Informative final

1

The Use of Euthanasia (Assisted Dying) In Medical Care: An Annotated Bibliography

Alondra Rivera

West Coast

English 240

Prof. Cueto

04/12/26

2

Braun, E. (2023). An autonomy-based approach to assisted suicide: a way to avoid the

expressivist objection against assisted dying laws. Journal of Medical Ethics, 49(7), 497-

501. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108375

Braun believes that basing assisted suicide solely on personal autonomy - but not medical

suffering - does not stigmatize individuals with disabilities or illness. This is supported by

the 2020 ruling by the German Federal Constitutional Court, which stated that assisted

suicide was a right to self-determination not limited by diagnosis. The article is an ethics

research paper by a researcher at Ruhr University Bochum in the peer-reviewed Journal

of Medical Ethics. The article has been peer-reviewed externally, and it thoroughly

interacts with the known philosophical and legal literature. The article offers a solid

philosophical and legal premise to the arguments of patient autonomy in cases of assisted

dying in medical situations. One article to use in the paper is “The right to a self-

determined death, as an expression of personal freedom, is not limited to situations

defined by external causes” (P.499).

Leboul, D., Bousquet, A., Chassagne, A., Mathieu-Nicot, F., Ridley, A., Cretin, E., ... & Aubry,

R. (2022). Understanding why patients request euthanasia when it is illegal: a qualitative

study in palliative care units on the personal and practical impact of euthanasia

requests. Palliative care and social practice, 16, 26323524211066925.

https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524211066925

The research interviewed 18 terminally ill French patients and discovered that euthanasia

requests fulfilled five functions, including recognizing suffering, regaining autonomy,

influencing care, transgressing prohibition, and imagining a self-determined future. The

research also discovered that superior symptom management tended to put a temporary

3

hold on the requests. This is a registered clinical trial that is ethics-committee-approved

and undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of PhD-qualified professionals in 11

palliative care units. The article has been published in the peer-reviewed journal

Palliative Care and Social Practice (SAGE). The study includes first-hand patient

testimony of the connection between euthanasia requests and unmet needs in autonomy

and dignity in medical care, which is a strong argument in favor of the legalization of

euthanasia. One quote that will be used in the essay is, “ request for euthanasia appears to

be a willful means to remove oneself from the impasse of an existence paralyzed by

suffering” (P.1).

Lee, M. A. (2023). Ethical issue of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Journal of Hospice

and Palliative Care, 26(2), 95. https://doi.org/10.14475/jhpc.2023.26.2.95

Lee maintains that physician-assisted suicide is inconsistent with the healing mission of

medicine, that popular opinion in support of it distorts the actual desires of terminally ill

patients, and that suffering is not a deprivation of human dignity. The article supports the

idea of a more robust palliative care over the legalization of the procedures that end life.

This article was written by Dr. Myung Ah Lee who is a medical oncologist at the Seoul

St. Mary Hospital, Catholic University of Korea and has verified ORCID credentials and

extensive clinical experience. The article was published in a peer-reviewed journal. This

article includes an ethical argument by a clinician that euthanasia does not fit the main

mission of medical care and thus is crucial to the other side of the discussion The essay ill

use the quote, “However, the act of using medical care to artificially end a life that has

become as to wish for death does not preserve human dignity, rather than a kind of

homicide” (P.99).

4

Rahimian, Z., Rahimian, L., Lopez‐Castroman, J., Ostovarfar, J., Fallahi, M. J., Nayeri, M. A., &

Vardanjani, H. M. (2024). What medical conditions lead to a request for euthanasia? A

rapid scoping review. Health Science Reports, 7(3), e1978.

https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1978

This review examined 197 studies and discovered that terminal cancer (45.4%), dementia

(19.8%), and treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders (12.2%) are some of the most

common conditions that prompt euthanasia requests, and there is no international

agreement on the eligibility criteria used across jurisdictions. It is a PRISMA-ScR

compliant scoping review with two independent extractions published in the peer-

reviewed journal Health Science Reports (Wiley) by a multinational team of researchers

based at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The present review records that

euthanasia is now expanding to non-terminal and psychiatric conditions, with evidence-

based arguments against why euthanasia should not be legalized in medical practice. The

paper will use the quote, “Clinicians are less inclined to recommend or perform

euthanasia for patients suffering from psychiatric diseases than for patients with life-

threatening somatic illnesses.”

This week, you will submit the final draft of your informative paper.

