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Euthanasia

Euthanasia. Mercy Killing Physician Assisted Suicide. What is Suicide?. The Intentional Termination of One’s Own Life. Sacrificial vs. Suicidal. Martyr POW killing himself in order not to reveal information Protect others Giving your life for others. Morality of Suicide.

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Euthanasia

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  1. Euthanasia

  2. Mercy Killing • Physician Assisted Suicide

  3. What is Suicide? • The Intentional Termination of One’s Own Life

  4. Sacrificial vs. Suicidal • Martyr • POW killing himself in order not to reveal information • Protect others • Giving your life for others

  5. Morality of Suicide • Under what conditions is suicide morally acceptable?

  6. Thomas Aquinas • Violates our duty to God • Violates Natural Law • Injuries the community

  7. Immanuel Kant • Degrades human worth

  8. Masada? • Jews killed themselves and their families so they would not be taken by the Romans

  9. The Morality of Euthanasia • Active Euthanasia • Passive Euthanasia • Voluntary Euthanasia • Non-Voluntary Euthanasia • Involuntary Euthanasia

  10. Active Euthanasia • The physician takes active steps to kill the patient • Administering drugs • Stopping life sustaining treatment

  11. Passive Euthanasia • The physician allows the patient to die of their injuries or natural causes • Not putting someone on life support • Not giving life sustaining treatment

  12. Voluntary Euthanasia • Euthanasia in reponse to the (informed) request of a competent patient

  13. Non-Voluntary Euthanasia • Euthanasia that involves an individual who is incompetent to give consent • Alzheimer’s Disease • Infant

  14. Involuntary Euthanasia • Euthanasia that is against the will or without permission of a competent person • Capital Punishment

  15. Voluntary Active Euthanasia • A competent patient wants to be put to death • And the physician helps him / her • Severe painful • Lost of dignity • No meaningful life

  16. Non-Voluntary Active Euthanasia • Incompetent patient is put to death with aid of physician • Alzheimer’s patient is severely injured • Infant born with severe birth defects

  17. Voluntary Passive Euthanasia • Competent patient asks not to receive life sustaining treatment • “Allowed to die of natural causes”

  18. Non-Voluntary Passive Euthanasia • Incompetent patient is allowed to die • Life sustaining treatment with withheld for: • Alzheimer’s patient is severely injured • Infant born with severe birth defects

  19. Killing vs. Allowing to Die • Is there a moral difference?

  20. For Voluntary Active Euthanasia

  21. 1. It is cruel and inhuman to refuse the plea of a terminally ill person for his or her life to be mercifully ended in order to avoid future suffering and/or indignity

  22. 2. Autonomous choice should be respected to the extent that it does not result in harm to others.

  23. Since no one is harmed – at least in typical cases – by terminally ill patients undergoing active euthanasia, a decision to have one’s life ended in this fashion should be respected

  24. Against Voluntary Active Euthanasia

  25. 1. Killing an innocent person is inherently wrong under any circumstance even if the person desires it

  26. 2. Killing is incompatible with the professional responsibilities of the physician

  27. 3. Any systematic acceptance of active euthanasia would lead to detrimental social consequences • A lessening of respect for human life

  28. Physician-Assisted Suicide • 1. Physicians providing information to a patient about how to commit suicide in an effective manner • 2. Physicians providing the means necessary for an effective suicide • (usually by prescription)

  29. Physician does not play an active role in bringing about the death of the patient

  30. Significance Difference? • Voluntary active euthanasia the physician ultimately kills the patient • Physician-assisted suicide the patient kills himself or herself

  31. Terminal Sedation • Patients suffering from severe pain which cannot be treated any other way except sedation into unconsciousness eventually die

  32. ASSISTED SUICIDE LAWS STATE BY STATE

  33. Currently, 34 STATES have statutes explicitly criminalizing assisted suicide : • Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin

  34. NINE states criminalize assisted suicide through common law: • Alabama, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia

  35. THREE states have abolished the common law of crimes and do not have statutes criminalizing assisted suicide : • North Carolina, Utah, Wyoming

  36. Only the states of Oregon and Washington permit physician-assisted suicide.

  37. Social Policy • Should euthanasia be legalized? • If so, what forms? • What safeguards? • What penalites if not followed?

  38. Slippery Slope Argument • If voluntary active euthanasia were legalized • This would lead us down the path of the legalization on non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia

  39. Economic Considerations • “Death Panels” • Pressure for those who are dying to die more quickly to save the state money for their expensive health care

  40. Oregon Death with Dignity Act • November 1994 approved Physician assisted suicide • Physician can prescribe lethal drugs • 15 day waiting period from time of request

  41. Active and Passive EuthanasiaJames Rachels

  42. Rachels Argument • Identifies the “Conventional Doctrine” on the morality of euthanasia as the doctrine that allows Passive Euthanasia but does not allow Active Euthanasia

  43. Rachels Argues • 1. Active euthanasia is in many cases more humane than passive euthanasia • 2. Leads to decisions concerning life and death on irrelevant grounds

  44. 3. Rests on a distinction between killing and letting die that itself has no moral importance • 4. Most common argument in favor of doctrine is invalid

  45. 1. Active euthanasia is in many cases more humane than passive euthanasia • Conventional doctrine says that it is ok to allow patient to die, but never to take direction action to kill the patient

  46. Throat cancer example • Patient with incurable throat cancer is in terrible pain which cannot be alleviated • He will die in a few days • Asks to die now peacefully

  47. Withholding Treatment • This will allow the patient to die • But it will take several days of terrible pain • Isn’t it more humane to end his life as sson as possible?

  48. Once the decision has been made to let the patient die, doesn’t it make more sense to help the patient die as soon as possible and peacefully as possible?

  49. To say no, is to endorse the option that leads to more suffering rather than less

  50. Being allowed to die can be a slow and painful process • Lethal injection is quick and painless

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