After watching the film "You Don't Know Jack" please write a blog post that covers the following topics and inbox me your response at my email address.
- Who was Jack Kevorkian and what were his believes. (Make sure to describe the term euthanasia and physician assisted suicide.)
- A large flaw in Kevorkian's theory was what does terminal illness look like and at what point is it okay to take someones life? Explain this concept in your blog.
- Explain the controversy of euthanasia and compare the Biblical worldview to the Humanistic worldview concerning euthanasia.
- Also, Explain how Kevorkian got around the legal system for so long and was not charged with murder. Eventually, Jack was found guilty, explain why/how.
- Give me your opinion on the topic of euthanasia, do you believe it is right or wrong and why.
Due Friday 3/22/13
Jack Kevorkian was a man who participated in physician-assisted suicide through the practice of Euthanasia. Euthanasia is intentionally ending a life to relieve pain/suffering. Kevorkian contributed into euthanasia because it was accomplished with the aid of a medical doctor intentionally providing a person with an overdose of prescription medication. Kevorkian had a theory that it was ok to take someones life when they have reached a point where they cannot function properly anymore and they "have no purpose". Also, he viewed his work as aiding his patients, not murdering. Kevorkian would not help with euthanasia to anyone who has not reached that "ending" fatality of someone's life. Euthanasia is a complex subject because it deals with murder, but not intended as murder, but more of trying to "help" the person suffering. The Humanistic worldview, which is what Kevorkian believed in, viewed humans was biological, like an animal, and that man is the measure of all things. On the other hand, the Biblical view places value and purpose on humans. Cor. 6:20 states that humans are brought with a price. It views that God is the creator of all life and human life is sacred. In the concept of euthanasia, the Biblical view says there is no right to play God when it comes to issues on life or death. God has a plan for each human and a purpose no matter how ill or what state of mind they are. Kevorkian was able to avoid being charged with murder because he was not necessarily murdering his patients. He would set up the process of ending their life in a way where the patient pulls the switch of ending their own life. Jack was finally found guilty when he showed a video of the process of helping a man end his life, and the court did not see that Kevorkian had enough relevant statements and witnesses to back himself up. I think euthanasia is not necessarily a bad or good thing. I know what the Bible says and that it contradicts with God's plan for us so euthanasia should be the last option in saving one's life, but at the same time, us as humans and sinners it is difficult to grasp everything God has in store for us. For example, my grandpa died last year because he was extremely ill; he reached the point where he could not speak, barely hear, faintly see, and took long distant breaths. The only hope he had was life support and spend the rest of his life on a machine in the hospital. We may ask our selves what use does he have living his life as an 85 year old man on a machine? God says he has a plan and that is true, but sometimes it is hard for us humans to emotionally grasp that. Therefore, euthanasia should not be the first option, but sometimes it may have to be done, and if that person is saved then it would make it all the more better.
ReplyDeleteJack Kevorkian was a doctor, but he was a specialist in euthanasia. Euthanasia is the greek word for "death" it means the practice of intenionally ending a life in order to relive pain. Dr.Kevorkians saw people who were in termidious pain and were going to die so he would help them end their live. He didnt look at it as suicide or killing but putting them out of their pain. His patients would call him becaue they needed a physician-assisitant which is medical aid of intionally help of over-dosing to end their life. His first patientn was a women with alztimers she couldnt remeber anything and she felt like their was no point of living. She called dr.kevorkian and asked if he would assist her and he said yes. what he did was put the needle in her arm and the mask around her face. He would then tell the patient to pull the string to release the gas. If the patient pulled the string then he wasnt killing them it was the own person. He got away for this for so long because he wasntthe one doing the actually killing it was the patient who made the decision. The bible says God is the creator of te world he made you andhe will take you out. If you kill yourself you are playing God. I believe if the person would like to die bacause they are ijn intense pain then its their decision. Is it wrong? yes, but thats betweent the person and God. If you were laying in a bed staring at the ceiling and couldnt move or go to the bathroom by yourself wouldnt you wanna die? God is a merciful God and if you truly love him and put all your faith in him, he will bring you through it.
ReplyDeleteJack Kevorkian was a docter who believed in human rights over the bible. The correct term for that would be Humanism. Humanism is an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Jack partcipated in physician assisted suicide through the practice of euthansia. Physician assisted suicide is when a doctor assists a patient who is ready to end their life without actually doing the killing. Euthanasia is The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. Kevorkians view of a terminal illness was when a person had to cause for life anymore. He believed humans shouldnt have to lay on their death beds in suffer for years. Kevorkians view went strictly against the bible though. The bible says we as humans should cherish life and taking our own lifes that Gos gave us as a gift was a sin. God put us on earth to serve a purpose andif we take our own lifes that purpose would not be served. Jack was able to get around the legal system for so long because his defense was that he was not actually doing the killing or harming anyone. He was just simply assisting people and giving them a choice whether or not to take their own lifes, therefore he was somewhat innocent. Kevorkian usually called the police after one of his patients comitted suicide and left the scene.
