ELC501 Euthanasia

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ELC501/SAMPLE FINAL EXAM

TOTAL MARKS: 40 MARKS Read the foo!"#$ a%t"&e a#d a#'!e% ALL the ()e't"o#' that foo!*

A Ne! F"$ht to Le$a"'e E)tha#a'"a I

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 in situations when a decision is made to refrain from eercising "heroic" measures in an end!of!life

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situatio situation. n. This leads leads to the uestion, uestion, should should we be allowed allowed to determin determine e when we die# $hat seems alarming is that there appears to be an increasing acce accept ptan ance ce of acti active ve form forms s of euth euthan anas asia ia whic which h invo involv lve e phys physic icia ians ns%% assistance. $e also face a bigger, more insidious threat from passive forms of euthan euthanasi asia, a, where where medica medicall care care or food food and and water water are withh withhel eld d from from

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+)#e%a,e patients +)#e%a,e patients who cannot speak for themselves. &owever, whichever form of euthanasia it is, it should not be permitted. II

*utha *uthanas nasia ia may may be an an issu issue e long long deba debated ted in the the +.., +.., with with -regon -regon being being the first state to have legalised the practice of physician!assisted suicide. Booth Gardner, Gardner, a former governor of $ashington, is leading a ballot initiative that, if

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approved, would allow doctors in $ashington to prescribe lethal doses of narco narcotic tics s to termin terminal ally ly ill ill patien patients ts who who want want to end end their their own own lives lives.. The campaign is personal for Gardner, who was diagnosed more than a decade ago with arki rkinso nson/s n/s disea iseas se, a de,""tat"#$ condit condition ion.. Gardne Gardnerr has repeatedly said he would end his own life if given the tools to do so legally

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with dignity as it is his right as a human being to decide for himself. III III

1cco 1ccord rdin ing g to a news news repo report rt on the the ball ballot ot,, so far far more more than than 2) 2) per cent cent of 1merican adults agree with Gardner. Gardner. In another survey carried out on (,)3) 1mericans released by ELDR Magazine, Magazine, a public publicati ation on aimed aimed at senio senior r citi4ens, two!thirds support laws similar to -regon/s, which give people the

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"right to die" through physician!assisted suicide. 5ore than 2) per cent of respondents respondents also said that, t hat, if terminally ill and in pain, they would want to be

made unconscious even if it hastened death. 6ave Bunnell, the editor of - .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" Te#oo$" MARA MARA

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ELDR epressed that a painful or prolonged death is something everyone

worries about. I8

7)

The ELDR study, as well as similar findings in previous surveys, would indicate that "death with dignity" laws may be gaining national momentum, at least among the elderly. ome of that acceptance is due to the fact that -regon/s law seems to work 9 despite critics/ concern that the law would only encourage abuse. 1 few instances of abuse have indeed been reported

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since the law was passed in (::; and implemented in (::3. The state/s legislation reuires that the patient, who must be at least (2 and an -regon resident, make two reuests to die within two weeks. Two doctors must also concur that the patient has no more than si months to live and that he is not suffering from any mental illness, including depression. ince 0))0, about ;)

;)

-regonians each year have taken advantage of the law. Generally, a doctor prescribes a lethal dose of barbiturates, but is not legally allowed to administer it. The patient must take the dose himself. 8

$ashington/s

proposed

law

would

mirror

-regon/s

almost

eactly.

roponents will have to collect 00',))) petition signatures by
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on the ballot. But if history is any indication, the initiative has little chance of passing in =ovember. 8oters have struck down do4ens of similar "right to die" laws since the late (:2)s, including in $ashington tate in (::0. It is only right that voters should oppose Gardner%s move as physicians should strive to save patients% lives instead of assisting them to end their lives. They are

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bound by the &ippocratic oath to do so. 8I

=o one has the right to judge that another%s life is not worth living even if the person concerned has given up on his or her own life. The basic right to life should not be a,%"d$ed because someone decides that someone else%s uality of life is too low. If we base the right to life on uality of life standards,

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there is no logical place to draw the line. In the past, the >atholic >hurch and other religious groups have succeeded in rallying enough committed opponents to come out and vote against legali4ing euthanasia. &owever, this year, heading up a coalition against the $ashington effort is >hris >arlson, a formidable match for Gardner. >arlson also suffers from arkinson/s and was

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diagnosed with terminal cancer three years ago. 6espite the diagnosis, he is - .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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still around and has wondered what would have happened if he had given up hope and opted for euthanasia.

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>arlson is living proof that doctors can get things wrong. 1s such, there is this fear that the "right to die" law may translate into premature suicide. -ne of

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the biggest concerns is that although a physician is supposed to ensure the patient is not depressed, the law has not made it mandatory for the person seeking euthanasia to undergo a formal mental evaluation by a psychiatrist. This, however, is necessary because any person diagnosed with terminal illness could be immediately depressed. $hat is alarming is that according to

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the -regon 6epartment of &ealth ervices, none of the ;: physician!assisted suicide patients in -regon last year had such an evaluation done. 1s an estimated :) per cent of suicides in the +.. have been associated with mental illness, such an evaluation should have been made mandatory. 3' 8III

1nother reason to challenge legalising euthanasia is the charge that "right to die" laws unfairly target women, minorities and the poor. ome critics claim that women and minorities are uicker than others to perceive themselves as a financial or emotional burden to their families, and may be more easily persuaded to end their lives. @esearch conducted by >olorado tate

2)

+niversity shows that of the 3' suicides assisted by
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uadriplegic believes that financial pressures motivate too many important health care decisions and this may lead to sick and disabled people feeling pressured to choose assisted suicide.

