He argues that if society were to allow the terminally ill to commit suicide, then it would be a small step to allow other members of society -- like the handicapped -- to do so as well. This is not a completely trivial argument for two reasons: first, it is the point-of-view held by the majority of the Christian right -- a powerful political force in the Untied States; and second, if we accept his principle that life is intrinsically valuable, regardless of individual's rights over their own bodies, then we should be inclined to believe that active euthanasia is always wrong. Yet, Otremba is willing to concede that passive euthanasia may, sometimes, be permissible; this, however, only under the conditions of extreme suffering and impending death.
Fundamentally, it is a precarious moral position to contend that each and every human life demands society's active preservation. Otremba, and many others, must rest this concept upon the role of God in the world; yet, it is the explicit function of U.S. society to not take legal stances based upon subjective religious grounds. Essentially, if you agree that human life must be preserved at all costs, then this comes at the cost of free will, or even the greater good. Is it ethical to invest millions of dollars into preserving terminally ill people's lives, people who wish to die, when impoverished members of society suffer and die from lack of food? After all, those individuals may die passively if we adhere to the notion that euthanasia is intolerable.
Certainly, this is an extreme counterexample because it assumes that there are no readily-available solutions to poverty; but still, the underlying idea is that the greater good, in general, cannot be preserved by extending the lives of those who wish to die. Accordingly, it should be expected that those who believe that ending human life, under any circumstances, is morally wrong, must attribute this premise to a higher authority; this is because a seemingly infinite number of instances can be imagined in which such a premise conflicts with the other fundamental principles of society.
One group that has taken the position that euthanasia is wrong under virtually all conditions is the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force. This group brings up the point that many of the aspects of death that people commonly imagine when they think of euthanasia truly do not properly fall under the category. They write, "A lot of people think that the person whose death would be a result of euthanasia or assisted suicide would be someone who doesn't want to be forced to remain alive by being hooked up to machines. But the law already permits patients or their surrogates to direct that such interventions be withheld or withdrawn." To them, this is one of the leading reasons why euthanasia has remained a contentious issue: people misunderstand the ways that assisted suicide and euthanasia are carried out. This is an important point because it clarifies the position that the government of the Untied States has taken regarding euthanasia. Namely, that passive euthanasia is permissible given imminent death and the consent of the patient or the surrogate.
However, the argumentation put forward by the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force is misleading; they assert that passive euthanasia is not euthanasia at all but merely the cessation of using technologies to extend human life. They also argue that pain and depression, which often lead people to decide to end their lives, is treatable. As a result, they believe that anything other than what we might term passive euthanasia is unjustifiable.
Broadly, the line of reasoning put forward by the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Farce is fairly compelling. They attest to the fact that suicide is legal, and that people can choose to end their lives. However, their particular definition of euthanasia only includes physician-assisted suicide, which they believe is morally wrong. So, according to their invented notion of euthanasia, it is only wrong if the patient has not expressed their wishes to die and a third party -- a doctor or family member -- carries out the death. Since this is the only form of euthanasia they recognize, they conclude that all euthanasia is wrong. Yet, according to our definitions, they have only taken a stand against active assisted suicide. So, upon further examination, it seems that the stance of the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force is less iron-clad than they might readily admit.
Sill others have...
As palliative care specialist Dr. Gilbert puts it, "Despite this close involvement with the very patients for whom euthanasia is advocated we do not encounter any persistent rational demand" [Southern Cross Bioethics Institute]. The very point of 'Advanced Directives' is in itself confounding issue as frequently it is the patient's imaginary fears about loss of body functions and pain that drives them to such conclusions. So it is cleanly obvious
Euthanasia Is Illegal Euthanasia otherwise known as assisted suicide refers to the painless extermination of a patient suffering from terminal illnesses or painful or incurable disease. According to Cavan & Dolan, euthanasia is the practice or act of permitting the death of hopelessly injured or sick individuals in a painless means for the purpose of mercy (Cavan & Dolan 12). The techniques used in euthanasia induce numerous artifacts such as
It is inevitable that vested interest and even government will not always be pleased with the work some NGOs are performing. However, a number of western causes are totally alien to the culture and society in developing countries and are being propagated by a few NGOs to attract financial assistance from western countries. The role of NGOs in these areas needs to be monitored. The financial requirement of most of
Euthanasia is an emotionally charged topic of debate, and it is easy to lose sight of the facts when people talk about wanting to kill themselves for whatever reason. Most of the people that seek physician-assisted suicide are suffering from terminal illnesses that cause them a great deal of pain that cannot be properly controlled with medications. For these individuals, the relief of death is preferred to their continuing suffering.
Taking one's life as a result of the fact that the respective person is expected to suffer inhumane pain for several years until his or her death cannot possibly be compared with murder or suicide. Morality should actually be combined with logics in understanding euthanasia and people need to be more sympathetic and less egocentric regarding individuals who prefer euthanasia as the "safe way out." Bibliography: Allen, Jen & Chavez, Sonia
Euthanasia Debate Euthanasia is the practice of voluntarily ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering (Euthanasia.com/definitions). The act of euthanasia differs from the act of murder in that the person who will die makes the decision to end their life. In the case of murder, the person does not wish to end their life, but anther person intervenes to bring about their death against their wishes. Euthanasia is
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