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Euthanasia - Coggle Diagram

- - - - The sixth commandment demands that "thou shalt not murder" and most Christians consider Euthanasia to be a form of Murder-especially active and non-voluntary euthanasia.
      - "Your body is a temple of the holy spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God. You do not belong to yourself"
        1 Corinthians 6
        
        Our bodies are gifts, life is not even ours to take away, but to take care of while we have it. Just as worshippers in a temple, we do not own the space and should pay it reverence and respect.
      - "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind. "
        Genesis 9
        
        clearly outlines that the ultimate penalty is observed for those who take life. Then the value of life is reiterated by the reference of being made in the image of God.
        
        Similar point is reiterated in Matthew 26 where Jesus says "for all who take the sword will perish by the sword."
    - - Daniel Maguire:
        Rejects the idea that only God should have power over life and death, as this implies that we belong to God and are his property. He points out that we do intervene to save life and to preserve it, and there is no real difference between ending life and preserving it so long as we're choosing morally. He points out that especially in the cases on an individual whose life is already ending, euthanasia may be a legitimately moral choice to reduce their suffering on the way out.
      - Peter Singer:
        Singer was a supporter of the concept that there needs to be a shift in focus surrounding euthanasia, from the sanctity of life, to the quality of life. He argues that since a low quality of life may be judged by the individual wanting euthanasia, it should also be permitted to be judged by a representative in cases where said individual is unable to decide.
        
        However, what Singer fails to take into account is that there is much more that contributes to the quality of a person life than that which can be measured medically and Singer also fails to consider that a person's life has value to the wider community as well as to the individual.
      - Ronald Dworkin:
        asserts that by Sanctity of Life people are referring to distinct things...
        -Life should be preserved
        -Life should be of a high quality.
        He goes on to say that humans naturally want their neighbours to not have their lives taken away or for them to be a living hell. Therefore Euthanasia is a way of affirming life, since eudaimonia means contentment and flourishing, it affirms this quality of being alive. A suffering person no longer experiences that high quality of life. The individual no longer flourishes, and therefore it would be wrong to preserve this life at all costs.
  - - - Debates around euthanasia come hand in hand with attempting to establish Personhood-for Singer, personhood are rationality and self-consciousness.
    - - Individuals have human dignity. Many illnesses that are physically or mentally incapacitating may remove a person's dignity. This can be taxing and distressing on many levels. The individual may feel that their Quality of Life has reduced to such an extent that they don't want to live anymore. Ultimately its an individual, very personal decision.
    - - There are still however issues within cases where the individual cannot decide for themselves. In these situations the Doctor may be relied on to make decisions on behalf of the patient. This could be to the detriment of the doctor/patient relationships. This would also be putting doctors in a position to 'play God'.
      - Additionally, the Quality of life is highly subjective, and very hard to judge inevitably leading to soe patients ending their lives as a result of feeling like a burden.
      - Regardless of medical advancements, we still only know a little about the complex working is the human brain for example, meaning we have no hope in definites.
        
