When Death Is Not Always a Devil
"Against all the injuries of life, I have the refuge of death. If I can choose between a death of torture and one that is simple and easy, why should I not select the latter? As I chose the ship in which I sail and the house which I inhabit, so will I choose the death by which I leave life. In no matter more than death should we act according to our desire
Why should I endure the agonies of disease
when I can emancipate myself from all my torments?" (qtd. in Wennberg 42-43)
The passage was written two centuries ago by Seneca, a Stoic philosopher of Rome, expressing clearly the real meaning of euthanasia. Euthanasia, a Greek word that means "good death," is a controversial issue that provokes moral arguments about whether letting terminally ill patients die quicker is an act of killing or not. While passive euthanasia, which involves withdrawal of life support, is legal, active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, an act of......
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Approximate Word Count: 3020
Approximate Pages: 12 (260 words per double-spaced page) |