Euthanasia

Question 1

What is suicide?

Answer 1

The act of killing yourself

Question 2

What is assisted suicide?

Answer 2

Don’t have to be terminally ill

Question 3

What is voluntary euthanasia?

Answer 3

Allows doctors to administer the lethal drug to end one’s life

Question 4

Where is assisted dying legal?

Answer 4

US states of Washington and Oregon

Question 5

Where is assisted suicide legal in?

Answer 5

Switzerland (e.g. Dignitas clinic)

Question 6

Where is voluntary euthanasia legal in?

Answer 6

Netherlands and Belgium

Question 7

What did Jonathan Glover say about the difference between voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide?

Answer 7

‘It is the final act is performed by someone else BUT it is hard to see why it matters in principle who actually puts the pill in the mans mouth’

Nevertheless, he also argues that ‘If assisted suicide is possible, it always to be preferred to voluntary euthanasia… where the person does not perform the final act himself, there is always more room for doubt and the last minute might not take it’

Question 8

In which year was the suicide act?

Answer 8

The suicide act of 1961

Question 9

What did the suicide act of 1961 state?

Answer 9

Decriminalised the act of suicide. Still illegal to assist a person in taking their own life.

Question 10

In 2006, who brought out the Assisted Dying Bill?

Answer 10

Lord Joffe made an attempt to legalise assisted dying between 2003-2006.

Question 11

Who brought the case to the high court to seek further clarification of the law?

Answer 11

Debbie Purdy in 2009

Question 12

Who allowed the Assisted Dying Bill to allow terminally ill to have an assisted death?

Answer 12

Lord Falconer

Question 13

Who introduced the assisted Dying Bill based on Lord Falconer’s Bill in 2014?

Answer 13

Rob Marris the MP

Question 14

When was the last time to debate about the Assisted Dying Bill?

Answer 14

2015

Question 15

What stated in the Assisted Dying Bill?

Answer 15

• only terminally ill
• 2 doctors certify to end a persons life gives prescription to assist suicide
• patient firm and settled intention

Question 16

Rob Marris say about the Assisted Dying Bill

Answer 16

“The Bill would provide more protection for the living and more choice for the dying”

Question 17

Fiona Bruce say about the Assisted Dying Bill

Answer 17

” We are here to protect the most vulnerable in society”

AGAINST assisted dying bill

Question 18

What is Assisted Dying?

Answer 18

Only applies to terminally ill, mentally competent adults and requires the dying patient, to self administer life ending medications.

Question 19

Geoffrey Whaley case for Assisted suicide

Answer 19

British man,80 who died at Dignitas due to motor neurone disease. He said “ The law in the country robbed me of control over my death”

Question 20

Diane Petty case for Assisted suicide

Answer 20

She had motor neurone disease and she wanted to control the time and manner of her death. The court rejected her right to die because “They said that the right to life did not include the right to die”. She took her case to the European Court of Human rights and argued that her right to life included to choose when she could die. But they said that the ban on assisted suicide was to protect society.

Question 21

Tony Nicklinson for Assisted dying

Answer 21

Had a stroke in 2005 which caused to become paralysed and could only move his head and his eyed. He asked the High Court to state that it would be lawful for a doctor to help his end his life. If they refused, he wanted them to state that the current law was incompatible with his human rights.

Question 22

Prof A.C. Grayling: Assisted Dying should be legalised

Answer 22

‘Against sanctity of life’
Only right to live if the quality of life is worthy.
Religious beliefs were preferred over scientific treatments and society has moved on.

Question 23

What is autonomy?

Answer 23

Being in control of one’s own life and any decisions made.

Question 24

Sanctity of life argument

Answer 24

Life is sacred and god-given.
Based on biblical ideas:
-Life is set apart of the God
- Innocent life is to be respected. Taking a life is simply killing. ‘Thou shalt not kill’.
- Life is always to be loved and protected.

Question 25

What does the roman catholic church say?

Answer 25

Says that by accepting euthanasia contemporary society has undetermined the sanctity of life and developing a ‘culture of death’

Question 26

What is the weak sanctity of life?

Answer 26

The Christian weak sanctity of life argument does not consider that killing out of love is morally equivalent to murder. Murder implies an ulterior motive.

Question 27

Quality of life principle

Answer 27

a) The rejection of the sanctity of life principle
b) Happiness at the basis for the quality of life
c) Autonomy at the basis of the quality of life

Question 28

Rejection of the sanctity of life

Answer 28

John Locke’s notion that the value of life depends on a person’s ability to have desires and preferences and not the on some mystical ‘enduring self’ or soul.

Question 29

Happiness as the basis for the quality of life

Answer 29

A person’s happiness outweighs his or her unhappiness. A bad quality of life depends is a life in which unhappiness or pain outweighs happiness.

Question 30

What is autonomy at the basis of quality of life?

Answer 30

John Stuart Mill developed the liberal principle in his influential book on liberty. A liberal society avoids ‘tryrannising’ the minority by the majority and aims to maximise personal freedom wherever possible. Mills form of liberalism suggests taking one’s own life is a matter of personal autonomy. The only reason for interference is causing harm to others.

Question 31

What is voluntary euthanasia?

Answer 31

When a person chooses to end their own life and requests that another person end it for them.

Question 32

Case for voluntary euthanasia?

Answer 32

Dr David Moor
A British General practitioner who gave many patients overdoses of diamorphine to alleviate the pain. He said “this week I have helped two patients on the way to pain free release from their painful agony and suffering”