with a painful terminal disease, would prefer assisted suicide or euthanasia than letting nature take its course.

Each person may define euthanasia differently.

Approximate Word count = 868
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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