The Right-to-Die Controversy (pp. 531–534)
When asked how they would like to die, most people say they want “death with dignity.” In reality, as a result of life-saving medical technology, death is long and drawn out for three-fourths of people. In most industrialized nations, brain death is accepted as signifying death, but thousands of people remain in a persistent vegetative state. Compared with earlier generations, today more young people reach adulthood without having experienced the death of someone they know well. Americans live in a death-avoidant culture in which death anxiety is widespread.
Directions: Pose the following questions to two friends or family members:
1. “Who should make end-of-life decisions, such as stopping treatment when a patient is near death or has no hope of recovery, when the patient’s wishes are unclear? Why?”
2. “Is medical aid-in-dying ever ethically justifiable? If so, under what conditions?”
Record the answers and address cultural, religious, and personal influences on those answers.
Based on the answers provided to the two interviews, how do the answers highlight the ongoing controversies over the right to die? Explain, providing examples.
What are your thoughts on these issues, highlighting the factors that affect your reasoning? Explain, providing examples.
Use the content from the textbook to support your answers. Appropriately cite source in APA Style, 7th ed. This assignment must be in APA Style, 7th ed., including a title page, in-text citations, and references page.