Against Euthanasia Flashcards
The sanctity of life argument
The idea that life is special and sacred
From a religious perspective life is given by God and it is only God who can take life away
From a secular (non-religious) point of view life can be seen as important and special because we can reason
Terminally ill people are vulnerable
Decision could be affected by pain
They may feel pressurised to end their life as to not impose their family
Could undermine confidence in medical professionals
Dying in Dignity say this wouldn’t happen but doctors disagree
Mistaken diagnosis could lead to euthanasia
Even patients in PVS have recovered
Doctors and medical staff make human errors
Brain injury recovery happens at different rates and only after 12 months is it diagnosed as persistent
Not all terminally ill people die and some live a lot longer than expected
How can we know the motives?
The person may be crying out in despair and not making a definite decision
Does the person fully understand all the facts
Any euthanasia process would need to establish, beyond all doubt, the true intentions of the patient and that they are fully aware of the situation
Risk of misinformation or a failure to comprehend the situation leaves the patient vulnerable to making a decision they could not truly want to make
Slippery slope
Euthanasia opens the door for all sorts of procedures and abuses such as infanticide
Euthanasia involves crossing a line and once this line is crossed the consequences are unforeseeable
Danger that voluntary could become compulsory
Euthanasia is a decision which doesn’t just affect the patient
Voluntary euthanasia in its physician assisted form is not just the concern of the patient
Doctors who assist, nurses who care for the patient, the hospital where it takes place and the wider community are all affected
Acceptance of killing in hospitals could reduce respect for life
Doctors have a duty to affect life
Good Medical Practise Guide for doctors (2006) stated that doctors are ‘personally accountable for their professional practise and must always be prepared to justify their decisions and actions’
Hippocratic Oath is a guideline for the medical ethics of doctors. The oath includes several duties a physician must perform:
- duty to never harm a patient
- duty to work to the best of their ability for the good of the patients
- duty to remain free for all intentional injustice
The hospice movement
Effective palliative care
Means terminally ill patients don’t have to endure a painful and undignified death
Alternative to the extremes of a painful death or euthanasia
Specialists in pain control
Help to improve quality of life - EG St Richard’s
