Philosophy 1102 - Euthanasia Case

Mary Lee

Professor: Brian Hus

Philosophy 1102

29 May 2011

Many people in our society consider Euthanasia to be a morally wrong thing to do. I understand in some cases it is morally wrong, especially if you still have a chance at living. In other cases I believe it is permissable for the terminally ill, especially because they have tried everything possible and were still told they stand no chance at surviving. When there is no hope left and you have to sit and watch your loved one's suffer until they die, that to me would be torture. Not only to the family ,but the patient as well.

It would be inhuman and unfair to make someone endure the unbearable pain and suffering of their last days. I believe we all should have the right to say when it is time. Especially in those kinds of circumstances. Society should have compassion and respect to the patient's decision whose life becomes unbearable.

There are two different forms of Euthanasia. One of them is the "active euthanasia", which would be taking specific steps to cause a patient's death. An example would be, to inject a person with some sort of poision.The next form would be the" passive euthanasia", which is usually defined as withdrawing medical treatment with the deliberate intention of causing one's death. One of the main differences between active and passive euthanasia is that passive euthanasia is not actually killing someone, it's just not saving their life. On the other hand, active euthanasia is when they actually assist someone in their own death.

In my perspective active and passive euthanasia are permissible depending on the situation. People should be in an extremely painful situation where nothing in the doctor's knowledge is possible, and then decide which way is recommendable and painless. The lethal procedure can be implemented if the stoppage of the treatment is tremendously painful. In these cases, a measurement of utilitarianism should be applied. Look for the greatest amount of painless solution for the patient and also family members, but the tranquility of the patient should be the main concern.

Active and passive euthanasia do have some similarities. For instance, Society views them both as morally wrong, only because they see it as suicide or murder in some cases. Now, the oppositions to Euthanasia misinterpret the concept of a "good death". Euthanasia should not be able to apply to escape from depression, chronic pain due to the lack of money,or health insurance. If a person suffers of an extreme depression, there are medicines and psychological treatments during the transition to a healthier life, rather than to try to use euthanasia as a way to get out. Ethically doctors should do the best in their hands to save the life whenever