ETHICS - Euthanasia

Sanctity of Life

Life is sacred because it is a gift from God: Gen 1 "made in the image of God"

Mary Ann Warren on Personhood (quality of life)

Argues there are 6 factors which make us human, including communication, sentience, ability to reason

So people in a PVS/with brain damage aren't really alive anymore.

Passages against euthanasia

Job 1: "the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away"

Deuteronomy 30: "choose life"

Exodus 20

Hippocratic Oath: "will not give a fatal draught to anyone if asked, nor will I suggest such a thing"

Mill on euthanasia (indirectly) + Glover

Emphasises the importance of autonomy.

It "merely concerns himself" and hence this right is "absolute", "the individual is sovereign over himself". (On Liberty)

Glover: "a very serious denial of the person's autonomy" (Causing Death and Saving Lives)

Glover's three factors to consider

1. Should be convinced decision is serious and thought through

2. Should be a reasonable request: the helper must be convinced that life truly is not worth it for the patient. Otherwise, further discussion needed

3. Must be convinced their circumstances will not change.

(Causing death and saving lives)

Glover's 3 side effects

Common reasons for rejecting euthanasia

1. Could lead to involuntary euthanasia eg Nazis

2. Discourages people from getting treated.

3. Detrimentally affects palliative care: focusses shift to ending their life.

Glover's rejection of side effects

1. Nazis were evil! This won't happen in a modern society.

2. We don't know how people behave so can't assume this

3. Unlikely

However, we must still consider the side effects in individual cases.

Non-voluntary euthanasia

Ending someone's life without their consent but with the consent of family/friend

Eg if someone's in a PVS: can't communicate their wishes.

Double effect in euthanasia

Giving someone lots of morphine has the second effect of death.

Natural Law on euthanasia

An absolutist theory: very rigid, a primary precept is to preserve life, and life is a gift from God.

However, proportionalism: euthanasia could be better, to discontinue "burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary" medical procedures (Catechism)

Double effect

Situation ethics on euthanasia

Sometimes it can be more loving to end someone's life, for example if they don't have a genuine quality of life/personhood.

Sometimes it's justifiable to take it "into our own hands" "out of compassion" (Essays in Biomedical Ethics)

The starting point should be the patient's medical condition (Morals and Medicine)

Fletcher on euthanasia

He was president of the Euthanasia Society of America.