Active Euthanasia: Dignity or Murder
Active Euthanasia: Dignity or Murder?
An ongoing argument in the world of medicine concerns euthanasia and the right to die. There is an important distinction to make that will be useful later on in describing the difference between active euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, because they are not the same thing. Euthanasia, more specifically voluntary or active euthanasia, pertains to an intervention, such as lethal injection, requested by a mentally competent patient so as to precipitate death. Physician assisted suicide on the other hand is when a doctor prescribes a lethal dose of medicine that the terminally ill patient requests and ingests at their time of choice that will end their life (Scherer and Simon 13). Many arguments have been made as to why this should be legally permissible. Some say that it helps end one’s suffering. Others say that the act is abiding by doctor’s oath to help patients. Robert Young claims that it does not go against moral codes by stating, “It is sometimes morally permissible unintentionally to occasion harm despite the harm being foreseen, provided there is a sufficiently grave reason” (Young 84). On the contrary, legalizing active euthanasia is morally wrong, many physical complications almost always occur, and it goes against the Hippocratic Oath. For those reasons, we believe active euthanasia should not be legalized. This issue is pertinent in many people’s lives and if Euthanasia is legalized, it could lead to the de-valuation of human life. The first aspect to consider is the moral perspective. Active euthanasia is now being viewed as a new alternative to ending one’s suffering. Those who support active euthanasia argue that a terminally ill patient who is in excruciating pain should be given the choice to decide whether or not one wants to live, claiming that it is the patient’s right. The situation is looked at as if the patient’s life is no longer valuable or worth living anymore, but who gets to be the judge
An ongoing argument in the world of medicine concerns euthanasia and the right to die. There is an important distinction to make that will be useful later on in describing the difference between active euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, because they are not the same thing. Euthanasia, more specifically voluntary or active euthanasia, pertains to an intervention, such as lethal injection, requested by a mentally competent patient so as to precipitate death. Physician assisted suicide on the other hand is when a doctor prescribes a lethal dose of medicine that the terminally ill patient requests and ingests at their time of choice that will end their life (Scherer and Simon 13). Many arguments have been made as to why this should be legally permissible. Some say that it helps end one’s suffering. Others say that the act is abiding by doctor’s oath to help patients. Robert Young claims that it does not go against moral codes by stating, “It is sometimes morally permissible unintentionally to occasion harm despite the harm being foreseen, provided there is a sufficiently grave reason” (Young 84). On the contrary, legalizing active euthanasia is morally wrong, many physical complications almost always occur, and it goes against the Hippocratic Oath. For those reasons, we believe active euthanasia should not be legalized. This issue is pertinent in many people’s lives and if Euthanasia is legalized, it could lead to the de-valuation of human life. The first aspect to consider is the moral perspective. Active euthanasia is now being viewed as a new alternative to ending one’s suffering. Those who support active euthanasia argue that a terminally ill patient who is in excruciating pain should be given the choice to decide whether or not one wants to live, claiming that it is the patient’s right. The situation is looked at as if the patient’s life is no longer valuable or worth living anymore, but who gets to be the judge
Cited: Csikai, Ellen L., and Elizabeth Chaitin. Ethiscs: in End-of-Life Decisions in Social Work Practice. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, Inc, 2006. Groenewoud, JH, der H. A. van, BD Onwuteaka-Philipsen, DL Willems, der M. P. J. van, and der W. G. van. "Clinical Problems with the Performance of Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide in the Netherlands." The New England Journal of Medicine. 342.8 (2000): 551-6. Gula, Richard M. Euthanasia: Moral and Pastoral Perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1994. Scherer, Jennifer M., and Rita J. Simon. Euthanasia and The Right to Die: A Comparative View. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 1999. Sommerville, Margret. Death Talk: The Case against Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide. Montreal, Canada: McGill Queens University Press, 2001. Torr, James D. Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc, 2000. Weir, Robert F. Ethical Issues in Death and Dying. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1977. Young, Robert. Medically Assisted Death. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2007.