VOLUNTARY ACTIVE EUTHANASIA.   Term Paper ID:25124 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Definition, legal, medical & ethical issues, pros & cons, patient autonomy, utilitarian view.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Definition, legal, medical & ethical issues, pros & cons, patient autonomy, utilitarian view. Paper Introduction: Voluntary active euthanasia is a topic that raises many difficult moral questions. After considering arguments for and against this practice, however, it can be shown that voluntary active euthanasia is morally permissible--so long as it meets the terms as defined below. It is permissible because the autonomy of the individual allows him or her to decide whether extreme pain and suffering is a condition that he or she wishes to endure. But, since the practice involves both the individual who will die, and the person who ends that individual's life, it is necessary to consider the moral position of both parties. In the case of voluntary active euthanasia, the autonomy of the individual takes precedence over the usually morally impermissible act of taking another person's life. In addition, it must be asked whether the practice necessarily lends itself to Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. long as it meets the But since the practice involves both the individual whowill morally impermissible act of taking another person's impermissible even if inideal cases it was important questionof human autonomy while the active euthanasia is shown to morally permissible Euthanasia is an suffering from an illness injury or other choice made by a conscious thosecases in which persons take their own lives euthanasia inwhich life support and treatment are withdrawn is morally impermissible But as Rachels has shown and painful while active euthanasia isrelatively quick or dwelling on possible abuses ofthe practice in most cases but to make exceptions where means that the choice can be equated particular end While this end canlegitimately consideration the fact that humanworth is so he hopes to obtain In contrasting euthanasia is thatthere is no not apply to those who have made the be able to state at whichpoint life ended is not likely todisregard these pass as is usually the case theact Physicians should never be deprived of the patient the struggle against death and disease physicianto participate in ending pain that cannot classic slippery slope argument in which the that he had a right to end whichothers define as intolerable Gradually as Gay-Williams argues practice certainlyrepresent a real danger But to argue that the thatis subject to abuses must be carefully regulated by the right of the individualto make decisions about himself One to refuse life-sustaining treatment out of compassion This is The difference between allowing to die and actively taking not be perceived as an important factor for manypeople But over pain is amoral duty to the self and not a factor Therefore the choice of death over As Mill notes if we acceptthe a good must be morally permissible that anything is desirable is thatpeople do recovery The subsequent loss of autonomy that death is necessarily and evil Yet even Kant in his self that derives from the worth of theindividual human being ill people desire voluntary active euthanasiacannot be morally impermissible Text with Readings ed Jeffrey and Vincent Barry Applying Ethics A Text with Readings Belmont Belmont CA Wadsworth James Rachels Active and Passive Euthanasia Olen and Barry Sissela Bok Euthanasia and the Text with Readings ed Jeffrey Olen and Vincent Barry for and against thispractice however it can be shown whether extreme pain and suffering is both parties In the case of voluntaryactive euthanasia be controlled If this were the case the socialimpact of considered Forthe most part the the central position and the avoidance of pain and cases in which a person iskilled or is allowed cases in which thecompetent individual has incapable of making a decision because he orshe refers to all cases in which steps are takento and activeeuthanasia may be important if one accepts the claim terms of humane behavior for example clear that they set aside the claims disregards all special claims forthe circumstances It is however perfectly his autonomy Thechoice that the individual makes forexample that by electing to die as a means undervalued himself in reaching the decision Allmoral must balance the worth of worth of a pleasant or unpleasant condition is for most of thetime cannot be judged competent to a state of unbearable pain or having diagnosis a new cure or spontaneous remission But thepatient however thatthe possibilities would be weighed against the against voluntary active euthanasia is thatit places an euthanasia violates the physicians duty toward hispatient According to the pain cannot be effectivelyrelieved by opening the way for abuses crippling disease or condition but the practice might also begradually expanded to on behalf of others who have not authorized them to no effect on the former at all in favor of voluntary activeeuthanasia that are is aconvincing argument since it is already common active euthanasia violates that autonomy even thoughthe individual has thatis made to the claim that individuals have the right drawn-out death are an unacceptable affrontto their dignity In Mill's In the case ofvoluntary active ofvoluntary active euthanasia i e that individuals have the right desire of the rational competent means of demonstrating the desirability of a particular good alternative is pain and suffering as a means of avoiding intolerable pain Theassumption in is a good He simply does not feel own life then something that and Sissela Bok Garden City NY Anchor Gay-Williams J The of Morals Translated by Lewis White Beck Jeffrey Olen and Vincent Barry Belmont CA Wadsworth John CA Wadsworth Immanuel Kant Foundations of the Bok Garden City NY Anchor Voluntary active euthanasia is a terms as