- .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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6espite Gardner%s dismissal of these concerns on the grounds that none of them have materiali4ed in -regon in the decade since its 6eath with 6ignity

:)

D6$6E 1ct took effect and that men and women have used the law in eual numbers, it does not make euthanasia the right move. There is no guarantee that these concerns will not arise in the future. Gardner%s argument that we should not be denied the choice to end our lives if we want to as we do not live in a perfect world is unacceptable. It appears to be the coward%s way out. C

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$ho are we to end our lives or the lives of others as we choose# -ther measures need to be considered such as protecting vulnerable patients by fostering

more positive attitudes towards

people with serious

and

incapacitating illnesses and conditions. $e must also enact positive legislation that will protect vulnerable people from those who consider their

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lives meaningless or too costly to maintain and who would cause their deaths by withholding life!sustaining care such as food and water or administering lethal injections. 6espite the ravages of their diseases, they are still our fellow human beings and deserve our care and respect. 1dapted from httpFwww.time.comtimehealtharticle

3ESTION 1 Interpret the meaning of the following words as they are used in the passage. aE vulnerable Dline ((E

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

bE debilitating Dline (:E


cE abridged Dline ';E


dE coerce Dline 2'E

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D; marksE

3ESTION 2

- .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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Identify the issue discussed in the article. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D0 marksE

3ESTION  6efine the author%s position on the issue presented in the article. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D0 marksE

3ESTION 4 *plain what the writer is implying when the writer states, many view euthanasia as simply bringing relief by alleviating pain and suffering in situations when a decision is made to refrain from eercising "heroic" measures in an end!of!life situation% Dlines 7!?E. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D7 marksE

3ESTION 5

- .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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tate the main idea of paragraph 6III and give -=* 51<-@ supporting detail to support the main idea. aE 5ain ideaF HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH bE 5ajor supporting detailF

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D0 marksE

3ESTION  $rite out the implied main idea of aragraph C# HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D0 marksE 3ESTION  @ead each of the following statements. 6ecide whether each statement is a Fa&t or an O"#"o# and eplain why. $rite your answer in the space provided.

aE $e also face a bigger, more insidious threat from passive forms of euthanasia, where medical care or food and water are withheld from vulnerable patients who cannot speak for themselves. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH bE 1s an estimated :) per cent of suicides in the +.. have been associated with mental illness, such an evaluation should have been made mandatory. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

cE It was found that more than three!uarters of those women, while certainly ill and suffering, were not epected to die within si months. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D? marksE

3ESTION 7 The author has used different types of support as supporting details in the article. Identify the type of support for each of the supporting detail given below.

aE

upporting 6etail Type of upport In another survey carried out on (,)3) 1mericans released by ELDR Magazine, a publication aimed at senior citi4ens, two!thirds support

laws similar to -regon/s, which give people the "right to die" through physician!assisted suicide Daragraph IIIE. bE

The state/s legislation reuires that the patient, who must be at least (2 and an -regon resident, make two reuests to die within two weeks Daragraph I8E.

cE

8oters have struck down do4ens of similar "right to die" laws since the late (:2)s, including in $ashington tate in (::0 Daragraph 8E.

dE

6uane rench, a uadriplegic believes that financial pressures motivate too many important health care decisions and this may lead to sick and disabled people feeling pressured to choose assisted suicide Daragraph 8IIIE. D; marksE

3ESTION 8 @eferring to paragraph C, identify two inferences that can be made about what the author believes. I.

atients who are dying are not being adeuately protected by the law.

- .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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II.

>aregivers have a positive outlook towards caring for the dying.

III.

6ying patients are being dehumanised.

I8

*uthanasia is a possible option among other measures.

Indicate your answer by circling the appropriate response. aE

I and II only

bE

II and III only

cE

I and III only

dE

I and I8 only

eE

II and I8 only D0 marksE

3ESTION 10 6etermine which of the following groups is least likely to be the intended audience. aE

The elderly

bE

6ying patients

cE

hysicians

dE

Joungsters

eE

>aregivers D( markE

3ESTION 11 Identify which of the following best describes the tone of the author. aE

leading

bE

>oncerned

cE

6ispassionate

dE

*mphatic

eE

@ighteous D( markE

3ESTION 12 6etermine the writer%s purpose for writing such an article. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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D( markE

3ESTION 1 *valuate the writer%s use of language in paragraphs 6II and 6III that indicates his view about laws that permit euthanasia. rovide evidence to support your evaluation. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D0 marksE 3ESTION 14 6raw a possible conclusion based on inductive reasoning for the given t etF

1ccording to a news report on the ballot, so far more than 2) per cent of 1merican adults agree with Gardner. In another survey carried out on (,)3) 1mericans released by ELDR Magazine, a publication aimed at senior citi4ens, two!thirds support laws similar to -regon/s,

which give people the "right to die" through physician!assisted suicide. 5ore than 2) per cent of respondents also said that, if terminally ill and in pain, they would want to be made unconscious even if it hastened death. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D( markE

3ESTION 15 6raw a possible conclusion based on deductive reasoning for the given tetF

The "right to die" laws generally target women, minorities and the poor. ome critics claim that women and minorities are uicker than others to perceive themselves as a financial or emotional burden to their families. They are more easily persuaded to end their lives.

- .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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@esearch conducted by >olorado tate +niversity shows that of the 3' suicides assisted by
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH D( markE 3ESTION 1 *valuate the validity and credibility of the author%s argument in the article. *plain your answer with evidence from the article. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

D7 marksE 3ESTION 1 *valuate the author%s argument for completeness. *plain your answer with evidence from the article. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

D7 marksE

END OF 3ESTION PAPER

- .a C"ta #"+e%'"t" Te#oo$" MARA

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ELC501 Euthanasia

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