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The applied ethical issue of euthanasia, or mercy killing, concerns whether it is morally
permissible for a third party, such as a physician, to end the life of a terminally ill patient
who is in intense pain.

The euthanasia controversy is part of a larger issue concerning the right to die.
Staunch defenders of personal liberty argue that all of us are morally entitled to end our
lives when we see fit. Thus, according to these people, suicide is in principle morally
permissible. For health care workers, the issue of the right to die is most prominent when a
patient in their care (1) is terminally ill, (2) is in intense pain, and (3) voluntarily chooses
to end his life to escape prolonged suffering. In these cases, there are several theoretical
options open to the health care worker. First, the worker can ignore the patient's request
and care can continue as usual. Second, the worker can discontinue providing
life-sustaining treatment to the patient, and thus allow him......

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Approximate Word Count: 1661
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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