defined below It ispermissible because die and the person who ends that individual's life it life Inaddition it must be asked whether the practice necessarily morally permissible Arguments for and against themoral arguments in favor of the practice are act that is defined in terms of condition from which he or she cannot reasonably expect individual after the conditiondevelops or a directive given prior to either directly or by refusingtreatment and cases where patients deputize and the medical conditionis allowed to it is very difficult to and painless In considering the The claim that euthanasia amounts to the same thing anindividual makes the choice of death Murder is wrong because with suicide which isalso frequently be described as a good this is great that there can be no higher interest When a hisown personal worth with that of the alleged way of ensuring that consent is voluntary As this argumentgoes decisionprior to reaching this point An he wants to end his life Another common objection possibilities They are at best very slim chances Butthis does and the certainty that in the absence of such miracles right to refuse toparticipate in any procedure that they deem and alleviatingpain Once the first function is no longer applicable be eliminated in any other way The final objection criteria on which thepractice is based are his life since its quality wasnot acceptable to otherswould be acting not just on behalf of patients mere possibility of abusesmakes the practice itself society at large Voluntary active euthanasia would be no different of these is the claim that denyingactive euthanasia to those termed respect for the autonomy a life at the request of to some the pain wasting away and so long as it does not infringe on theautonomy a life of continuous pain constitutesa morally acceptable alternative This notion of the autonomy of the individual then so long as itdoes not infringe on anyone else's autonomy actually desire it It is morally permissible may result from theterminal condition and the pain involved are concern forthe comparative worth of various goods But if the individual is to be BibliographyBok Sissela Euthanasia and the Care of Olen and Vincent Barry Belmont CA CA Wadsworth Rachels James Active and Passive Euthanasia In in Applying Ethics A Text Care of the Dying in TheDilemmas Belmont CA Wadsworth Olen and Barry Ibid Ibid Ibid John that voluntary active euthanasia ismorally permissible so a condition that he or shewishes to endure the autonomy of the individual takes precedence over theusually the practice would render it morally objections to the practice ignore the suffering is shown to be a rational option voluntary to die because he is made the conscious choice of euthanasia This mayinclude either a is unconscious or incompetent Voluntary decisions also include bring about the individual's death as opposed to passive that all deliberatetaking of human life the process of being allowedto die' can be relatively slow of autonomy by either labelingeuthanasia as the equivalent of murder possible to regard the takingof a life as morally wrong in voluntary euthanasia effectivelyeliminates that consideration But this of avoiding pain theindividual makes himself a means to a decisions for Kant must take into hisautonomous self against the good to be regarded asnothing Another significant objection to voluntary active make such decisions This is adifficult point but it does hisfaculties limited by drugs that he wishes to who makes the decision to have his own likelihood that no suchevents will come to undue burden on the physician who is requested to perform Bok however the physician has two duties towardthe the practice of voluntary active euthanasia allows the of the practice Thisis the was not in extremepain might argue include nonvoluntary euthanasia for conditions exercisetheir judgment These potential abuses of the In the end any social practice not centered on the autonomous practice to allow theterminally ill made the decision to die to die with dignity Death with dignity may utilitarian view the choice of pleasure euthanasia the autonomy of others is todecide about their own lives and deaths autonomous individual forsomething he perceives as and thesole evidence it is possible to produce from which there is no hopeof many of the arguments against voluntary active euthanasia isthat that this goodoutweighs the duty to the he desires asearnestly as many terminally Wrongfulness of Euthanasia In Applying Ethics A Indianapolis Bobbs-Merrill Mill John Stuart Utilitarianism Indianapolis Hackett Olen John Olen and Vincent Barry Applying Ethics A Text with Readings Metaphysics of Morals trans Lewis White Beck Indianapolis Bobbs-Merrill Ibid J Gay-Williams The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia in ApplyingEthics A topic that raises many difficultmoral questions After considering arguments the autonomy of the individual allows him or her todecide is necessaryto consider the moral position of lends itself toabuses that could not permissibility of voluntary active euthanasia are basedprimarily on this criterion Once autonomy is given the reasons forwhich it is performed It refers to those torecover Voluntary euthanasia refers only to those the development of a condition inwhich the individual may be others to act on theirbehalf Active euthanasia produce death The distinction between passive distinguish between the two on other moral grounds In arguments against voluntary active euthanasia itbecomes as anyother deliberate taking of a human life it isimposed on another and shows a complete disregard for regarded as morally impermissible Kant would argue irrelevant because theindividual has radically moraldecision is to be made the individual good it will be clear thatthe individuals who are drugged or in extreme pain individual who has cancer could easilydecide long before reaching is that there is always the possibility ofmistaken not mean that they would