Why active euthanasia and physician assisted suicide should be legalised

Legalization of Active Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide

Moral Justification

  • Active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide should be legalized as they can constitute a moral good if death is in a patient’s best interest.

  • Example: Diane Pretty's case, who suffers from motor neurone disease and faced a future of suffering and indignity but was denied the right to choose her death.

Legal vs. Moral Perspectives

  • The court's decision may be legally consistent but fails to consider the moral implications.

  • A hypothetical situation where a patient becomes incompetent: Doctors can withdraw life-sustaining treatment, which might foreseeably lead to death, yet similar discretion is not allowed to actively take life.

  • The moral equivalence between active and passive euthanasia emerges, especially when inaction leads to death whereas action might offer relief from suffering.

Clinician’s Duty and Patient’s Best Interest

  • Clinicians are bound by the duty to care; failure to save a life through inaction could be viewed similarly to actively taking a life.

  • If there is a consensus in the medical community that ending life is in the best interest of a patient, this should be recognized legally.

Arguments Against Euthanasia

  • Opponents argue that treatment must be deemed without benefit to justify withdrawal.

  • Critique: These arguments imply that the lives of severely incompetent patients are not worth living, which is a moral judgment.

  • Intent must also be evaluated: with withdrawal perceived as an act to relieve suffering, the care intention must remain consistent.

The Case of Diane Pretty

  • If her doctors would legally allow passive euthanasia, active euthanasia should also be permissible.

  • Legally and morally, people should respect patients’ autonomy to choose death.

  • Megan's ability to refuse treatment emphasizes the inconsistency in current laws preventing aid in dying.

Autonomous Decision-Making

  • Legal frameworks should recognize and support voluntary active euthanasia as respecting patient autonomy and dignity.

  • Providing help for patients like Diane Pretty aligns with moral duty when it is what they wish.

Conclusion: Slippery Slopes and Ethical Implications

  • Advocates must address the slippery slope concerns of legalization yet focus on clear ethical boundaries.

  • In light of moral arguments, the question arises: what is morally wrong with supporting voluntary active euthanasia for those competent to make such decisions?