A Defense of Euthanasia - 1265 Words

More than likely, a good majority of people have heard about euthanasia at least once in their existence. For those out there who have been living under a rock their entire lives, euthanasia â€Å"is generally understood to mean the bringing about of a good death – ‘mercy killing’, where one person, ‘A’, ends the life of another person, ‘B’, for the sake of ‘B’.† (Kuhse 294). There are people who believe this is a completely logical scenario that should be allowed, and there are others that oppose this view. For the purpose of this essay, I will be defending those who are for euthanasia. My thesis, just by looking at this issue from a logical standpoint, is that if someone is suffering, I believe they should be allowed the right to end their†¦show more content†¦If we can justify the utilitarian view on euthanasia for our beloved animals, then it is morally permissible for our beloved family members. For the K antian argument for euthanasia, I will be using his ‘Categorical Imperative’, which states that you â€Å"Act only on the maxim through which you can at the same time will that it be a universal law.† (O’Neill 177). Kant’s ethics are based on the intention to act out of duty and are highly centered on the categorical imperative. A doctor’s duty is to save lives, but does that necessarily mean keeping one from dying? For someone who is brain-dead, or dying from the final stages of cancer, is keeping them alive actually saving their life, or prolonging their pain and misery which will end up killing them? Not allowing them to die is inflicting more harm on the patient, which does not comply with the duty of a doctor. When a patient is suffering as stated before, it is the duty of the doctor to either comply with their request for a lethal injection, or comply with the family’s request for someone that is in a vegetative state. My opponen t’s objection to this is that by the doctor carrying out the process of euthanasia, he would be violating his duty to save lives. Following this, every time a patient that is in pain and is dying comes before him, he would have to perform euthanasia on every single patient according to the categorical imperative. When these twoShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia Often Surfaces In Mainstream News As Being A1238 Words   |  5 PagesEuthanasia often surfaces in mainstream news as being a highly controversial issue, with strong arguments for both positions. To be clear, euthanasia can be defined as the following, â€Å"Intentionally taking the life of a presumably hopeless person† (Gay-Williams, 781). There are also several other distinctions that classify euthanasia as either active or passive, based on the level of action involved, or as voluntary, involuntary, or non-voluntary, based on the level of consent (Dittmer). 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