[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 52 (Monday, April 13, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          YUSSRA HAMID'S ESSAY

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                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 13, 2015

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight into the concerns of our younger 
constituents and hopefully get a better sense of the importance of 
being an active participant in the political process. Many of the 
students have written short essays on a variety of topics and I am 
pleased to share them with my House colleagues.
  Yussra Hamid attends Manvel High School in Manvel, Texas. The essay 
topic is: in your opinion, what role should government play in our 
lives?

       Euthanasia is the ``act or practice of killing or 
     permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured 
     individuals . . . in a relatively painless way''. Throughout 
     the 20th century there were events that brought the 
     legalities of euthanasia to the spotlight of American 
     politics, and recently, euthanasia has once again emerged as 
     a topic of debate amongst the American public. Brittany 
     Maynard, a twenty-nine year old American diagnosed with 
     malignant brain cancer (she was given six months to live), 
     died on November 1st by taking a lethal dose of medication in 
     Oregon where assisted suicide is permitted. Before her death, 
     Maynard defended her decision by stating that she would 
     rather die with dignity than suffer the harsh symptoms her 
     brain cancer would inflict upon her. The case of Brittany 
     Maynard facilitated great discussion over the topic of 
     euthanasia and whether it should be made legal across the 
     United States of America or not. While advocates for assisted 
     suicide may appear to have a compelling argument, euthanasia 
     should not be permitted because its legalization will corrupt 
     the medical field and assisted suicide is not protected by 
     the Constitution.
       When practicing, medical personnel are required to abide by 
     the Hippocratic Oath, an affidavit that establishes that 
     physicians will ``[will not] give a deadly drug to anybody 
     who [asks] for it.'' Opponents of assisted suicide state that 
     if euthanasia were legalized, it would breach the oath. Dr. 
     Leon Mass of President's Council on Bioethics argued that 
     physicians should not participate in the administration of 
     lethal drugs because ``the taboo against doctors killing 
     patients . . . is the embodiment of reason and wisdom . . . 
     without it, medicine will have lost its claim to be an 
     ethical and trustworthy profession''. The practice would 
     cause the deterioration of physician-patient relationships 
     because the patient would not know if the doctor has his/her 
     best interest in mind or if (the physician is receiving money 
     from euthanasia advocates for promoting the practice or from 
     insurance companies that no longer want to cover the 
     terminally ill patient. While terminal diseases generally do 
     lead to the fast death of the individual, such pressure on a 
     patient could cause him/her to make an impulsive decision 
     that would violate the patient's right to the pursuit of 
     happiness, one guaranteed by the US Constitution.
       As cases like Maynard's gain attention, euthanasia will 
     continue to spur controversy and its legality will be 
     questioned in the Supreme Court. However, until the world 
     becomes a utopian society where malpractice is nonexistent, 
     euthanasia should be illegal because the practice violates 
     the basic principles of medicine and the Constitution.

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