euthanasia

voluntary euthanasia

• when a person’s life is ended at their request or with their consent

non- voluntary euthanasia

• when a person’s life is ended without their consent but with the consent of someone representing their interests

active euthanasia

• when a deliberate action is taken to directly end a person’s life

• this involves an act of commission to bring about death, usually to alleviate intractable pain

passive euthanasia

• when life- sustaining treatment is withdrawn, allowing nature to take its course and the patient to die from their underlying condition

examples of passive euthanasia

• turning off a life- support machine

• issuing a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order

euthanasia breakdown

• derived from the greek words ‘eu’ (well) and ‘thanatos’ (death)

• the act of seeking to provide a good death for a person who is suffering

sanctity of life

• the belief that human life is inherently sacred, holy, and of infinite value because it is created by God

autonomy

• derived from the greek words ‘auto’ (self) and ‘nomos’ (law)

• meaning self- governance

key scriptures supporting sanctity of life

• genesis 1:27- imago dei

• exodus 20:13- thou shall not murder

• job 1:21- god is the sole giver and taker of life

• 1 corinthians 6:19- temples of the holy spirit

genesis 1:27

• ‘God created mankind in his own image’

• establishes that humans possess an intrinsic, God- given dignity that sets them apart from the rest of creation

• therefore, terminating a life destroys something that uniquely reflects the divine creator

exodus 20:13

• ‘thou shall not murder’

• as one of the ten commandments, this establishes that taking an innocent human life is in direct violation of God’s covenant

job 1:21

• ‘the lord gave, and the lord has taken away’

• places supreme authority over mortality entirely in the hands of God,

• implying that utilising euthanasia to control the timing of death is an act of human arrogance (hubris) that rejects divine providence

1 corinthians 6:19

• ‘your bodies are temples of the holy spirit’

• by framing the physical body as a scared dwelling place for the holy spirit, paul’s theology implies that our bodies are not personal property to be destroyed at will, but sacred trusts that must be preserved until natural death

quality of life

• the belief that the value of human life is not absolute, but depends on the actual experiences and capabilities of that life

• e.g: freedom from pain, cognitive awareness, independence

counters to strong sanctity of life

• quality of life

• autonomy and self- ownership

• weak sanctity of life

topic sentence + evaluation

for quality of life as a counter to strong sanctity of life

• a compelling counter to the sol position is the secular quality of life argument, most notably championed by preference utilitarian peter singer

• therefore, if a terminal patient retains autonomy and expresses a clear preference to die, voluntary euthanasia is justified

• furthermore, singer extends these views to non- voluntary euthanasia as all individuals possess a fundamental interest in not suffering unnecessarily

weakness of strong sanctity of life

quality of life

• a compelling counter to the sol position is the secular quality of life argument, most notably championed by preference utilitarian peter singer

• singer argues that the concept of sanctity of life is outdated and should be completely re-evaluated

• in its place, singer argues that the value of human life is not absolute, but dependent on the quality it possesses

• singer directly connects this to his concept of personhood, arguing that the moral wrongness of killing stems from violating a rational person’s preference to keep living

• crucially, singer points out that this moral restriction disappears when a patient’s quality of life is low or non- existent

• that patient no longer has a preference to live due to the extent of their suffering

topic sentence + final ev

on personal autonomy + self- ownership

• a second critical counter to the sol position is the principle of autonomy, which dictates that rational individuals possess an absolute right to self- determination over their own bodies

• in a secular, pluralistic society, forcing an individual to adhere to a specific worldview (life is a gift from God) violates their personal liberty

weakness of strong sanctity of life

autonomy and self- ownership

• a second critical counter to the sol position is the principle of autonomy, which dictates that rational individuals possess an absolute right to self- determination over their own bodies

• in medical ethics, this is supported by rule utilitarian J.S. Mill’s ‘harm principle’, which argues that the government has no right to restrict our freedom if we want to harm ourselves

• diane pretty case

• by denying pretty the right to an assisted death, the state effectively stripped a rational, mentally competent individual of her personal sovereignty, forcing her to endure a prolonged and distressing natural death against her explicit wishes

diane pretty case

• diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), diane pretty was unable to end her life herself

• exercising her autonomy, pretty legally campaigned for her husband to be granted immunity from prosecution to assist her suicide

• the uk courts rejected her appeal and pretty eventually died of MND in may 2002

topic sentence on weak sol

• a final counter to the sol position comes from within christian theology via the weak sanctity of life view, which argues that the absolute duty to prolong life can be overridden by the supreme Christian command of compassion and love (agape)

weakness of sanctity of life

weak sanctity of life

• a final counter to the sol position comes from within christian theology via the weak sanctity of life view, which argues that the absolute duty to prolong life can be overridden by the supreme Christian command of compassion and love (agape)

• this is supported by joseph fletcher’s situation ethics

• fletcher argued that rules like ‘do not kill’ (exodus 20:13) are useful maxims but should not become absolute idols if they cause human misery

• instead, the right course of action is entirely situational and must prioritise the most loving outcome for the individual

• jospeh fletcher quote

• therefore, when a person is facing an undignified and painful death, terminating life can be seen as the ultimate expression of agape

joseph fletcher book + quote to go w weak sanctity of life

• ‘it is harder to justify letting someone die a slow and ugly death, dehumanised, than it is to justify helping them escape from misery’

• humanhood: essays in biomedical essays

situation ethics application to euthanasia

• situation ethics would judge that euthanasia can be morally good in situations where it maximises agape

• in situations where it would maximise agape to avoid euthanasia, it would be wrong, however

in what case would situation ethics support euthanasia

• if someone has a very low quality of life and an autonomous wish to die, it would be right

• daniel james case study

daniel james case study

• when a scrum collapsed on top of him, james became paralysed from the chest downwards, suffered uncontrollable spasms, and required 24 hour care

• james was an ‘intelligent young man of sound mind’ and was ‘not prepared to live a second- class existence’

• therefore, james killed himself by lethal injection at a swiss suicide clinic

in what cases would situation ethics reject euthanasia

• if society has made them feel like a failure or a burden

• if they have a short- term issue like singer’s example of a lovesick teenager

topic sentence + evaluation

for natural law application to euthanasia

• aquinas’ natural law provides an absolutist, deontological objection to euthanasia by asserting that morality is rooted in divine design, accessible through right reason

• any autonomous decision to control the timing of death is an act of human arrogance (hubris) that spiritually disorders our rls w the creator

natural law application to euthanasia

• aquinas’ natural law provides an absolutist, deontological objection to euthanasia by asserting that morality is rooted in divine design, accessible through right reason

• natural law dictates that humans must fulfill the primary precepts, in this case, the duty to preserve life and live in an orderly society

• by intentionally terminating a life, it disrupts the natural harmony designed by god, leading to systematic immorality and social disorder

• this view is highlighted by mother teresa’s warning that permitting the destruction of the vulnerable erodes the collective prohibition against killing