Euthanasia, also referred to as physician assisted suicide, is not a novel concept. In fact, euthanasia has been legalized in several countries, such as the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Colombia and South Korea. The USA, however, has not as a nation legalized assisted suicide; a few states, such as Oregon, Vermont, and Colorado, have passed state legislation that permits euthanasia.
While grim, the concept of euthanasia– medically assisting a terminally ill person to commit suicide– is not difficult to cognitively understand. There are many other issues, though, surrounding the concept of euthanasia that make this act very difficult to legally incorporate as just another part of society. Why?
Essay Prompt
Should euthanasia be legalized? For this essay, I suggest you first explore the topic– read some articles and familiarize yourself with the different points of views and concerns about legalizing euthanasia. After you’ve done some light research on the topic, pick at least 3 overarching issues that affect how people view euthanasia. Overarching issues often are related to ethics, cultural norms, moral obligations, and “big picture” areas. For example….
Ethics can be related to medicine (What is a doctor’s job?) or religion (What does the Bible say about suicide and homicide?). Cultural norms can be related to specific cultural practices or views (How does Japanese culture perceive suicide or death? How does American culture perceive suicide or death?). Moral obligations can be related to duties and roles (What is a parent’s obligation to his/her terminally ill child? What is a child’s responsibility to his/her terminally ill parent? What is a terminally ill parent’s responsibility to his or her child?). There are many things to think about in constructing this essay.
Remember, controversy starts with at least 2 opposing viewpoints, but there can be many more contentious points that are connected to the “pro” (support) or “con” (oppose). For example….
There are lots of questions and issues surrounding this topic. There is no right or wrong thesis– you can oppose or support legalizing euthanasia, but make sure you include research and details that substantiate and “prove” your stance is the best of the two sides. Focus on organizing your ideas and on integrating 1-2 meaningful sources based on library research to support your ideas in the body paragraphs. There is no formula in how many sources to use per paragraph, but keep in mind that a sources used strategically support your ideas. This research essay is about your ideas on the topic, and the sources you include will show how you ideas make sense. If you make sense, you win the argument! :)
For the library research component of this essay, all sources in the Works Cited must come from the Library Database. Again, you can read online freely for inspiration or personal research, but you are not allowed to cite non-library database resources in this essay. For the Works Cited, you must include the URL from your research (if the source is from the internet).
The other 2 can be whatever you want them to be– they can be more books or magazines or journals or videos or audio, etc.
Minimum Requirements
1 introduction + thesis
3 body paragraphs that reason your point of view (argument)
2 body paragraphs that reason against your point of view (counterargument)
2 body paragraphs that reason against the counter argument (refutation) and thus reinforce your point of view (argument)
1 conclusion
6 library-based sources