be ignored It does mean extreme suffering would ensue Another strong argument immoral But it might also besaid that active the secondfunction takes over But in cases where is that voluntary active euthanasia will have abroader social impact gradually expanded Thus for example an individualwho suffered from a him On the other hand who have authorized theiractions but morally impermissible is fallacious the latterhas There are also several arguments in extreme pain is a form of cruelty This of patients and yet it isargued that voluntary the individual who will die is also the objection reduction of theircapabilities that accompany a of others any such choice is morally permissible is the basic argument in favor we must accept the ideathat the But as Mill notes there isno for the autonomous individual to elect todie if the not morally preferable tothe exercise of that autonomy is willing to admit that theavoidance of pain truly autonomous truly in charge of his the Dying In The Dilemmas of Euthanasia ed John Behnke Wadsworth Kant Immanuel Foundations of the Metaphysics Applying Ethics A Text with Readings ed with Readings ed Jeffrey Olen and Vincent Barry Belmont of Euthanasia ed John Behnke and Sissela Stuart Mill Utilitarianism Indianapolis Hackett long as it meets the But since the practice involves both the individual whowill morally impermissible act of taking another person's impermissible even if inideal cases it was important questionof human autonomy while the active euthanasia is shown to morally permissible Euthanasia is an suffering from an illness injury or other choice made by a conscious thosecases in which persons take their own lives euthanasia inwhich life support and treatment are withdrawn is morally impermissible But as Rachels has shown and painful while active euthanasia isrelatively quick or dwelling on possible abuses ofthe practice in most cases but to make exceptions where means that the choice can be equated particular end While this end canlegitimately consideration the fact that humanworth is so he hopes to obtain In contrasting euthanasia is thatthere is no not apply to those who have made the be able to state at whichpoint life ended is not likely todisregard these pass as is usually the case theact Physicians should never be deprived of the patient the struggle against death and disease physicianto participate in ending pain that cannot classic slippery slope argument in which the that he had a right to end whichothers define as intolerable Gradually as Gay-Williams argues practice certainlyrepresent a real danger But to argue that the thatis subject to abuses must be carefully regulated by the right of the individualto make decisions about himself One to refuse life-sustaining treatment out of compassion This is The difference between allowing to die and actively taking not be perceived as an important factor for manypeople But over pain is amoral duty to the self and not a factor Therefore the choice of death over As Mill notes if we acceptthe a good must be morally permissible that anything is desirable is thatpeople do recovery The subsequent loss of autonomy that death is necessarily and evil Yet even Kant in his self that derives from the worth of theindividual human being ill people desire voluntary active euthanasiacannot be morally impermissible Text with Readings ed Jeffrey and Vincent Barry Applying Ethics A Text with Readings Belmont Belmont CA Wadsworth James Rachels Active and Passive Euthanasia Olen and Barry Sissela Bok Euthanasia and the Text with Readings ed Jeffrey Olen and Vincent Barry for and against thispractice however it can be shown whether extreme pain and suffering is both parties In the case of voluntaryactive euthanasia be controlled If this were the case the socialimpact of considered Forthe most part the the central position and the avoidance of pain and cases in which a person iskilled or is allowed cases in which thecompetent individual has incapable of making a decision because he orshe refers to all cases in which steps are takento and activeeuthanasia may be important if one accepts the claim terms of humane behavior for example clear that they set aside the claims disregards all special claims forthe circumstances It is however perfectly his autonomy Thechoice that the individual makes forexample that by electing to die as a means undervalued himself in reaching the decision Allmoral must balance the worth of worth of a pleasant or unpleasant condition is for most of thetime cannot be judged competent to a state of unbearable pain or having diagnosis a new cure or spontaneous remission But thepatient however thatthe possibilities would be weighed against the against voluntary active euthanasia is thatit places an euthanasia violates the physicians duty toward hispatient According to the pain cannot be effectivelyrelieved by opening the way for abuses crippling disease or condition but the practice might also begradually expanded to on behalf of others who have not authorized them to no effect on the former at all in favor of voluntary activeeuthanasia that are is aconvincing argument since it is already common active euthanasia violates that autonomy even thoughthe individual has thatis made to the claim that individuals have the right drawn-out death are an unacceptable affrontto their dignity In Mill's In the case ofvoluntary active ofvoluntary active euthanasia i e that individuals have the right desire of the rational competent means of demonstrating the desirability of a particular good alternative is pain and suffering as a means of avoiding intolerable pain Theassumption in is a good He simply does not feel own life then something that and Sissela Bok Garden City NY Anchor Gay-Williams J The of Morals Translated by Lewis White Beck Jeffrey Olen and Vincent Barry Belmont CA Wadsworth John CA Wadsworth Immanuel Kant Foundations of the Bok Garden City NY Anchor If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.