Euthanasia: For and Against
"We mustn't delay any longer … swallowing is difficult … and breathing, that's also difficult. Those muscles are weakening too … we mustn't delay any longer."
These were the words of Dutchman Cees van Wendel de Joode asking his doctor to help him die. Affected with a serious disease, van Wendel was no longer able to speak clearly and he knew there was no hope of recovery and that his condition was rapidly deteriorating.
Van Wendel's last three months of life before being given a final, lethal injection by his doctor were filmed and first shown on television last year in the Netherlands. The programme has since been bought by 20 countries and each time it is shown, it starts 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 two years ago are usually 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 to this, a second doctor must confirm that these criteria have been met and the death must be reported to the police department.
Should doctors be allowed to take the lives of others? Dr.Wilfred van Oijen, Cees van Wendel's doctor, explains how he looks at the question:
"Well, it's not as if I'm planning to murder a crowd of people with a machine gun. In that case, killing is the worst thing I can imagine. But that's entirely different from my work as a doctor. I care for people and I try to ensure that they don't suffer too much. That's a very different thing."
Many people, though, are totally against the practice of euthanasia. Dr. Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the organisation 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 professional to open up communication for them with their loved ones or family - there's nearly always another question behind the question."
Britain also has a strong tradition of hospices - special hospitals which care only for the dying and their special needs. Cicely Saunders, President of the National Hospice Council and a founder member of the hospice movement, argues that euthanasia doesn't take into account that there are ways 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: "It's 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. I think that anything that legally allows the shortening of life does make those people more vulnerable."
Many find this prohibition of an individual's 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 ignored. 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 haven't the right. And that when people are very ill, we are all afraid of their death. But there are situations where death is a friend. And is those cases, why not?"
But "why not?" is a question which might cause strong emotion. The film showing Cees van Wendel's death was both moving and sensitive. His doctor was clearly a family friend; his wife had only her husband's interests at heart. Some, however, would argue that it would be dangerous to use this particular example to support the case for euthanasia. Not all patients would receive such a high level of individual care and attention。
译文：
安乐死：赞同还是反对
"我们再也不能耽误了，……我难以咽下食物……呼吸也有困难……，浑身疲乏无力，……不要再拖了。"
荷兰人齐斯·范·温德尔临死前请求医生帮助他一死了之时说了这番话。他因身患重病，说话已经不很清楚，他知道自己毫无康复的希望了，而且病情正在迅速恶化。
在接受医生注射那致命的最后一针之前，范·温德康最后三个月的生活被拍成了电影，去年在荷兰的电视台首次播出。此后，有20个国家先后购买了这个电视节目，每在一国放映，都会在全国内引起一场对安乐死的议论。
荷兰是欧洲唯一的允许安乐死的国家。尽管安乐死在技术上还不具有合法性，但如果医生按照两年前荷兰议会制定的议案的严格指导原则实施用安乐死，但如果医生按照两年前荷兰议会制定的议案的严格指导原则实施用安乐死，通常是不会受到法律的追究的。这些指导原则规定，当病人极度痛苦，没有治愈的可能，而且一再要求的情况下才能实施安乐死。另外，还必须有第二位名医生证实已经符合上述条件，并且要向警察机关报告病人的死亡。
能允许医生结束他人的生命吗？齐斯·范·温德尔的私人医生威尔弗雷德·冯·奥依金解释了他对这个问题的看法：
"哦，这种情况和我计划用机关枪杀死一大群人完全不一样。若是那样，杀人是我所能想象的最可怕的事。但我作为医生实施安乐死和用枪杀人是绝对不同的。我是关心人，我要尽量保证他们不受更多痛苦。这和那种情况完全是两码事。"
然而，仍然有很多人坚决反对使用安乐死。"反安乐死健康医疗"组织的主席安德鲁·福格森说："在使用安乐死的大多数病例中，患者实际上需要的是其他的东西。他们可能需要在健康专家的指导下，与所爱的人或家人进行交流。"
英国晚期病人收容所有着牢固的传统，一种专门护理垂危病人并满足他们特殊需要的特殊医院。国家收容所委员会主席和收容运动的发起人茜西莉·桑德斯认为，使用安乐死把护理垂危病人的其他方式都排除了。她还担心允许使用安乐死会减少很多人对于照顾和关心的要求。"在今天的社会里，这样很容易使老年人、残疾人和靠他人生活的人们感到自己是社会的负担，应该从生活中消失掉。我觉得法律上任何允许缩短人们生命和作法都会使那些人变得更容易受伤害。"
很多人发现禁止一个人选择死亡的权利是没有道理的。尽管他们也认为生命很重要，并且应当尊重生命，但是生活的质量也不容忽视。范·奥依金医生认为如果人们想死，他们应当有选择死亡的权利："那些反对使用安乐死的人们是在告诉我们要死亡的人没有这种权利。当他们病重时，我们害怕他们会死去。但是有的情况下死亡是人们的朋友。在那种情况下，为什么不使用安乐死呢？"
但"为什么不呢？"是一个会引起强烈的情感的问题。那部反映齐斯·范·温德尔死亡情景的电影既感人又发人深醒。很显然，这位医生是他们一家人的朋友；温德尔的妻子也是一心为丈夫好。然而，有些人争论说用这种特殊事例来支持安乐死是危险的。再说，不是所有的病人都会受到如此周到的个别护理和关注。
课文讲解：
二、单词部分：
1． Affect 影响、感动、侵袭、感染 （常与被动语态连用）
1） His death affected us deeply.
