Can euthanasia be ethically justified?
Can euthanasia be ethically justified?
For such a patient, voluntary active euthanasia is ethically justifiable. If a patient is competent, autonomy dictates that he should have the right to choose when and how he will die. In addition, the principle of justice asserts that it is unjust to deny such patients the opportunity to end their pain.
Should euthanasia be considered iatrogenic?
Euthanasia could be viewed as iatrogenic insofar as it results in an outcome (death) that some might consider inherently negative. However, this perspective fails to acknowledge that death, the outcome of euthanasia, is not an inadvertent or preventable complication but rather the goal of the medical intervention.
What are the good things about euthanasia?
Proponents of euthanasia and PAS identify three main benefits to legal- ization: (1) realizing individual autonomy, (2) reducing needless pain and suffering, and (3) providing psychological reassurance to dying pa- tients.
Who is allowed to perform euthanasia?
attending physician
Euthanasia is performed by the attending physician administering a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient on his or her express request.
What ethical theory supports euthanasia?
The deontological, specifically patient-center deontology, is the best ethical framework for evaluating the moral permissibility of euthanasia because it relies on patient autonomy and making judgments based on the act and agent themselves rather than the consequences.
What would virtue ethics say about euthanasia?
Abstract. Following the recent revival of virtue ethics, a number of ethicists have discussed the moral problems surrounding euthanasia by drawing on concepts such as compassion, benevolence, death with dignity, mercy, and by inquiring whether euthanasia is compatible with human flourishing.
Does euthanasia go against Hippocratic Oath?
The Hippocratic Oath contains this line “I will not give a drug that is deadly.” This is often interpreted as a prohibition of euthanasia.
Why is animal euthanasia good?
Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to continue supporting the animal, or laboratory test procedures. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress.
Does natural law believe in euthanasia?
The principal argument against euthanasia, natural law theory, is inherently flawed. It is also compromised by its unwitting concession to some aspects of utilitarianism. When its anti-democratic bias is also considered, it is perhaps time to propel the debate in new directions.
What does the Hippocratic Oath say about suicide?
Many believed that the “do no harm” message of the Hippocratic Oath did not permit aiding in a Page 30 HOW RELEVANT IS THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH 29 patient’s death, especially as euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are expressly prohibited in the original Hippocratic Oath.
What is the full Hippocratic Oath?
Hippocratic Oath: Modern Version I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.