Euthanasia Case

Euthanasia is a very controversial and unethical action that is all too common and seen throughout hospitals. “It’s Over, Debbie” is a story about a woman who is suffering from ovarian cancer. She is very sick and she is fighting to live. When an on-call doctor see’s how much Debbie is suffering, he resorts to giving the women an lethal dose of medicine which will kill her. The doctor’s action in Debbie’s case appears to be the concept of mercy killing.

Mercy killing is ending a person’s life without request in the belief that it is the only thing to do. In the story, the doctor knew Debbie was suffering from a horrible illness. When the doctor entered Debbie’s room, the first thing she said to him was “let’s get this over with”. As a result, the doctor took it upon himself to administer a lethal dose of morphine to Debbie, all knowing that this amount would be enough to kill her. Debbie’s death can be considered mercy killing also because Debbie never requested to be given medicine in which to kill her. Even though in compassionate thinking, this lethal dose administered can be considered murder. Last but not least, the doctor believed in his own mind that he was doing the right thing by killing Debbie. He felt that “he could not give her health….but he could give her rest”. This is by all means unethical and against the law.

In conclusion, euthanasia is a huge problem in the medical field. I believe that the doctor was a caring and compassionate person. However, what he did completely against the law. I believe that the doctor should be charged with malpractice and murder. He should also have his license to practice medicine dismissed.