Euthanasia

[svenisgod]

hey i'm doing a debate on euthanasia much to my disgust my teacher has given me the Pro side of it. i really have no clue how i am to argue for this side. so far the only argument i have is that part of the hippocratic oath says that you cant give lethal medicine out.
so can you give me a hand?

[Tancrisism]

I am actually for it in the cases where people are vegetables. I know that if I was completely brain-dead I would prefer it if I was allowed to die. Obviously this is what the rest of my body desires, so why the fuck not? All I would be doing by continuing to be alive is causing my family grief and sucking up resources that could be better spent.

[AntiangelicAngel]

At 1/14/09 10:53 PM, svenisgod wrote: hey i'm doing a debate on euthanasia much to my disgust my teacher has given me the Pro side of it. i really have no clue how i am to argue for this side. so far the only argument i have is that part of the hippocratic oath says that you cant give lethal medicine out.
so can you give me a hand?

...
If you're on the PRO side, wouldn't you NOT want to mention the Hippocratic oath? That seems like an argument AGAINST IT, and you're supposed to be arguing the PROS (for it).

[svenisgod]

uhh i mean im on the against side sorry.

[thedo12]

people should have the right to live, but also the right to choose to die.

in a vegtable state, someone close to them should choose .

[Tancrisism]

At 1/14/09 11:01 PM, svenisgod wrote: uhh i mean im on the against side sorry.

Bring God into it, and explain that he would agree with you because the Bible tells you so.

[svenisgod]

At 1/14/09 11:14 PM, Tancrisism wrote:

At 1/14/09 11:01 PM, svenisgod wrote: uhh i mean im on the against side sorry.

Bring God into it, and explain that he would agree with you because the Bible tells you so.

read sig.

i'm not bringing god into this. its not an argument.

[Tancrisism]

At 1/14/09 11:19 PM, svenisgod wrote: read sig.

i'm not bringing god into this. its not an argument.

I can't think of any good reasonable arguments against euthanasia except the obvious existing legal points that you already mentioned. So, if you must continue the argument, you might as well use lots of fun little logical fallacies.

It is an argument, it just isn't a valid one. Sadly, it wins sometimes. So if you get desperate, it is always there.

[svenisgod]

sigh... and it looks like ill have to use it too.

[AntiangelicAngel]

FIrstly, it's important to clarify what you're discussing during debate. For any particular fact, are you discussing assisted suicide, active euthanasia where a family member makes the decision, or passive removal of life support or feeding tubes.
Okay, so, here is what I can think of:
1)Misdiagnosis of a terminal illness or an incorrect prognosis could lead to assisted suicide where the individual could survive
2)It would be difficult to ensure that healthy but depressed individuals were unable to have a doctor provide assisted suicide service.
3)Family members could take advantage of the situation when their kin was in a coma in order to receive inheritance.
4)Pain control and hospice care can make the end of life comfortable.
5)Euthanasia might become a means for insurance hospitals to minimize health care costs.
6)Persons who consent to euthanasia are typically not of sound mind or body, especially if they are elderly or demented
7)It rejects (sometimes religious) notions of "the value" of human life.
8)The option of euthanasia would discriminate against the poor, since they would have to opt for this instead of continued treatment.
9)Drug-related assisted suicide may result in functional organs being destroyed, so they can't be donor organs.
10)There has been controversy that the death-penalty's lethal injection could be incredibly painful. It may be the same for assisted suicide.
11)People may elect to the option long before their expected death, and may be sacrificing the opportunity of recovery.
All else fails, you could say God is punishing us with IED's in Iraq for our slowly growing acceptance of physician assisted suicide.

[fli]

I made a post about "not" Terry Schiavo...

It's very dramatic, made in the days when her feeding tube was out. So many emotions, so many responses-- tons of maybe useful materials for you...

[morefngdbs]

At 1/14/09 11:29 PM, svenisgod wrote: sigh... and it looks like ill have to use it too.

;;;;;;;;;
For me, there is a real problem when a person becomes incapacitated & no real clear, concise & indisputable argument for the incapacitated persons right to decide to die. So if you've got everyone close to you & their signatures recognising that dieing /pulling the plug is what you want...you legal representitive knows & understands this wish...then I have No problem.
BUT
If your really ill, or just decide...F^(# it !
Well having suicide booth type accessibility sounds like a great idea...with safe guards...like no way to mug someone & then off them & make it look like it was their idea....

I wonder how you put in a safeguard system like that, when we can't stop robbery in broad daylight ?

[AntiangelicAngel]

At 1/14/09 11:46 PM, fli wrote: I made a post about "not" Terry Schiavo...

Removal of a feeding tube is an accepted practice for comatose patients, and everyone was sick of hearing that shit when there were people starving to death and being murdered across the world.
And though economic arguments are sad to use in cases like this, as we've learned from Christian Children's Fund commercials, 80 cents a day can give a kid basic medical care and vaccines for preventable disease, as well as food and education. Keeping one person on life support costs thousands of dollars per month. Money can be better spent.

[TehChahlesh]

At 1/14/09 11:29 PM, svenisgod wrote: sigh... and it looks like ill have to use it too.

Honestly, I should be doing my own homework, not yours.

[CBP]

Talk about people dying of incurable diseases who are in a severe amount of pain. Talk about how some people don't have the religious beliefs that others have that stop them from asking for Dr. Kevorkian to come and be their angel of death. Talk about how respecting the dignity of life can mean letting go of it while there is still some dignity. That enough for you?

[AntiangelicAngel]

At 1/15/09 06:54 PM, CBP wrote: Talk about people... That enough for you?

If you read the rest of the post, he mistyped, he was arguing against, not for.

[svenisgod]

At 1/14/09 11:41 PM, AntiangelicAngel wrote: FIrstly, it's important to clarify what you're discussing during debate. For any particular fact, are you discussing assisted suicide, active euthanasia where a family member makes the decision, or passive removal of life support or feeding tubes.

thanks a shitload mate that was really reallly usefull.

At 1/15/09 04:33 PM, TehChahlesh wrote:

At 1/14/09 11:29 PM, svenisgod wrote: sigh... and it looks like ill have to use it too.

Honestly, I should be doing my own homework, not yours.

then why are you taking the time to write this message.

[svenisgod]

hey angel do you mind (if you can) telling me where you got this information? (the source?)