Medical ethics part 2

Question 1

What does the Bible say about sanctity of life?

Answer 1

The Bible states that life is sacred. Life is special and set apart. It is holy. Without life nothing can exist. Life has a unique quality. This is because humans are made “in the image of God”. There is something divine in the nature of humanity.

Question 2

Give Bible quotes which show the sacredness of life.

Answer 2

“The body is the temple of the Holy spirit”
God commanded “Do not kill”

Question 3

What do Natural Moral Law theorists say about sanctity of life?

Answer 3

There is a Natural right to life because life has been designed by God for a purpose (telos) Aquinas. Common human nature indicates that the body lives and therefore our purpose is to live and not to die.

Question 4

What does Bowie say about sanctity of life?

Answer 4

Suffering can connect us to the suffering of Jesus. It provides the chance of growing closer to God. It is not the worst evil sought as it can have meaning in the context of a life lived in faith and the belief that life is sacred.

Question 5

What quote shows that only God can take life?

Answer 5

“if we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord…”

Question 6

What did Singer say about the belief in God?

Answer 6

Belief in God and sanctity of life is “medieval”. Instead philosophers today argue that we are a person with qualities of personhood.

Question 7

What do Dawkins and Russell say?

Answer 7

The universe and humans are here through “brute fact”, we have evolved naturally to be here as we are today.

Question 8

What do psychologists say about sanctity of life?

Answer 8

We are made up of influences such as psychological (Freud), genetic, behavioural (Skinner and Pavlov) and social/environmental influences (Mackie, Freud). No divine element to human life.

Question 9

What does G.E Moore argue?

Answer 9

Naturalistic Fallacy - the idea that just because our human nature is to live does not mean that we can derive a value from this of “euthanasia is immoral”.

Question 10

What do some Christians say about the Bible, which suggests that sanctity of life is less important?

Answer 10

The Bible can be confusing e.g. it teaches to “love thy neighbour” but for Christians this can be used to argue both for euthanasia as well as against. Love may well take priority over sanctity of life for some very liberal Christians such as Joseph Fletcher.

Question 11

How do Christians use Jesus to support euthanasia?

Answer 11

Jesus never directly mentions anything about euthanasia so some Christians might argue that euthanasia is the lesser of 2 evils based on the Love thy neighbour. It is more compassionate to allow euthanasia than to let a person suffer and die in pain so euthanasia is not wrong. And although life is sacred this is not as important as being compassionate.

Question 12

What does Fletcher say which suggests that sanctity of life is less important?

Answer 12

Each life is unique could mean that we are unique autonomous beings who have been given reason and free will by God and therefore we are able to make the most loving decision, often for euthanasia.

Question 13

What is a coma?

Answer 13

Coma is a profound state of unconsciousness. The individual is alive but unable to move or respond to the environment. The patient fails to respond to stimuli and will not display a normal sleep-wake cycle. Both the vegetative state and minimally conscious state may follow a coma.

Question 14

What is a vegetative state?

Answer 14

When a person is awake but is showing no signs of awareness.

Question 15

What is a continuing vegetative state?

Answer 15

When its been longer than four weeks

Question 16

What is a permanent vegetative state?

Answer 16

When its been more than six months if caused by a non-traumatic brain injury, or more than 12 months if caused by a traumatic brain injury.

Question 17

What is the difference between active and passive euthanasia?

Answer 17

In passive euthanasia, the doctor doesn’t do anything to bring about the patient’s death and the patient dies of whatever ills already afflict him. In active euthanasia, the doctor does something to bring about the patient’s death: he intentionally kills him.

Question 18

What is the difference in intention between active and passive euthanasia?

Answer 18

In active euthanasia the intention is to cause death/to kill. In passive euthanasia, the intention is not to cause death. The intention is to let the natural course of death take place by stopping/withdrawing treatment.

Question 19

What does James Rachels say about active and passive euthanasia?

Answer 19

Argues that there is no moral difference between the two. In both active and passive euthanasia the patient dies the result is the same.

Question 20

What example does Rachels gives?

Answer 20

In the case of Smith he kills his nephew with intent and in the case of Jones he lets his nephew drown. In both cases the nephew is dead and there is no moral difference between these two.

Question 21

What do Evangelical Christians say about passive euthanasia?

Answer 21

They believe that is has as its intention to kill and only God can take life as life is holy.

Question 22

What does Peter Singer say about people with PVS?

Answer 22

For Peter Singer a person has the characteristics of having reason, being self aware and having a biographical life (having a past and a future). Anyone with PVS then would not be regarded as a person.

Question 23

What are the key issues for this topic?

Answer 23

Is sanctity of life more important than quality of life?
Is quality of life more relevant in the 21st century to the issue of euthanasia than sanctity of life?
How are some of the modern philosophical ideas about personhood relevant to the quality of life argument today?
Should active euthanasia/assisted suicide be legalised? Does euthanasia benefit society or not?
What does it mean to die with dignity?
What is the role of the doctor and the health care system?
How should health care decisions be decided?
Is passive euthanasia the same morally as active euthanasia or is there a difference?
Is passive euthanasia moral if there is a difference?

Question 24

What was the Charlie Gard case?

Answer 24

A 10 month old, seriously brain damaged with a rare genetic condition. Surviving only on a ventilator. Fed through a tube. His parents want to go to a hospital in America for experimental treatment. Blocked by the English hospital as the doctors thought that it wouldn’t revert his brain damage but instead would prolong his suffering. Court ruled that he should be allowed to die with dignity.

Question 25

What was the Terri Schiavo case?

Answer 25

She was a woman in an irreversible persistent vegetative state, her husband argued that she wouldn’t have wanted prolonged life support without prospect of recovery and elected to remove her feeding tube. Terri’s parents disagreed. It took 7 years before her feeding tube was removed following a court case.

Question 26

What is Yale Kamisar’s Parade of horrors argument?

Answer 26

Suggests that what we consider to be a poor QoL might change over time and could lead to forced euthanasia for those who might not need it, but may be considered by others to have a poor QoL e.g. the insane and idiots

Question 27

What does Peter Vardy say about euthanasia?

Answer 27

Describes it as a “slippery slope”.