Euthanasia

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

Euthanasia definition
Controversial - debates
Different types - voluntary passive, non-voluntary passive, voluntary active, non-voluntary active
Active non-voluntary - illegal in every country
Voluntary active only legal in a few - Switzerland, Norway Belgium
U.K. - some forms of passive are legal

Question 2

Para 1

Murder and suicide

Answer 2

Murder or Suicide
We frown upon suicide but not on euthanasia??
If it is euthaniased old people might feel pressure to release family burden

Question 3

Para 2

Animals

Answer 3

Kindest thing to do then we should do it

We do it for animals why not humans?

Question 4

Para 3

Situation ethics

Answer 4

Situation ethics - Joseph fletcher - 1966 - outline
Jesus greatest commandment
Every situation is different
Act out of love

Question 5

Para 4

Situation ethics applied

Answer 5

Situation ethics applied
Love is principal aim
2nd proposition - love comes before any law , 6th proposition - love is the only law / these would allow euthanasia when all other rules ban it - if most loving option
4th working principle - personalism - patient is most important

Question 6

Para 5

Strength and weaknesses of situation ethics

Answer 6

Situation ethics is useful
Takes feeling and emotions into account instead of blindly following rules
Allows us to take each person into account individually
Death is very personal - everybody has different experiences and feelings about it
BUT lack of rules leads to “slippery slope” if euthanasia was legalised
Would suicide become legal as well?

Question 7

Para 6

Natural Law and application

Answer 7

Natural law - Thomas aquinas
Doing what is right is the same as doing what is natural
Euthanasia is unnatural by definition - goes against natural law
Divine law - 10cs do not kill
5 precepts - preservation of life - need to follow 5 precepts to make it to heaven and eudaemonia - euthanasia wouldn’t allow us to achieve our telos

Question 8

Para 7
Evaluate natural law
Strength

Answer 8

Natural law is useful
Instincts tell us what is moral
Our instincts tell us to survive which is why we run from danger surely there is a reason why we have an innate desire to live? Go to doctors when ill
Must have instincts for a reason or what is the point of them?
Makes sense for us to follow instincts as they are intrinsically built into us
Tell us to survive

Question 9

Para 8

Weakness of natural law

Answer 9

Natural law provides us with a set of rules which makes decision making easier BUT the rules don’t allow for individual differences and don’t take into account feelings and emotions
No proof of god and eudaemonia - why keep someone suffering for something we can’t prove - especially if they are atheist

Question 10

Conclusion

Answer 10

Situation ethics is more useful - allows us to take into account different situations - especially important in death cos of so many factors e.g. Quality of life, family
Death is too personal to apply rules to such as with natural law
Death is a subjective matter and should be treated as such