Assisted Suicide

Assisted Suicide Essay In thousands of homes across the nation victims of terminal illnessessit in pain due to their sicknesses. Should these people have to go through allof that pain and suffering just for the end result of death? Should thesepeople have the right to assisted death, to rid themselves of unbearable pain?This topic has been one of the great controversies over the last several years. Not too long ago if someone was found assisting in suicide, it was seenas a felony crime. But recently there have been court cases taken up in twofederal appellate courts that ruled terminally ill patients have the right toseek doctor assisted suicide (Carter 1). These cases took place in New York andWashington. This added two more to the list of states that legalized this meansof ending life. However, doctor assisted is still seen as a criminal act inthirty four states(Rosen 1). In my opinion, doctor assisted suicide should bemade legal throughout the nation. If a terminally ill patient wants to take hisor her life due to excruciating pain, he or she should have the ability toutilize euthanasia. Ultimately, the decision should be that of the terminallyill individual. The main controversy over this issue, is the question of morality. Isit morally right for a doctor to assist in suicide? Many individuals feel thatit is not. It is thought if assisted suicide is legalized throughout th e states,it will encourage families with terminally ill relatives to push themprematurely to their demise(Carter 2). This is an outlandish assumption. Afamily that truly loves one another would not urge a family member to rush anydecision as momentous as ending ones life. If there is caring among the family,the suicide would not take place until is was utterly necessary. Two other important moral questions also arise from this issue. First,do our mortal lives belong to us alone, are we sovereign over our bodies, or dothey belong to the communities of families in which we are embedded? Second,will this right give the terminally ill a greater sense of control over theircircumstances, or will it weaken respect for life?(Carter 2)The first question is ridiculous. It seems as though Carter is tryingto say we will no longer be in charge of ourselves, and we will be living in asocialistic society. There is no reason why we should not be able to controlthe destiny of our lives. We, as human beings, are solely sovereign over ourown bodies. Therefore, it is the terminally ill patient who should have theability to choose death over life. It is this person who is experiencing thepain and suffering of their disease, not a relative or close friend, much lessthe government. The legalization of doctor assisted suicide is no reason tochange anything with people who a re not terminally ill. The second question, on the other hand, has some validity and logic toit. Doctor assisted suicide would give the dying a certain sense of control. It would enable the patient to have a certain feeling of power, knowing that heor she has the ability to complete his or her life upon request. This may soundsomewhat awkward; however, it is quite possible that it would give the patientsa sense of well being. Furthermore, it gives them a chance to end their lives ontheir terms, instead of letting a disease determine their course in life. Asfor the second half of this question, it should in no way weaken the respect forlife. Losing respect for life is for the weak minded. If anything itstrengthens the patients respect; a person in the last stages of a terminalillness has endured some of the worst life has to offer. It takes away many ofhis capabilities to perform what would normally be commonplace activities; inshort it has overtaken his life and dignity. The ability to perform legalassisted suicide would help to replace some of the dignity which the illness hasextracted from a persons life. It would give the person the capability to endmatters on his own terms. READ: Memorandum EssayJohn Stuart Mill, one of the great philosophers of the nineteenthcentury, derived a theory which is an excellent example as an argument for thelegalization of doctor assisted suicide, or all moral crimes for that matter. This theory was deemed the Harm Principle: a person is wholly sovereign overhis body. It is

Drug testing on welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drug testing on welfare - Essay Example Most of the states, which passed this legislation, did so because of the belief that those who received welfare used it to get drugs (Davidson). The legislation was therefore, introduced to deny them the means of getting drugs, something that was thought to be commendable at the time. However, this assumption was found to be untrue, because of all the welfare applicants tested for drugs, only two percent of them tested positive. This automatically confirmed that this law was ineffective, due to the fact that its intended targets were found to be innocent of what they had  been  accused. It has now been confirmed that welfare recipients are not the majority drug users in the United States, and this makes the drug testing for welfare policy unconstitutional. The drug-testing program is an extremely expensive process for those states, which have instituted it into their welfare system. The welfare applicants are required to pay for their own tests, and if they are found to be negative, then the state has the obligation to refund them. This procedure has turned out to be extremely expensive because the majority of applicants have tested negative. The states, therefore, end up spending more than they normally would have if the program had not been put in place. Moreover, this program also has administrative costs, such as paying the staff that run it as well as for the facilities. All these costs are footed by the states, an unnecessary expense; the money would have been put in better use expanding the welfare program to cater for people who need it. These added costs to the state governments with little result have ensured ineffectiveness of this program. The  drug  testing  for  welfare  program  was  put  in  place  to  ensure  the  deterrence of people  who  have  applied  for  welfare. It was estimated that a large number of people who applied for welfare

To Implement Primary Prevention Principles Designed to Address an Assignment

To Implement Primary Prevention Principles Designed to Address an Issue of Concern to the Entire School Community - Assignment Example   School psychologists, as well as school consultants help in the prevention program by providing school leaders a way to expose several procedures of how to deal with several problems of children, more particularly, student achievement, self-esteem enhancement, substance abuse, or crisis situations within school limits (Shaw, M. C., Goodyear, R. K., 1984). Nowadays, children are more demanding than in the previous era’s. Some children rather than others cannot make it normally. They need special and supportive training to get into the stream. (Stephen J. M., Astrid M. O’ M., March 2008). For the appraisal of these children which are usually left behind, prevention programs are being conducted by many school leaders. According to school psychologists, special training programs are required to be conducted in the premature level of their studies so as to make them build up their strong character. Prevention programs are one of them to help the students psychologically as well as mentally to enhance their behavior and get to know of dealing with certain critical situations which make them brave enough to start running again among the other normal children. Program to implement primary prevention principles: Primary schools have some funding collected to support pre- level children who are not making expected progress. The main aim of Prevention Programs is to raise the standard of all children. Strategies are to be made in order to give the children additional support in achievement as well as in dealing with another critical issue like substance abuse or crises management. Primary prevention program is a significant program that brings changes in the structural framework of each educational unit. This helps the children in memorizing common practices and consistent application of positive or negative reinforcement.