This 4 paragraph paper explores a controversial topic in an informative style. This means that the writer must present an equal amount of information for both points of view related to the topic without providing personal thought or opinion. Provide factual information from credible sources to highlight each side. Your paper must include:

● Introduction (1 paragraph) ● Body (2 paragraphs) Remember to use APA-style formatted in-text

citations throughout your paper. ● Conclusion (1 paragraph) ● Reference list written in APA style format, in which you list a minimum of

4 total resources Informative Paper Final

Criteria Ratings Pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Content/Orga nization

30 to >26.7 ptsExceeds ExpectationsThe writer demonstrates an exemplary understanding of the topic and the writing process. The paper is well-organized and clear, with relevant detail. All requirements of the paper as described by the instructor are met. 26.7 to >23.7 ptsMeets ExpectationsThe writer demonstrates an acceptable understanding of the topic and the writing process. The paper is mostly well-organized and clear. All requirements of the paper as described by the instructor are met. 23.7 to >21.6 ptsApproaches ExpectationsThe writer demonstrates a basic understanding of the topic and the writing process. The paper may lack organization and clarity. Most requirements of the paper as described by the instructor are met. 21.6 to >0 ptsDoes Not Meet ExpectationsThe writer does not demonstrate an understanding of the topic and the writing process. The paper lacks organization and clarity. The requirements of the paper as described by the instructor are not met.

30 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Style/Langua ge

22.5 to >20.02 ptsExceeds ExpectationsThe writer employs an appropriate writing style that is consistent throughout. The text does not suffer from errors in word choice. The paper includes a strong introduction and a strong conclusion. 20.02 to >17.78 ptsMeets ExpectationsThe writer employs an appropriate writing style. The text includes few errors in word choice. The paper includes an introduction and a conclusion. 17.78 to >16.2 ptsApproaches ExpectationsThe text includes several errors in word choice and may lack an introduction and/or a conclusion. 16.2 to >0 ptsDoes Not Meet ExpectationsThe text lacks stylistic quality.

22.5 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Sentence Structure and Mechanics

15 to >13.35 ptsExceeds ExpectationsThe writer makes minimal (if any) errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or sentence structure. 13.35 to >11.85 ptsMeets ExpectationsThe writer makes some errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or sentence structure. 11.85 to >10.8 ptsApproaches ExpectationsThe writer makes numerous errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or sentence structure. 10.8 to >0 ptsDoes Not Meet ExpectationsThe writer makes significant errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or sentence structure.

15 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Format and Crediting Sources

7.5 to >6.68 ptsExceeds ExpectationsThe writer makes minimal (if any) errors in APA style format, citations, or references. 6.68 to >5.93 ptsMeets ExpectationsThe writer makes some errors in APA style format, citations, or references. 5.93 to >5.4 ptsApproaches ExpectationsThe writer makes numerous errors in APA style format, citations, or references. 5.4 to >0 ptsDoes Not Meet ExpectationsThe writer makes significant errors in APA style format, citations, or references.

7.5 pts

Total Points: 75

1

The Use of Euthanasia (Assisted Dying) In Medical Care

Alondra Rivera

West Coast University

ENGL 240

Prof. Cueto

04/17/26

2

I. Introduction

a. Hook: Modern medicine has increased the longevity of life but has also brought

difficult ethical issues of how life should be ended.

b. Thesis statement: The euthanasia controversy in medical services has its strong

points, one opposing self-determination and the eradication of suffering, the other

one attracting ethical concerns of any medical intervention and human life.

II. Body Paragraph 1

a. Topic Sentence: The supporters of euthanasia believe that it does not withhold the

right of which the patient is entitled and alleviates the incurable pain.

i. Supporting detail 1: people have a natural right, regardless of their health

condition, to decide when and how they will die. To illustrate this, Braun

says, the right to self-determined death, as a manifestation of personal

freedom, is not limited to the circumstances determined by external factors

(Braun, 2023).

ii. Supporting detail 2: It has also been found that patients frequently seek

euthanasia as a means to reclaim their situation and self-respect in the face

of a terminal illness. In one study, a request of euthanasia seems to be a

caprice to get out of the stalemate of an existence frozen by pain (Leboul

et al., 2022).

iii. Supporting detail 3: These views indicate that euthanasia can be regarded

as a humane way to respond to severe physical and emotional suffering.

III. Body Paragraph 2

a. Topic Sentence: Others say euthanasia is wrong and disregards human dignity.

3

i. Supporting detail 1: Critics argue that healthcare is mainly to cure and comfort

but not to kill. Lee claims, though, that the process of medically terminating a

life, instead of preserving, is not a human dignity, but is, instead, a form of

homicide (Lee, 2023).

ii. Supporting detail 2: There are also worries surrounding the extension of

euthanasia to other diseases besides terminal ones, such as psychiatric ones,

where ethical considerations are less straightforward.

iii. Supporting detail 3: There is evidence that supports that Clinicians are less

willing to recommend or to perform euthanasia to patients with psychiatric

diseases (Rahimian et al., 2024) which indicates persistent lack of knowledge

and moral reluctance.

IV. Conclusion

a. Conclusion: The problem is still highly complicated and disputed.

b. Restatement of thesis: While euthanasia is supported for promoting autonomy and

relieving suffering, it is also challenged on ethical grounds related to medical

responsibility and the preservation of life.

References

4

Braun, E. (2023). An autonomy-based approach to assisted suicide: a way to avoid the

expressivist objection against assisted dying laws. Journal of Medical Ethics, 49(7), 497–

501. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108375

Leboul, D., Bousquet, A., Chassagne, A., Mathieu-Nicot, F., Ridley, A., Cretin, E., ... & Aubry,

R. (2022). Understanding why patients request euthanasia when it is illegal: a qualitative

study in palliative care units on the personal and practical impact of euthanasia requests.

