English Creative Response Task

Euthanasia - a
Life-changing
Decision
A recent debate has emerged
throughout Canberras public
following the arrest of Dr Philip
Nitschke.
From primary school students to
federal politicians, eeryone seems
to hae something to say about the
issues surrounding euthanasia and
the other arious forms of suicide.
!uthanasia is generally seen as a
"uiet, painless death. #t is also
known less formally as mercy killing,
and as far as legal definitions it is
broken down into seeral sections$
Passive euthanasia occurs when a
doctor alters treatment to allow death
to occur naturally, eg. stopping #%
fluids&medication. #n some
circumstances, passie euthanasia
can be iewed as legal.
Active euthanasia is the process of
actiely participating in a fatal act,
usually at the re"uest of the patient.
'his form includes the use of a lethal
in(ection.
'here is also physician-assisted
suicide, which is a cross between
passie and actie euthanasia. A
licensed practitioner knowingly gies
a thoroughly informed patient the
means with which they could commit
suicide, but the patient actually
completes the action.
'he fourth and final type of
euthanasia is involuntary
euthanasia, which is only done for
the critically ill who hae little to no
hope of eer recoering. #t is often
re"uested by a family member or
suggested by a doctor.
)# really dont understand why people
cant be free to make their own
decisions,* commented Carlissa
+teens, a year si, student. )#ts their
life - it should be their choice.*
.any people agree with this
comment, realising that in a life/or/
death situation they may not be
granted the right to this choice.
+till, many more disagree, arguing
that despite this their doctor would
know best.
#s there really a right answer to this
debate0 Paul 1aniel thinks not.
)2ou cant really hae a definitie
personal iew until youe
e,perienced it, and een then its
your own personal opinion, not
necessarily that of the society in
general.*
1aniel, a 34 year old paraplegic,
speaks from e,perience. At the age
of 56, he lost the use of both legs
after an e"uestrian accident.
7oweer, his iews on the right to
choose life or death hae changed
oer the years.
)8hen # first woke, # wanted to die. #
figured there wouldnt be anything to
help me9 # wanted to be put out of my
misery.
)'hen they started e,plaining how
much # could still do, what # could
ad(ust to fit my new re"uirements.
:ooking back on it now, # can see
why its so great that they didnt let
me decide.*
Letters to the Editor
Madam,
Euthanasia is such a
controversial issue, but really,
why make such a fuss out of it?
Its pretty clear that while many
may consider euthanasia, they
are often thoroughly depressed
and are thinking with an
irrational mind. Depressed
persons often make decisions
regarding many aspects of their
life which they come to regret
later. Death is not something
that can be undone and the one
who dies is not around to feel
the repercussions.
!he law is clearly against it, with
some areas imposing murder
charges against those who
participate. Many religions are
against it too " #hristianity and
$uddhism, for e%ample. &hy
encourage people to go against
their faith, against their beliefs?
'verall, I (nd it disheartening
and cruel to promote such a
worthless issue which can only
bring heartache and pain to our
society.
!o &hom It May #oncern,
)ustralia is known for being one
area of the world where people
are given much freedom in
regards to their actions and
words. &hy, then, are we unable
to e%tend this privilege to
euthanasia?
*enerally, euthanasia is seen as
acceptable in modern medical
societies. &hilst it is not actively
encouraged, doctors who
believe it is in the patients best
interests and are willing to work
with the patient are often able
to continue without fear of
recrimination from that social
group.
+urthermore, in many situations
families are granted the option
to turn of life,support or ask that
a family member is not
resuscitated again. -aving
personally e%perienced this
situation with my mothers
death, I am at a loss to
understand why a family can
make this decision but another
individual a.ected cannot.
I (nd it overwhelming that this
issue receives so much negative
press. It is only, after all, a
decision, however contentious it
may seem. It is the right of the
individual to make this decision,
and while other professionals
may have opposing views they
must learn to respect the choice
of the patient or family in all
circumstances.
Whos Really
Deciding?
'he issue of euthanasia has
prooked a lot of discussion oer the
last few weeks, particularly since the
edges are definitely not clear cut.
:ooking upon last weeks court case,
where .r :onneth won the right to
leae the hospital and die at home
surrounded by his family, it seems so
unrealistic to hae to debate it.
.r :onneths doctors all agreed that
there was no real hope of a full
recoery. #n this situation, isnt it right
for the patient to hae the right to
deny treatment and do what they can
with their time0
'here are, of course, situations
where the patient is able to make a
full recoery. .any people would
argue that in this conte,t euthanasia
is inappropriate.
'he difference between the two
situations$ the "uality of life.
;uality of life is an important aspect
to the issues surrounding
euthanasia. 'here is no point in
keeping someone alie if they are
bedridden and completely
incompetent, not een able to
communicate.
<n the other hand, if an acceptable
"uality of life can be established,
then what reason is there to destroy
it0
8hen animals are put down, they
leae grief, sadness and a sense of
loss with us. 7oweer, we are also
left with the knowledge that they are
no longer suffering. 8hy are we
unable to look at human euthanasia
in the same light, and accept that
sometimes we must be cruel to be
kind0
'here are always situations where
there is a choice between life and
death. 8hat should be taken into
account is the circumstances
surrounding both that particular time
and the future for the patient and the
"uality of life that is achieable.

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Euthanasia - a

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