ReplyDelete"A Michigan jury last month found Dr Jack Kevorkian guilty of second degree murder in the death of Thomas Youk, a 52 year old resident of Detroit who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Dr Kevorkian made a videotape of himself injecting Mr Youk, who was paralysed, with lethal chemicals last September. The tape was broadcast in November by the CBS News programme 60 Minutes.
At his trial, Dr Kevorkian failed to convince the judge that his proposed witnesses, Mr Youk's wife and brother, were relevant to the defence. Aside from the videotape which showed how much Mr Youk was suffering while he was alive, no testimony was presented about Mr Youk's condition and his apparent desire to end his life.
Because Dr Kevorkian was charged with murder, Judge Jessica Cooper instructed the jury that the issue of whether Mr Youk consented to his death was irrelevant."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1174693/
I think the idea of killing someone using the euthanasia method can be bad and good. Bad because it soely goes against Gods word and defames his name. We were put on it this earth to make Gods name famous and if we start taking our own life we do no good for his name and do not live up to his word. Euthanasia can be good though because just think if it were one of your family members suffering on their death bed. You can never know how someone lie that feels intill its you in their place. If you have no quality of life left and lay in the same position everday for the rest of your life without moving, wouldnt you want to die too?
Jack Kevorkian was a man who believed that people that were ill, or deathly sick had the choice to either live or die. The practice of that is called euthanasia which is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. Jack thought it was okay once a person reached a certain point in their life. Once the patient was so sick that they could no longer function or if they did nothing but sit there in a hospital bed, like a vegetable, Jack then thought it was okay to end their life. The humanistic view of euthanasia was that man had the choice whether they wanted to live or die. Then there's the biblical view on it which is there is no right to play God when it comes to issues on life or death, and that God is the creator of all things. Even though a person is deathly ill and cannot function very well, there may still be purpose for their life. Kevorkian practiced this on many patients and got away with it, he never got charged for a while. He never got charged because he didn't actually kill the patient. He had a machine that would flow a type of medicine in the patient to make their heart stop beating but what he did was tied a string to the plug and when ever the patient was ready, they would pull the string. Kevorkian was just there, he never pulled the string. Eventually, he got charged because he released a video of ending one of his patients life himself. I believe that euthanasia isn't wrong or right. I know that if my parents were deathly ill and wanted someone to do what Kevorkian was doing, I'd support my parents. I think that he is actually helping many people, he isn't killing them, and it isn't murder. He's simply putting people out of the misery because they WANT to be put out of it.
ReplyDeleteJack Kevorkian was a euthanasia specialist, who helped many ill patients peacefully pass away. Dr. Death, as he was referred to, was known for publicly championing a terminals patient’s right to die. Euthanasia is the practice on intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. Physician assisted suicide is a suicide accomplished with the aid of the medical doctor intentionally providing a person with an overdose of prescription medication. He believed in self-determination, the right for the choice of life or death. Kevorkian believed the way the government and hospitals let people pass was like the Nazis in Germany. They administered cruel ways to suffer to death, such as: not feeding patients, not giving them the medications they need, not providing water for the patients. Kevorkian wanted to remove the cruelties in death the people, who were terminally ill suffered with. Terminally ill is a term used to determine whether Kevorkian “treated’ the patient who came to him. The patients must be diagnosed with a disease that is fatal. These illnesses would include but is not limited to: cancer, ALS, and Alzheimer’s. Kevorkian viewed life in a humanistic way. Humanism is the belief that life is merely biological, just like animals, humans have no soul. Humanism also bases humans(human reason) is the measure of all things. I, however, believe that physician assisted suicide is not something to celebrate. Although its more humane in the passing, it allows you take power to make decisions instead of allowing God to provide purpose. By taking your life, you take away the potential God has to work through you. Our body is a temple, we have no right to harm it nor does anyone else, this is described in 1 Corinthians 6;19-20. One of the patients Jack worked with said, “ God had a chance to take me, but He didn’t so I’m going to Him instead.” To me that is the lack of trust in God taking over their will in life. I believe God has impeccable timing with purpose and choosing to skip ahead only prevent you to perform what god has in store for you. Kevorkian got out of the court cases because he did not physically administer the medication, he built contraptions specific to each person and their physical ability, to pull the trigger(or string). Jack was eventually found guilty of murder because he pulled the trigger on Tom Youlk, not the patient pulling the trigger. He did this to take his trial to Supreme Court. He ended up losing the trial and was charged with murder. Morgan Anderson
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