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What is non-voluntary euthanasia?
Non-voluntary euthanasia is when euthanasia is carried out without the person's request, usually because they are unable to communicate their wishes. Another person, typically a doctor or family member, decides to end their life on their behalf. It should be in the best interest of the person who dies, not anyone else.
How does non-voluntary euthanasia differ from involuntary euthanasia?
Non-voluntary euthanasia occurs when the person is unable to request death, while involuntary euthanasia happens when a person is killed against their will, such as the murder of disabled people by Nazi doctors.
What situations often lead to debates about non-voluntary euthanasia?
Non-voluntary euthanasia debates arise from cases where individuals cannot communicate their wishes but are in a deteriorating or unchangeable state, such as being brain-dead, severely brain-damaged, or in a persistent vegetative state.
What is a living will, and how does it relate to non-voluntary euthanasia?
A living will is a document in which a person expresses their wishes about medical treatment if they become unable to communicate. It can guide doctors and family members in decisions regarding euthanasia if certain conditions are met.
What is the controversy surrounding the Liverpool Care Pathway?
The Liverpool Care Pathway was intended to provide quality end-of-life care but became discredited. It was alleged that patients were prematurely assessed as terminal, sedated heavily, and denied water, leading to a self-fulfilling diagnosis. It was phased out in 2013/14.
What are Glover's five options regarding life preservation and euthanasia?
Take all possible steps to preserve life (e.g., surgery, medication, food, and water).
Take ordinary but not extraordinary steps to preserve life (e.g., limiting surgery but providing food and water).
Do not kill but take no steps to preserve life (e.g., providing only food and water).
Act in a way that does not intend to kill but has death as a foreseen effect (e.g., giving large doses of morphine).
Perform a deliberate act of killing.
How does Glover relate medical technology to the decision to end life?
Glover suggests that advancements in medical technology mean the question is no longer simply whether to end life, but whether to withdraw particular treatments that sustain life artificially.
What is the Alkmaar case, and what does it illustrate about euthanasia?
The Alkmaar case involved a 95-year-old woman, Mrs. B, who requested mercy killing after suffering from unbearable pain. Her doctor ended her life, and the case contributed to the legalization of voluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands. It illustrates the conflict between the legal duty not to kill and the moral duty to alleviate suffering.
What argument does Peter Singer make regarding euthanasia?
Peter Singer argues that the desire for control over one's death signifies a shift away from the sanctity of life ethic. Modern democracies increasingly want control over how they die, and more doctors are willing to break the moral rule against killing.
What is the slippery slope argument in the context of euthanasia?
The slippery slope argument suggests that allowing voluntary euthanasia may lead to unintended consequences, such as pressure on the elderly or sick from the young or healthy, or errors in diagnosis leading to wrongful death.
How does Jonathan Glover address the slippery slope argument?
Glover notes that people who feel like burdens sometimes commit suicide, which can complicate euthanasia decisions. He argues that mistakes, such as incorrect diagnoses, could result in irreversible consequences.
What is the ethical question surrounding euthanasia?
Euthanasia raises ethical questions about whether it is ever moral for a person to end their own life or help someone end theirs, and whether an early death might sometimes be a merciful option.
Who is Simon Binner, and what role does his case play in the euthanasia debate?
Simon Binner was diagnosed with terminal motor neurone disease and opted for assisted dying. He chose to end his life through lethal injection in Switzerland in 2015. His case highlights the emotional and moral struggles surrounding euthanasia and was documented in the BBC series How to Die: Simon's Choice.
