FREE ESSAY ON LIVING TO DIE, OR DIEING TO LIVE?

LIVING TO DIE, OR DIEING TO LIVE?

Living to die, or is it dying to live.
Suicide, the intentional act of killing oneself. Britain abolished punishment for
attempted suicide in 1961, and by the early 1990's only two US states still listed
suicide as a crime (Columbia Encyclopedia). The Japanese have long held to practice
called Hara-Kiri, another form of suicide. Most religions look down on this practice
because it goes against their core values. As we examine the reasoning behind suicide,
can we make a decision of whether it should be legal or illegal? Is there a place for
suicide in our cultures? 
Statistically there is a rise in suicides, although there are vast ages that can account
for these statistics the significant increase is by those of the elderly genre. Is this a
sign of things to come, are we looking at a new trend of doctor assisted suicides? In
most case's this is true, yes. Can we justify the young and their cases of suicide? Since
1950's the cases of younger genre has tripled their cases. For many reasons the younger
people of the world have far too many cases that would just over run the means of my
project, so at present time there is no need to continue. However, the most increased
controversial cases stem from the elderly and the terminally ill. As the price of health
care increase's and retirements, decrease there is a bigger demand on health issues.
Among the elderly, we are seeing more cases of cancer's, heart attaches, dementia, and
other serious issues. 
There are some members of society that refer to this behavior as Doctor-assisted,
suicide, and Doctor-assisted murder; in fact, the real name for this is called Euthanasia
it derives from Greek word meaning 'eu' and 'thanatos', which together mean 'a good
death'. In any order that a person wants to examine this, we have to refer to it as the
correct term, Euthanasia. Regardless of the name, it is still a form of suicide, the act
of taking one's own life. As long as mankind has survived we know that it is a fact of
life that we all will die, there has only been a few small accounts that mankind has just
walked into heaven. Therefore, for the rest of us when we are born we are already in the
process of dying. Is it unfair to plan our lives and to consider all the possibilities
that then remain, no. We simply understand that by refusing medical treatment we are not
prolonging death but simply just accepting it. We plan death by writing wills and living
wills to tell our doctors and relatives, when I die this is what I want, if I am terminal
and unconscious do this. That is a plan of death in itself. 
Suicide has a devastating emotional impact on surviving family members and friends. The
intentional, sudden, and violent nature of the person's death often makes others feel
abandoned, helpless, and rejected (Encarta99).
These feelings stem from anger and selfishness; they can be associated by the fact that
the others did not understand the depth of the pain, or the associated medical expenses.
Could euthanasia become a means of health care cost containment? Perhaps one of the most
important developments in recent years is the increasing emphasis placed on health care
providers to contain costs. In such a climate, euthanasia certainly could become a means
of cost containment. Is euthanasia sometimes the only way to relieve excruciating pain?
The natural fear people have of suffering and dying, and often imply that when cure is no
longer likely, there are only two alternatives: euthanasia or unbearable pain. Is
religion a key factor of right or wrong, and how religion should play a part? 
None of the religious arguments against assisted dying is
Relevant to those who do not share those beliefs. And of
Course, despite these teachings, many of those who are
Religious do not oppose voluntary euthanasia either (The Voluntary Euthanasia Society).
Hans Kung once said that:
...as a Christian and a theologian I am convinced that
the all-merciful God, who has given men and women
freedom and responsibility for their lives, has also left to
dying people the responsibility for making a conscientious
decision about the manner and time of their deaths (The Voluntary Euthanasia Society).
There are things in life that are harsh and difficult to face, no matter how hard we try
to over come them there is never an easy solution to the problem, of pain and suffering.
Costly medical expenses and the methods we use are not cheap either! Clinically ill
patients should not have their choices made for them; it is their right to die it does
not affect us directly. Clinical depression is an illness that alone can destroy a
person's life, socially alone. 
