You will complete this assignment after you watch the movies and videos, and read the news articles. I’ve put the assignment at the beginning of the module so you’re aware of what you need to be looking for in the material.
As you compose your responses, think about potential benefits and consequences for individuals and society as euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide become legalized and more socially acceptable.
There are questions that should be discussed and answered BEFORE changing what’s acceptable in health care. Limits on what’s allowed exist for a reason. Once a door has been unlatched, it’s easier to push it all the way open. Consider the following: What could go wrong? What happens next? If physician-assisted suicide becomes the norm, will the sick feel an obligation to die early? Will society expect the terminally ill to minimize the “burden” they add to health care? Will other forms of suicide become more accepted? Perhaps society will become like Scrooge and say, “If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
Be sure to complete all the readings and view all the movies and videos before working on this assignment.
Respond to the following questions. Copy and paste the questions. Write your response after each question. It is recommended you write your responses on a word processing program (Word, Google Docs, etc.) and then cut/paste your work to Canvas.
In How to Die in Oregon, how were language and images used to influence the perception of physician-assisted suicide? What benefits and risks do you see with physician-assisted suicide? You must include specific examples and/or name(s) of an individual(s) from the documentary in your response. (200+ words)
What do you think about permitting physician-assisted suicide for non-terminally ill people as shown in Allow Me to Die? What do you think should be taken into consideration before physician-assisted suicide is offered as an option to a patient? You must include specific examples and/or name(s) of an individual(s) from the documentary in your response. (200+ words)
What thoughts do you have about child euthanasia? Should it be allowed? If so, at what age? What are the risks involved? (150+ words)
Overall, what do you think about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide? Are you for it, against it, undecided? Why? Are there alternative solutions? Defend your position with ethical reasoning and logic. If you’re for it, what should our society consider before just voting “YES!” and legalizing it? What safeguards should be put in place? What potential consequences are you concerned about if it’s legalized? If you’re against it, what should be done to help those who are suffering tremendously and are terminally ill? How do you justify imposing your beliefs on others? Why should people have to endure such misery? (300+ words)
Info Needed for Assignment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SmiubIkUWU
From Michael Cook, editor of BioEdge:
Some years ago, I received an unexpected phone call from a Melbourne magazine that described itself as the voice of the Australian Left. One of the editors wanted me to write an article about euthanasia activist Philip Nitschke. “He’s ****ing the proletariat over, comrade,” was his interpretation of Dr. Nitschke’s mission. I obliged and was later rewarded with an invitation to the magazine’s Christmas party. I had an interesting chat there with an enthusiastic fan of Stalin’s philosophical works (“much misunderstood”), thus dispelling any misgivings I might have had about the magazine’s left-wing credentials.
Nowadays, “left-wing” almost certainly indicates support for euthanasia. That’s why I was gratified to read that the defeat of a euthanasia bill in Portugal last week was due to the opposition of the Communist Party. Its leader, João Oliveira, told the Portuguese parliament that:
“Faced with the problems of human suffering, illness, disability or incapacity, the solution is not to remove responsibility from society by promoting the early death of people in these circumstances, but to promote social progress in order to ensure conditions for a decent life.”
That’s what I thought left-wing politics was all about: protecting the disadvantaged. Have left-wingers in the Anglosphere lost their wayA7-g&thttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCRpuTRA7-g&t=5s
Allow me to die Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCRpuTRA7-g&t=5s
Articles Involved: https://www.deseret.com/2016/10/13/20598237/lds-leaders-ask-mormons-to-oppose-legalization-of-assisted-suicide-recreational-marijuana
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/first-child-euthanised-in-belgium/12008
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