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1、2014届高考英语一轮复习话题阅读素材82Euthanasia: For and AgainstWe mustnt delay any longer . swallowing is difficult . and breathing, too . Those muscles are weakening . These were the words of Dutchman van Wendel asking his doctor to help him die. Affected with a serious disease, van Wendel was no longer able to s
2、peak clearly and he knew there was no hope of recovery and that his condition was deteriorating.Van Wendels last three months of life before being given a final, lethal injection by his doctor were filmed and first shown on television in the Netherlands. The program has been bought by 20 countries a
3、nd each time it is shown, it triggers a nationwide debate on the subject.The Netherlands is the only country in Europe which permits euthanasia, although it is not technically legal there. However, doctors who carry out euthanasia under strict guidelines introduced by the Dutch parliament are usuall
4、y not prosecuted. The guidelines demand that the patient is experiencing extreme suffering, that there is no chance of a cure, and that the patient has made repeated requests for euthanasia. In addition, a second doctor must confirm that these criteria have been met and the death must be reported to
5、 the police department.Should doctors be allowed to take the lives of others? Dr. Van Oijen, Van Wendels doctor explains how he looks at the question, its not as if Im planning to kill a crowd with a machine gun. I care for people and I try to ensure they dont suffer too much.Many people, though, ar
6、e totally against the practice. Do. Ferguson, Chairman of Healthcare Opposed to Euthanasia, says that In the vast majority of euthanasia cases, what the patient is actually asking for is something else. They may want a health profession al to open up communication for them with their family - theres
7、 nearly always another question behind the question.Britain has a strong tradition of hospices - special hospitals which care only for the dying and their special needs. Cicely Saunders, a founder member of the hospices movement, argues that euthanasia does not take into account that there are ways
8、of caring for the dying. She is also concerned that allowing euthanasia would undermine the need for care and consideration of a wide range of people: its very easy in society now for the elderly, the disabled, and the dependent to feel that they are burdens, and therefore that they ought to opt out
9、. I think that anything that legally allows the shortening of life does make those people more vulnerable.Many find this prohibition of an individuals right to die paternalistic. Although they agree that life is important and should be respected, they feel that the quality of life should not be igno
10、red. Dr. Van Oijen believes that people have the fundamental right to choose for themselves if they want to die: What those people who oppose euthanasia are telling me is that dying people havent the right, and that when people are very ill, we are all afraid of their death. But there are situations
11、 where death is a friend. And in those cases, why not?But why not is a question that might cause strong emotion. The film showing Van Wendels death was moving and sensitive. His doctor was a family friend; his wife had only her husbands interests at heart. Some, however, would argue that it would be dangerous to use this particular case to support the case for euthanasia. Not all patients would receive such a high level of individual care and attention. 2