        For example in the case Ron Houben (who was said to be in a PVS after a car crash for 23 years and then was reassessed revealed to be trapped inside his own body and was in fact conscious) raises the issue of whether doctors can successfully discern whether a person is in a PVS or not.
    - - Daniel James
      - Tony Nicklinson:
        Had a stroke paralysing him from the neck down. He died after refusing food or treatment for pneumonia for a week following a rejection of the high-court to his request for the help of doctors to end his life.
  - - - it is 'important to protect, at the moment of death, both the dignity of the human person and the Christian concept of life against a technological attitude that threatens to become abuse.'
    - - The application of Aquinas' four tiers of law-euthanasia breaks divine law-therefore its always wrong
      - Human life has telos-euthanasia prevents this. Euthanasia is a violation of the natural processes of living and dying.
    - - Modern medicine blurs the lines between what is natural and what is not. Is it letting nature take its course to prolong life using unnatural methods such as a life-support machine?
      - Does law of double effect really properly apply here? You're still aware of the side-effects of a drug-can you ever have pure intentions.
  - - - The concept of sanctity of life is formed upon and therefore dependent on religious views.This has no place in a democratic society where the plurality of religious belief is recognised and therefore it is not appropriate to use the dogma of sanctity of life to inform law.
      - The advancement of medical technology and science makes the dated principles created by religions which preclude euthanasia in the modern world inapplicable. Where life would have previously been ended (such as in the case of brain injury) centuries ago, it can now be prolonged indefinitely, leaving us with many cases of people in a PVS. Ancient principles have no place in a modern debate, when they cannot account for the modern experience and reality.
      - Sanctity can help us decide when sanctity no longer applies, as the person no longer exists on anything but a physical plane. Protecting people is one thing, but keeping bodies alive when the person is gone is another.
    - - Medicine has its limits. There is still a degree of uncertainty when it comes to predicting exactly when death will happen, even if it is likely. There are several stories of brief recoveries, even for a brief time, when it is least expected.
      - Perhaps these ideas, while originally religious, act as social norms to protect life. With the progression of democracy and society, more emphasis should be placed on the sanctity of life due to laws surrounding human rights, dignity and equality, not less.
      - Sanctity as a concept may have religious foundations, but the basic urge to respect all life is one that holds currency in religious and non-religious worldviews alike. You do not necessarily need to believe that God created you and has given you purpose in order to believe that every life has meaning and should be respected, recognised and protected from arbitrary decisions.
  - - - Capable of rational thought:
        Ability to solve problems using the power of reason distinguishes humans from animals, and human tissue grown in a lab. While babies do not have rational capabilities, they have the potential to develop them.
        The difficulty may arise in cases of severely handicapped adults/the mentally disabled/.
      - Having a form of consciousness that allows individuals to experience pain or pleasure:
        This has a wide enough scope to include babies and the mentally handicapped.
        Still issues surrounding people who by no fault of their own lack the ability to feel pleasure and pain. A common symptom of depression and Sz is reduced sensitivity of emotional pleasure or pain. Reduced emotional activity
      - Self-awareness:
        this means individuals are aware they belong to a society, has a sense of their own identity and is aware of the past.
        again, babies and the handicapped
      - Having human genetic make-up:
        This includes everyone. But also includes human tissue, which some may not want to award full human rights to.
      - Being able to survive independently as a human:
        Clarifies the status of human foetus and human tissue, but what about babies, the handicapped, people in PVS...
    - - Grisez and Boyle claim there are certain basic goods necessary for human well-being, including, play and recreation, knowledge of the truth, freedom and dignity, appreciation of beauty, life and health, friendship and integration. This list has no particular order but completely reject euthanasia as it attempts to achieve one good such as freedom and dignity by putting it in direct conflict with another;life and health
  - - - So should an individual of sound, rational mind not have full autonomy over when and how they would like to die
        But...is any decision to die ever rational? Our most fundamental instincts are to stay alive. Maybe this doesn't apply to all cases, maybe it is rational to want a quick death over a slow, drawn out, painful one-but can we make an absolute ruling about this with such variation?
    - - Daniel James:
        Pro-rugby player, paralysed due to spine injury. Wasn't used to relying on parents and carers to live. After several unsuccessful attempts to take his own life, Daniel's parents took him to Dignitas assisted-suicide clinic in Switzerland where Daniel was euthanised. His parents defended his decision by saying he was 'an intelligent young man of sound mind' who was 'not prepared to live a second-class existence.'
      - Hannah Jones:
        13 year old Hannah as a result of leukaemia and heart problems, Hannah had spent much of her life being in and out of hospital. She required a heart transplant, that required another rigorous surgery and constant drug therapy, as well as a further transplant 10 years down the line. She decided she'd had enough and would rather die. She had a very public debate with her doctors and even when on tv programmes to talk about her decision. She did at 14 decide to have the transplant though, and recently graduated from university.
  - - - An 'Act':
        Smith is legal guardian to his orphaned nephew. SAid nephew is heir to a large family fortune, which will pass to Smith should the nephew die before being 18. Smith drowns his nephew in a bath and makes it look like an accident, inheriting his fortune.
      - An omission:
        Jones is in the same situation as Smith and resents his nephew, but would never plan to kill/harm him. One day Jones finds his nephew in a bath, the nephew slip and knock his head on the bath and slowly drowns. Jones makes no attempt to save the boy.
      - The commonly held view of making the distinction between acts and omissions would put Smith as the more guilty one-but Rachels disputes this.
        
        Omission may in some cases be even more cruel, For example in the case of Tony Bland he only died 10 days after they removed the feeding tube.