Week 2 Discussion 
“Looking at the Other Side of the Coin”
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NOTE: All students are required to post a minimum of two (2) posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one (1) original post and a minimum of one (1) other post per discussion thread. |
Washington
Good day class-
The topic I chose to select is the controversy regarding the question, “Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide be Legal?” I feel that Physician-Assisted Suicide, aka PAS, should be legal because I believe that a person who is terminally ill and no longer wants to suffer should be allowed to choose when their suffering should end. I think that it is cruel to expect someone to “live” with excruciating pain or with a poor quality of life because we are not ready to let them go.
According to Procon.org, there are several pros and cons regarding PAS, but I am going to focus on three of the cons. The October 13, 2011, Noozhawk’s article, “Wesley Smith: Assisted Suicide Is the Euthanasia of Hope,” Wesley Smith stated, “If we legalize assisted suicide, some patients will die instead of ultimately regaining their joy in living.” What’s interesting about this view is that Mr. Smith’s statement does indeed have validity. If a patient already feels like their life is over, they may feel like there is no worth in living. If I believed this view, I think I would notice that there are a lot of medical personnel who also find it to be true. I think this idea would be correct for people who find it difficult to be optimistic.
At dredf.org Founder and President of Not Dead Yet, Diane Coleman wrote an article titled, “Assisted Suicide and Disability.” She stated, “Assisted suicide has been marketed to the American public as a step toward increasing individual freedom, but choice is an empty slogan in a world full of pressures on people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Now is not the time to establish a public policy securing the profits of a health care system that abandons those most in need and would bury the evidence of their crime.” What I find helpful about this view is that she included people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, not just people who have terminal illnesses. If I believed this view, I would notice that it encompasses a substantial group of individuals. This idea would be accurate for a lot of people, including those in the health care industry and possibly even the physician who would assist!
The last premise is from a May 13, 1996 article “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.” It is available on the Islam USA website. “The IMA [Islamic Medical Association] endorses the stand that there is no place for euthanasia in medical management, under whatever name or form (e.g., mercy killing, suicide, assisted suicide, the right to die, the duty to die, etc.). Nor does it believe in the concept of a willful and free consent in this area. The mere existence of euthanasia as a legal and legitimate option is already pressure enough on the patient, who would correctly or incorrectly, read in the eyes of his/her family the silent appeal to go.” What I find helpful with this view is that it points out that the patient may do what they think the family wants from what they read in their eyes instead of what the patient wants. If I believed this view, I would notice how a family looks at their terminal family members. I think this idea would be right in most instances as the eyes are the windows to our souls.
Have a good week-
Lisa
AND this post:
Martin
Hi Professor and Class,
I choose to speak on the topic Homework. For years, I have always heard people to speak on Homework being too much , unnecessary or good for study. When it comes to homework I feel that it can be a very helpful thing when it comes to studying and practicing math problems. Homework is a good for a student who is willing to study on the subject that is being discussed in class for more knowledge. On the other hand I feel that homework can be a burden and stress students out. I feel that some teachers tend to give alil more homework to students then what they can handle giving then a deadline to meet.
When it comes to the discussion about Homework I want to focus on one Pro and two Cons about the situation. The first one is the con students developing health issue such as headaches , anxiety etc. Not being able sleep or eat properly and missing out on social events and interactions is a big problem. Teachers should limit the amount of homework they give students and portion it out so that students want have so much on their plates at once. What I found helpful about this is that , if teachers understand that too much homework is overwhelming and stressing students out , they would hopefully learn how to limit the amount of homework for students.
The next con is students not being having the access to Internet and other tools for homework such as , pens, pencils and paper. A study found by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation found that 96.5% students across the country said that they Internet at home to do outside homework and assignments. Due to no internet at home cause unfinished assignments. What I find interesting is that students should be given options on rather to do work in class , or go to the school library when having the time to to finish the assignment. What I would notice is that, students are really out here alone. They should talk to there teachers about their issues that they have and should be actually helped. This idea is true , because students should ask for the help and guidance and should be giving the guidance so that they can get the best education experience.
The pro is that homework improves a students achievement. Research published that students who spend time to do home work at lest 30 to 90 mins studying improves in standardized test scores. What i find interesting about this idea is that , studying and homework can most defanitly help a student become more proficient in test scores, than students that don’t study at all. What I notice is that I believe this view but I also , notice that some students who don’t do homework or study still can make the same scores a person who studies. All they have to do is pay attention is class , and some students caught on really fast. This idea is true by experiences and being a student myself.
