1st Grade Speech Topics


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 [80]   [2017-3 B] Should terminally ill patients be allowed to end their lives?
[ speech 1 ]
 
Some may argue that mercy killing, or euthanasia, cannot be justified on the ground of ethical concerns. However, I personally believe terminally ill patients should have the right to die when they choose.
 
First, patients with terminal diseases often suffer a great deal from living in a hospital for a prolonged period without any chance of getting cured. For example, terminal cancer patients might have to get through a number of medical procedures not to improve their conditions but just to try to keep their lives longer, which causes them a lot of suffering until they die.
 
Second, the costs of treatment for terminally ill patients are prohibitively high, which can impose a heavy burden on them and their families. It doesn't seem reasonable that they have to pay large sums of money on medical treatment if they have no chance of survival. The patients would rather choose to die and leave their families money to spend elsewhere.
 
Lastly, although many people in the world believe it is ethically wrong to let doctors end the lives of their patients, I still believe that it is cruel and against humanitarianism to keep the patients alive and cause them a lot of suffering. Just as human rights are respected in today's modern society, everyone should have the right to choose to die if they have no hope to survive.
 
For these reasons, I believe terminally ill patients should be allowed to choose to die. It is justifiable that the doctors assist them to end their patients' lives if there is no chance of survival.
 
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[ speech 2 ]
 
There has been heated debate on euthanasia. With the latest medical technology, some diseases, which were once thought to be incurable, now can be cured. But still many people lose their lives beyond the reach of medication. In fact, some people prefer to choose death if there is little or no hope that they can recover, but others are against the idea of physician-assisted suicide. Personally, I believe that euthanasia, mercy killing, should be allowed and legalized in any cases. I have two strong reasons to support my idea.
 
Firstly, I think it is cruel to make patients alive when there is little or no hope that they can recover from their illnesses. In most cases, they are seriously sick and stay in bed all day long, suffering great pain and feeling fear of death. When they are forced to be alive without hope, they will have to live a more painful and fearful life for a prolonged period until they eventually die. I think it's very cruel and I just can't support it. I believe just as people have a right to live, they should also have a right to choose to die when there is no hope to recover.
 
Secondly, when patients are kept in the hospital for a long time, taking expensive life-support medication, it will be a heavy burden on their family members. They will have to pay a large amount of money for the medication which is not supposed to make the patients recover, but just to keep them alive. Because of the high medical cost, they might have to cut down their living expenses or work extra hours to make up for the cost. Moreover, they might have to visit the hospital many times to see and take care of the patients. It is not only economically but also physically hard for them. After all, they are exhausted and might be sick themselves.
 
For these two reasons. I believe that mercy killing, what you call, euthanasia should be allowed. It will save patients from suffering pain and feeling fear of death. It will also free their family members from the economical and physical burden.
 
[Pros]
 
1. great suffering without hope
( physical pain / mental fear )
 
2. medical expenses
 
3. physical burden on the family
 
4. cruelty / against humanitarianism
( to respect human rights )
 
[Cons]
 
1. religious reasons
 
2. ethical reasons [ to play God ]
 
3. advanced technology
( increased chance of survival )
 
 
[Possible Questions]
 
1. Should doctors be allowed to put down to death patients who are in a vegetable-like state?
 
2. Do you think the government is doing enough to support patients and their families?
 
3. Should organ transplants be made more available in Japan? [1999-1]
update:
2024/01/04



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