Euthanasia
Sanctity of life:
Quality of life:
Autonomy:
Natural Law vs Situation ethics:
Sanctity of life is a christian view that life should be preserved because it comes from God.
10 Commandments = thou shalt not kill
Deuteronomy 32.39
"it is I who brings both death and life"
This shows that God has power over our mortality and we should not prematurely end life because to die with dignity is to die when God wishes.
Evangelium Vitae 1995:
To concur with the intention of another person to commit suicide and to help in carrying it out through so-called "assisted suicide" means to cooperate in and at time to be the actual perpetrator of an injustice which can never be excused, even if requested.
Declaration on Euthanasia, 1980
Believers see in something greater, namely, a gift of God's love, which they are called upon to preserve and make fruitful.
Sanctity of life being non-religious:
Human rights declaration
Right to life
Kant's Books
Categorical imperative
"After ruling our decisions about life and eath for 2000 years the traditional western ethic has collapsed". Singer, 1994
Rejection of sanctity of life:
Sanctity of life becomes worthless when a persons quality of life deteriorates so much life becomes a burden to them
Happiness:
Happiness generally deteriorates alongside a persons quality of life.
"He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinion of others, to do so would be wise or even right." John Stuart Mill
Peter Singer's four commandments:
Take responsability for the consequences of your decisions
Respect a person's desire to live or die
Recognise the worth of human life varies from person to person.
Do not descriminate on the basis of species
Humans and animals are equal because we suffer. Singer
James Rachels:
"The western tradition places too much value on on human life"
If we don't have a biographical life then we are not really alive.
"Would you choose to die painlessly now or slip into a coma and die in ten years time?"
"The value of life is not the value it has for God. The value it has is for the beings who are subjects of lives".
Case study of Tony Nicklinson
He was paralysed from the neck up and for many years wanted to end his life through euthanasia.
He asked the high court in the UK to state that it would be lawful for a doctor to help him end his life but they refused.
This case supports the argument that quality of life is more important than sanctity of life
Some of his quotes included:
"Euthanasia has nothing to do with someone else making a judgment about your life; it is about what you think."
In regard to starving himself "I've given it much thought and concluded that a few weeks of discomfort are better than 30 years like this".
"Please explain why your God's plan for me requires that I suffer needlessly"
Should or can a person have complete autonomy over their own life and decisions made about it?
Yes because if a person has autonomy throughout their life then they should have it in death
No because during the end of your life you could start making some very irrational decisions.
Mill - autonomy is key to the way we live and make decisions and one of the primary rights of the individual.
Jack Kevorkin - The highest principle in any ethics is self determination (autonomy)
Why autonomy is misleading:
The families involved would never have a say in any decisions made
What age are we mature enough to make a decision for ourself
It puts too much pressure on the individual and can lead to a slippery slope
The most informed person should make the decision which in this case would be the doctor
Natural Law
Situation ethics
Natural Law would say that voluntary euthanasia is always wrong because it goes against the primary precepts
Natural Law also disagrees with Non-voluntary euthanasia because it violates the primary precepts and mean you are unable to complete the others.
However Natural Law could be seen as unhelpful because the primary precepts are outdated.
Situation ethics would agree with voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia as long as it is the most loving thing to do.
Situation ethics suggests that each situation should be without regard to similar cases.
However situation ethics is not helpful because it is impossible to apply it to a large group of people and we cannot always predict what the most loving thing will be.