Euthanasia Essays (1860 words) - Euthanasia, Medical Ethics

Euthanasia Euthanasia in the United States Every year two million people die in North America. Chronic illness, such as cancer or heart disease, accounts for two of every three deaths. It is estimated that approximately seventy percent of these people die after a decision is made to forgo life-sustaining treatment (Choice in Dying). In America and all around the world, the ongoing debate is whether patients should have the opportunity to implement this critical alternative of euthanasia. Although controversial, it is imperative that United States citizens are not denied this right to a humane death. Groups in opposition to euthanasia say that patients who yearn to make this decision are neither in a healthy psychological state of mind nor have the God-willing right to do so. These groups feel if euthanasia were to become a publicly accepted option to the terminally ill that physicians, family, and even patients may abuse it. They also strongly support modern end-of-life treatment, known as pall iative care, as a more logical and moral option. Perhaps the strongest belief that euthanasia is wrong comes from those who follow the words of the Bible and believe that every aspect of life belongs to God. The Old Testament records an incident involving King Saul of Israel, who became seriously wounded on the battlefield. Fearing the advancing enemy, Saul took his own sword and tried to fall against it. He cried to a soldier, ?Come and put me out of my misery for I am in terrible pain but life lingers on.? The soldier acted in accordance with the wishes of the king and killed him. The soldier then brought some of Saul's armor to David and said, ?I killed him, for I knew he couldn't live.? David ordered the soldier put to death (Eareckson, 111). Those who believe in the Bible clearly see here that, whether a monarch or a common person, mercy killing is perceived as iniquitous in the Lord's eyes. To see a more recent example of the Catholic Church's disagreement of euthanasia we onl y have to look back a few years. In 1994, for instance, the Dutch television station IKON's filming of the death of a man with Lou Gehrig's disease in a documentary, ?Death on Request,? brought a denunciation from the Vatican (Branegan, 30). Equally important to those supporting the anti-euthanasia cause is the thought of any physician, family member or patient who would abuse this right if given the chance. Naturally, much trust is bestowed in these key players of our lives if anything were to happen to us. The question in this sense is how do we know that they will make decisions in the best interest of the patient if they are unable to speak for themselves? Would the financial and emotional burden on the family of a terminally ill patient cause them to make an irrational decision to directly affect the life of the patient? If the emotional stress doesn't get to some people, the financial burden may definitely hit some families hard these days with the high costs of modern medical treatment. And who couldn't use thousands of dollars in life insurance? The temptation is definitely there. A harsh example of this can be seen in the experience of a fifty-year-old woman with cancer of the bones, liver, lungs, and breast. Her doctor was a Polish-born oncologist, Dr. Ben Zylicz. Dr. Zylicz explained to the woman that he could lessen her pain with drugs, and offered her a hospital room. Aware of Holland's policy allowing doctors to end the lives of the terminally ill by such means, the woman stated, ?I am Catholic. My religious beliefs would never allow me to accept euthanasia.? Zylicz assured the woman that he would take care of her, and she agreed to take the room. After twenty-four hours of morphine treatment she was able to see her family (Eads, 93). Later, a nurse called Zylicz at home with some distressing news. After Zylicz had left the hospital, another doctor entered the patient's hospital room and asked her husband and sister to leave. He then ordered an i ncrease in her morphine dosage, but refused to confirm the order in writing. Within minutes the woman was dead.