2） Some plants are easily affected by cold
2． Debate
1） 辩论、辩论会：Who opened the debate, was the first to speak.
2） 辩论、考虑、讨论： （debate+on/upon/about+n.） He debated carefully before he decided.
3． Carry out 完成、实行：They are trying to carry out the new project ahead of schedule.他们努力提前完成新方案。
4． Confirm 确认、进一步落实 ：please confirm your telephone message in writing.
5． Concern
1) 使担心、使关心： I am concerned with your welfare.
2) 涉及： That incident doesn’t concern me 那件事与我无关。
3) 关心、忧虑、所关切的事物： She showed great concern for her son’s health.
6． Undermine 逐渐削弱、使基础破坏： The cliffs are severely undermined by the sea. 悬崖的底部受到海浪的严重冲刷
7． Opt 选择
1) opt+名词+as+名词： More and more students are opting law as their major.
2) opt+for+名词： Some of the students have opted for writing course.
三、课文讲解：
1． We mustn’t delay any longer….swallowing is difficult….and breathing, that’s also difficult. 我们绝对不能再耽误了。。。。他吞咽困难。。。呼吸也十分困难。
本句中情态动词must加否定词not表示“一定不要”，警告别人不要做某事，而need加not表示“不必要”，有don’t have to的意思，经常用来回答must引导的问句。
2． Affected with a serious disease, van Wendel was no longer able to speak clearly and he knew there was no hope of recovery and that his condition was rapidly deteriorating.
Van Wendel因患重病，已经不能清楚地讲话，他知道自己没有康复的可能，而且他的病情还会不断恶化。
1） 本句是个复合句，其中过去分词“Affected with a serious dicease”作原因状语，相当于原因状语从句。主句为并列句，第二个分句包括两个并列的宾语从句:there was no hope of recovery 与that his condition was rapidly deteriorating,它们都是动词knew的宾语。
2） No longer还可以用not …any longer形式表达
3． The program has since been bought by 20 countries and each time it is shown, it stars a nationwide debate on the subject. 此后20个国家购买了这个节目，每次放映都会在全国范围内引起有关此问题的辩论。
本句是个并列句，后面一个分局含有时间状语从句，由each time引导，其作用与连词when引导的状语从句相同。
4． Well, It’s not as if I’m planning to murder a crowd of people with a machine gun.
As if 引导一个方式状语从句。在一般情况下，as if 或as though引导的从句中使用虚拟式。本句中，用进行态，表示一种计划，从句的条件是真实的。
例如：It looks as if it’s going to rain.(真实的)
He looks as if he had seen a ghost.
5． I think that anything that legally allows the shortening of life does make those people more vulnerable.我认为任何从法律上允许缩短他人生命的做法都会使那些人变得更加脆弱。
本句是个复合句，含有一个宾语从句，宾语从句中又有一个定语从句，由关系代词that引导，限制不定代词anything,当先行词中含有不定代词anyone,anything等（something除外），或形容词all,only时，后面的关系代词一般只能用that.
6． Many find this prohibition of an individual’s right to die paternalistic. 很多人认为这种禁止个人选择死亡的做法有些家长作风。
本句中，动词find的宾语是复合结构，宾语补语paternalistic对宾语起补充说明作用，find后面可用形容词、名词、分词、介词短语等作宾语补语。
7． But “why not?” is a question which might cause strong emotion..
本句中含有一个定语从句，由关系代词which引导，补充说明question.
8． Not all the patients would receive such a high level of individual care and attention.
本句中否定结构“not all….”表示部分否定，意思是“不是所有的。。。。都”。当否定词与all,every连用时，常表示部分否定。全部否定形式为no one, not any.
例如： Not all the students are present at the lecture.
All that glitter are not gold. |
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