Palliative Care and Social Practice, 16, 26323524211066925.

https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524211066925

Lee, M. A. (2023). Ethical issue of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Journal of Hospice

and Palliative Care, 26(2), 95. https://doi.org/10.14475/jhpc.2023.26.2.95

Rahimian, Z., Rahimian, L., Lopez‐Castroman, J., Ostovarfar, J., Fallahi, M. J., Nayeri, M. A., &

Vardanjani, H. M. (2024). What medical conditions lead to a request for euthanasia? A

rapid scoping review. Health Science Reports, 7(3), e1978.

https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1978

1

The Use of Euthanasia (Assisted Dying) In Medical Care: An Annotated Bibliography

Alondra Rivera

West Coast

English 240

Prof. Cueto

04/12/26

2

Braun, E. (2023). An autonomy-based approach to assisted suicide: a way to avoid the

expressivist objection against assisted dying laws. Journal of Medical Ethics, 49(7), 497-

501. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108375

Braun believes that basing assisted suicide solely on personal autonomy - but not medical

suffering - does not stigmatize individuals with disabilities or illness. This is supported by

the 2020 ruling by the German Federal Constitutional Court, which stated that assisted

suicide was a right to self-determination not limited by diagnosis. The article is an ethics

research paper by a researcher at Ruhr University Bochum in the peer-reviewed Journal

of Medical Ethics. The article has been peer-reviewed externally, and it thoroughly

interacts with the known philosophical and legal literature. The article offers a solid

philosophical and legal premise to the arguments of patient autonomy in cases of assisted

dying in medical situations. One article to use in the paper is “The right to a self-

determined death, as an expression of personal freedom, is not limited to situations

defined by external causes” (P.499).

Leboul, D., Bousquet, A., Chassagne, A., Mathieu-Nicot, F., Ridley, A., Cretin, E., ... & Aubry,

R. (2022). Understanding why patients request euthanasia when it is illegal: a qualitative

study in palliative care units on the personal and practical impact of euthanasia

requests. Palliative care and social practice, 16, 26323524211066925.

https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524211066925

The research interviewed 18 terminally ill French patients and discovered that euthanasia

requests fulfilled five functions, including recognizing suffering, regaining autonomy,

influencing care, transgressing prohibition, and imagining a self-determined future. The

research also discovered that superior symptom management tended to put a temporary

3

hold on the requests. This is a registered clinical trial that is ethics-committee-approved

and undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of PhD-qualified professionals in 11

palliative care units. The article has been published in the peer-reviewed journal

Palliative Care and Social Practice (SAGE). The study includes first-hand patient

testimony of the connection between euthanasia requests and unmet needs in autonomy

and dignity in medical care, which is a strong argument in favor of the legalization of

euthanasia. One quote that will be used in the essay is, “ request for euthanasia appears to

be a willful means to remove oneself from the impasse of an existence paralyzed by

suffering” (P.1).

Lee, M. A. (2023). Ethical issue of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Journal of Hospice

and Palliative Care, 26(2), 95. https://doi.org/10.14475/jhpc.2023.26.2.95

Lee maintains that physician-assisted suicide is inconsistent with the healing mission of

medicine, that popular opinion in support of it distorts the actual desires of terminally ill

patients, and that suffering is not a deprivation of human dignity. The article supports the

idea of a more robust palliative care over the legalization of the procedures that end life.

This article was written by Dr. Myung Ah Lee who is a medical oncologist at the Seoul

St. Mary Hospital, Catholic University of Korea and has verified ORCID credentials and

extensive clinical experience. The article was published in a peer-reviewed journal. This

article includes an ethical argument by a clinician that euthanasia does not fit the main

mission of medical care and thus is crucial to the other side of the discussion The essay ill

use the quote, “However, the act of using medical care to artificially end a life that has

become as to wish for death does not preserve human dignity, rather than a kind of

homicide” (P.99).

4

Rahimian, Z., Rahimian, L., Lopez‐Castroman, J., Ostovarfar, J., Fallahi, M. J., Nayeri, M. A., &

Vardanjani, H. M. (2024). What medical conditions lead to a request for euthanasia? A

rapid scoping review. Health Science Reports, 7(3), e1978.

https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1978

This review examined 197 studies and discovered that terminal cancer (45.4%), dementia

(19.8%), and treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders (12.2%) are some of the most

common conditions that prompt euthanasia requests, and there is no international

agreement on the eligibility criteria used across jurisdictions. It is a PRISMA-ScR

compliant scoping review with two independent extractions published in the peer-

reviewed journal Health Science Reports (Wiley) by a multinational team of researchers

based at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The present review records that

euthanasia is now expanding to non-terminal and psychiatric conditions, with evidence-

based arguments against why euthanasia should not be legalized in medical practice. The

paper will use the quote, “Clinicians are less inclined to recommend or perform

euthanasia for patients suffering from psychiatric diseases than for patients with life-

threatening somatic illnesses.”