Symbolism in the Dolls House Essays

Symbolism in the Dolls House Essays Symbolism in the Dolls House Paper Symbolism in the Dolls House Paper Essay Topic: A Dolls House Symbolism in The Doll’s House Katherine Mansfield’s The Doll’s House, clearly illustrates the symbolic journey of Kezia as she wanders in her childhood purity. The symbolic relationship that Kezia develops with the lamp in The Doll’s House, is critical to the development of the plot. In addition, the depiction of Kezia, provides a contrasting outlook on English hierarchy. To begin, the Burnell Children receive a doll’s house from Mrs. Hay. As the two eldest Burnell children take admiration to the red plush chairs and carpet, perfected indows, and golden pieces of the house, Kezia, the youngest, is mesmerized by the simplicity of the lamp. This is exemplified when Kezia thinks to herself, â€Å"But the lamp was perfect. It seemed to smile at Kezia, to say, â€Å"I live here†. The lamp was real† (Mansfield 119). Kezia’s enchantment of the lamp symbolizes her absence of adornment for materialistic items, opposed to her sisters. As the story progresses, Kezia continues to disapprove of the superficial parts of the doll’s house and cannot see why the others do not see the beauty of the lamp. This is clearly illustrated when Kezia ries out, â€Å"The lamps best of all†. She thought Isabel wasn’t making half enough of the little lamp. But nobody would pay attention† (Mansfield 121). Issues continue to occur with the others, due to Kezia’s indifferent ways. Once Kezia falls in love with the lamp, however, it is foreshadowing the events to come. Next, Kezia’s innocence leads her to make friends with the Kelvey’s, in whom from an economic standpoint, are ignored. Like the lamp, Kezia does not follow the normality of things around her in her English society. For instance, everywhere in town, They walked past the Kelvey’s with their heads in the air, and as they set the fashion in all matters of behaviour, the Kelvey’s were shunned by everybody† (Mansfield 120). Due to the class distinction of the Kelvey’s, Kezia is forbidden to speak to the Kelvey’s. However, Kezia does not follow the rest of her English society, and overlooks the appearance of the Kelvey’s and the rumors everyone says about them. It is evident that Kezia does not follow the others when she tells the Kelvey’s, â€Å"You can come and see our doll’s house if you want to† (Mansfield 122). By Kezia inviting the Kelvey girls to see he doll’s house, she visibly displays her kind-hearted simplistic character, that if she was to be an object, would be a simple lamp like the Kelvey’s. Therefore, despite everyone’s unjustified threats towards Kezia, she lets the simplicity of the lamp guide her to h ave a moral conscience in not excluding the Kelvey’s. Finally, the Kelvey’s are similar to Kezia, for they both notice the simplistic things in life and are not overly consumed by materialistic ones. Kezia senses the inner purity of the Kelvey’s and ultimately decides to invite them to see the doll’s house. Yet, hen the Kelvey’s have the chance to catch a mere glimpse of the doll’s house, they are quickly â€Å"shooed out as if they were chickens† (Mansfield 123) by Kezia’s Aunt Beryl. In spite of that, the Kelvey’s are still able to see the lamp, the most important object in the entire doll’s house. The Kelvey’s, like Kezia, see beauty in the most unembellished things in life. When Else, one of the Kelvey sister’s says, â€Å"I seen the little lamp† (Mansfield 123), the symbolism of the lamp is established. At this point, Mansfield successfully conveys the overall message of the hope against discrimination. Thus, this hope, symbolized through the lamp, is a connection that brings Kezia closer to the Kelvey’s, in realizing their similar views. In conclusion, the symbolism of the lamp, that stems from Kezia and leads to the Kelvey’s, distinctly shows the divide and constant battle between rich and poor. Materialism in our world also shows how perplex it is for many humans to surpass the ever-constant greed man has towards material items. Seeing past the obvious beauties in life is a complex obstacle to conquer in The Doll’s House, that only Kezia and the Kelvey’s are able to do. Both working together to fight this battle, therefore represent a lamp constantly searching for energy and hope to renew its light when it fades. In this case, the new light source was Kezia, who was seeking for an answer to help the Kelvey’s. Hence, the simplistic lamp represents the bonded connection that Kezia develops with the Kelvey’s, through the sightless faith of those around them, in the midst of their pure hearts. Mansfield, Katherine. The Broadview Anthology of Short Fiction: The Doll’s House. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2004. Print.

G H 402 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

G H 402 - Assignment Example Most malarial deaths occur to the pregnant women and young children because of the inability to access proper medical care and poor sanitation services that lead to the breeding of mosquitos. Global malaria prevalence is also due to poor and limited information on malaria and the possible preventive methods. Most of the affected groups have a wrong perception on Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) and therefore they don’t control the vector causing malaria (McCracken and Phillips 75) Malaria has become a global concern because it is considered to be both a disease of poverty and a major cause of poverty mostly in the developing countries. This is because the developing countries do not have the sufficient and proper medication for the disease. It has therefore been considered to be a major constraint to economic development in the developing countries as it has both high social and economic costs that cause a wider gap in the GDP of the developed and developing countries (McCracken and Phillips 78). This has therefore led to a big global dilemma for the affected communities. Environmental sanitation is another major global concern due to the rising environmental degradation. For a proper and safe environment, there should be minimal sharing of the sanitation services such as the toilets as recommended by the World Health Organization (McCracken and Phillips 76). This improves the security and safety of the services and enables accessibility and proper maintenance. If sanitation facilities are highly shared, it becomes a challenge to maintain their cleanliness, and this may turn them to be breeding places for disease-transmitting parasites and pathogens. The global concern for environmental sanitation is causing the dilemma because of the rising number of people that have limited access to improved sanitation making them prone to diseases (McCracken and Phillips 84). Due to the rising