Applying Situation Ethics to medical ethics Flashcards
Apply Fletchers principle of pragmatism to euthanasia.
Euthanasia does successfully alleviate suffering. It is carried out by trained Doctor’s who know exactly what they are doing.
Apply Fletchers principle of relativism to euthanasia
It’s loving to allow patients to make autonomous decisions regarding their life and death. If they have poor quality of life then it’s more loving to allow them assisted suicide.
Apply Fletchers principle of Positivism to euthanasia
It has to be God centred and you have to make decisions based on faith in God and his teachings e.g. “Love they neighbour”
Apply Fletchers principle of personalism to euthanasia
People should be at the heart of our decision making, so we should priorities their quality of life over the laws which make it illegal such as “do not commit euthanasia”, and therefore we should accept euthanasia in cased of poor quality of life.
Apply Fletcher’s first, second and fourth principles to euthanasia
It’s loving to let the dying let go of life if they are suffering. Family should let go of wanting to keep their loved one alive out of unconditional love for the person if it is the wish of the patient to die with euthanasia.
Apply Fletchers third principle to euthanasia
Justice is love distributed. The just thing to do is to have a law that allows a patient to have euthanasia - this is loving.
Apply Fletchers fifth principle to euthanasia
If a person is relieved of pain it is considered a loving end to allow euthanasia
Apply Fletcher’s sixth principle to euthanasia
It is loving to allow a person with poor quality of life to have euthanasia so that they don’t have to suffer.
What are the strengths of Fletcher’s relative approach?
It gives people freedom. They have the freedom to make their own autonomous decisions regarding euthanasia and make their own decisions regarding quality of life using their reason and conscience.
What is good about Fletcher’s agape based approach?
It restores love/agape to the centre of moral decision making. This makes it very compassionate. It is compassionate to allow euthanasia because it is based on agape and each decision regarding it must be relative to love.
What do Christians say about Situation ethics?
It is based on faith and takes seriously the teaching of Jesus on Agape and accepts by faith that God is a God of love. Euthanasia is a loving thing to do.
What does Pope Pius XII say about Situation ethics?
it is an “individualistic and subjective appeal to the concrete circumstances of actions…”
What does Dostoevsky say about situation ethics?
It is too individualistic and gives people too much freedom that they simply cannot cope with. Many people would rather have laws and rules to live by.
What does Dame Cicily Saunders say?
Hospices work
What did Thomas Hobbes?
People are innately selfish and need social contracts to restrain these selfish impulses.