The chronically ill, or the healthy but bereft - they face a lifetime of agony
(Krauthammer). Is it the scope of man to see more suffering among the living dead that
are just waiting for their bodies to catch up to them. Are we afraid of what God will
think of us? In a doctors own words, Of course it's ok to play god: at the hospital we do
it all the time (Hinden). So if we play god at the hospital and not fear that phase of
medical science, is it really the case of religion we face. The average cost to have a
cancerous legion to be removed can range into the $50,000.00 mark easily. A family that
has adequate medical coverage will end up paying a $5,000.00 co-pay for their treatment,
but on the other hand if we look at the poor families that has little of no coverage they
could bear the cost of $30,000.00 easily, on top of that there is no guarantee that it
will not return! An elderly person with dementia loses the right to take care of himself,
destined to be cared for by the system with increasing medical expenses. Are we so
selfish that we have forgotten that we should cry for a newborn child when it is born,
and rejoice when a person dies? Not really, we simply excuse the idea by saying but it
hurts to lose a loved one, not realizing the pain of the mother who lost her children to
a drunk driver, or the sons mother who died as a result of breast cancer after still
having numerous treatments with no hope in site. My own father died of bacteria poisoning
from an Aluminum plant, he slowly was eaten up from the inside out. He was given dosage
after expensive dosage of medicines, costly doctor visits only to tell him, and yes, you
are dying. He begged for the pain to end and the doctors to let him die. I would have
never been upset at my father for seeking ease to his pain. Terminally ill diseases and
irreparable mental issues are just what they are- terminal and no means of recovery. We
hear the arguments every day of how heath care expenses are on the rise and families are
struggling to afford health care. Would it not make better sense to allow those
individuals to carry out their wishes and ease the monetary problems of health care by
allowing the more treatable cases to use this funding? Really, you would no spend $100 to
make $1 would you; of course, not it is not feasible! If a plan of action is taken,
strong guidelines are met and it is humane there should be no cause for alarm. We have a
planed system of putting animals to sleep, murders are put to sleep in a method that is
humane. It is after all a time when we are concerned for the most cautious and reasonable
way to do things, so why not offer that to those who need it as a medical treatment. (By
no means am I trying to justify the means of our judicial systems procedures). The
burning issue that remains is what do we do now? How must we decide who is able to use
this method and who is not. Well it is a case by case basis. We would certainly not allow
a teenager to take his/her own life because they had a falling out with their significant
other that is ridiculous, we need to focus on the elderly that have no means left to
fight health issues that continue to slowly deter ate their finances and their health. An
AIDS patient that is treated with AZT, but after so long the lose control of the ability
to use that as a means of health care. Cancer patients who have had numerous chemotherapy
treatments and surgery's to remove growths, these are all candidates if they so choose.
Clinical depression may even be justifiable according to the cases, is it necessary to
continue to treat the same patients who regularly overdoses to kill themselves? England
finally realized that their own laws were contradictory to their beliefs when the
abolished a law stating that failed attempts at suicide was punishable by death! Are we
playing God by dismissing the thoughts of suicide, or are we just hiding behind God as an
excuse not to allow it. The decision to live out a terminal disease is yours to make, I
find it illogical to believe that you will be forced to kill yourself if you are
terminally ill. I do find it reasonable to think that it could be an option if you chose
it.
In conclusion, I would like to state that whatever the case may be there is always a
reasonable solution to every problem if only we would just hear every side and examine it
in a rational manner. As I end this, I would only like to say that the issue at hand is
the right to do with your life as you so choose. I do not want the reader to feel
compassion to lose site of the argument at hand, but it is my belief and true intentions
that suicide, Euthanasia, or even doctor assisted suicide should be recognized as a form
to treatment. Yes it does hurt to lose a loved one close to us by this means of
treatment, but I would rather know that it was done with practicality in mind and not by
shame, shame of what society would think and have to do this in seclusion where no one
would ever find out and not know why. I live with the pain of being shell-shocked from a
war, and the battle of cancer right now and by no means do I want you to feel sorry for
me I simply do not want you to make me suffer if I feel I do not want to. It is my choice
to say when I have put up a good fight; every great fighter knows when he has been
licked! Let me make my choice and deal with the consequences I wont hold you accountable.
After all are living to die, or are we simply dying to live!
Works Cited
Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Version 3.5.0 Columbia: Info soft
International, 1994
Encarta 99. Version 8.29.00.0912 Redmond: Microsoft, 1993-1998
Hendin, Herbert. Seduced by death: Doctors, Patients, and the Dutch Cure. Norton, 1996.
88
McMeniman, Linda. From Inquiry to Argument. Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. 170
Religious views on assisted suicide. The Voluntary Euthanasia Society. 11 Nov. 1999
(Http://www.ves.org.uk/factsheet/relig.htm)