Good evening dear followers. So this past Wednesday evening my group (which consisted of Janet, Kristen and myself) presented our Wikipedia article to the class. I was surprised by the lack of information found on Wikipedia on our topic of Euthanasia. I mean on one hand Wikipedia did do its job in giving a brief overview of the topic for one to have some general knowledge of the subject but that was it. I was quite surprised that no one on the Wikipedia article of Euthanasia ever mentioned any recent cases; for example the case of Terri Schiavo. The Terri Schiavo case drew such huge media attention that it is absurd they left it out of their entries. For those that don't know the Terri Schiavo case was a legal battle between the parents and husband of Terri Schiavo that lasted several years from 1998-2005. The issue at hand was whether the equipment that had been used to sustain Terri's life since 1990 should be disconnected (specifically a feeding tube), thereby allowing her to die in March of 2005.
Doing some research on our own, my group had come to find some very interesting facts about euthanasia. The term Euthanasia originated from the Greek word for "good death." It is the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment. Because of this, many view euthanasia as simply bringing relief by alleviating pain and suffering. The word has also been applied to situations when a decision is made to refrain from exercising "heroic" measures in an end-of-life situation.
I was also surprised that Wikipedia didn't mention all the types of Euthanasia, except for PAD and Assisted Euthanasia. Ones that they missed mentioning are:Voluntary Euthanasia - When a competent person makes a voluntary and enduring request to be helped to die. Involuntary Euthanasia - To end a person's life without their knowledge or consent. Active Euthanasia - To end a person's life by use of drugs, whether by oneself or with the aid of a physician. Passive Euthanasia - To end a person life by not taking the necessary and ordinary action to maintain life. This can be done by withdrawing water, food, drugs, medical or surgical procedures.
Physician-Assisted Suicide - Suicide accomplished with the aid of a medical doctor intentionally providing a person with an overdose of prescription medication. Assisted Suicide - Suicide accomplished with the aid of another person.
Overall as a group we came to the conclusion that Wikipedia is a good source when you want a bit of information on a topic or can be used as a starting point for research, but that it is. It is not detailed enough to be used to write a high-school or college-level research paper. It seems to have missing information, sometimes dead links, and sometimes sends you on a wild goose chase in search of information. Because most anyone can edit most Wikipedia articles, mistakes can and do happen. In conclusion, more information is being shared like never before. Whether it's new technology delivered on cell phones, or Wikipedia, the promise of a whole new world of information is at our fingertips.
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