1. Euthanasia

2. Physician Assisted Suicide
Mercy Killing
Physician Assisted Suicide

3. The Intentional Termination of One’s Own Life
What is Suicide?
The Intentional Termination of One’s Own Life

4. Sacrificial vs. Suicidal
Martyr
POW killing himself in order not to reveal information
Protect others
Giving your life for others

5. Under what conditions is suicide morally acceptable?
Morality of Suicide
Under what conditions is suicide morally acceptable?

6. Violates our duty to God Injuries the community
Thomas Aquinas
Violates our duty to God
Violates Natural Law
Injuries the community

7. Immanuel Kant
Degrades human worth

8. Masada?
Jews killed themselves and their families so they would not be taken by the Romans

9. The Morality of Euthanasia
Active Euthanasia
Passive Euthanasia
Voluntary Euthanasia
Non-Voluntary Euthanasia
Involuntary Euthanasia

10. Active Euthanasia The physician takes active steps to kill the patient
Administering drugs
Stopping life sustaining treatment

11. Passive Euthanasia
The physician allows the patient to die of their injuries or natural causes
Not putting someone on life support
Not giving life sustaining treatment

12. Euthanasia in reponse to the (informed) request of a competent patient
Voluntary Euthanasia
Euthanasia in reponse to the (informed) request of a competent patient

13. Non-Voluntary Euthanasia
Euthanasia that involves an individual who is incompetent to give consent
Alzheimer’s Disease
Infant

14. Involuntary Euthanasia
Euthanasia that is against the will or without permission of a competent person
Capital Punishment

15. Voluntary Active Euthanasia
A competent patient wants to be put to death
And the physician helps him / her
Severe painful
Lost of dignity
No meaningful life

16. Non-Voluntary Active Euthanasia
Incompetent patient is put to death with aid of physician
Alzheimer’s patient is severely injured
Infant born with severe birth defects

17. Voluntary Passive Euthanasia
Competent patient asks not to receive life sustaining treatment
“Allowed to die of natural causes”

18. Non-Voluntary Passive Euthanasia
Incompetent patient is allowed to die
Life sustaining treatment with withheld for:
Alzheimer’s patient is severely injured
Infant born with severe birth defects

19. Killing vs. Allowing to Die
Is there a moral difference?

20. For Voluntary Active Euthanasia

21. 1. It is cruel and inhuman to refuse the plea of a terminally ill person for his or her life to be mercifully ended in order to avoid future suffering and/or indignity

22. 2. Autonomous choice should be respected to the extent that it does not result in harm to others.

23. – at least in typical cases
Since no one is harmed
– at least in typical cases
– by terminally ill patients undergoing active euthanasia,
a decision to have one’s life ended in this fashion should be respected

24. Against Voluntary Active Euthanasia

25. 1. Killing an innocent person is inherently wrong under any circumstance even if the person desires it

26. 2. Killing is incompatible with the professional responsibilities of the physician

27. A lessening of respect for human life
3. Any systematic acceptance of active euthanasia would lead to detrimental social consequences
A lessening of respect for human life

28. Physician-Assisted Suicide
1. Physicians providing information to a patient about how to commit suicide in an effective manner
2. Physicians providing the means necessary for an effective suicide
(usually by prescription)

29. Physician does not play an active role in bringing about the death of the patient

30. Significance Difference?
Voluntary active euthanasia the physician ultimately kills the patient
Physician-assisted suicide the patient kills himself or herself

31. Terminal Sedation
Patients suffering from severe pain which cannot be treated any other way except sedation into unconsciousness eventually die

32. ASSISTED SUICIDE LAWS STATE BY STATE

33. Currently, 34 STATES have statutes explicitly criminalizing assisted suicide :
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin

34. NINE states criminalize assisted suicide through common law:
Alabama, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia

35. THREE states have abolished the common law of crimes and do not have statutes criminalizing assisted suicide :
North Carolina, Utah, Wyoming

36. Only the states of Oregon and Washington permit physician-assisted suicide.

37. Should euthanasia be legalized? What penalites if not followed?
Social Policy
Should euthanasia be legalized?
If so, what forms?
What safeguards?
What penalites if not followed?

38. Slippery Slope Argument
If voluntary active euthanasia were legalized
This would lead us down the path of the legalization on non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia

39. Economic Considerations
“Death Panels”
Pressure for those who are dying to die more quickly to save the state money for their expensive health care

40. Oregon Death with Dignity Act
November 1994 approved Physician assisted suicide
Physician can prescribe lethal drugs
15 day waiting period from time of request

41. Active and Passive Euthanasia James Rachels

42. Rachels Argument
Identifies the “Conventional Doctrine” on the morality of euthanasia
as the doctrine that allows
Passive Euthanasia
but does not allow
Active Euthanasia

43. 2. Leads to decisions concerning life and death on irrelevant grounds
Rachels Argues
1. Active euthanasia is in many cases more humane than passive euthanasia
2. Leads to decisions concerning life and death on irrelevant grounds

44. 4. Most common argument in favor of doctrine is invalid
3. Rests on a distinction between killing and letting die that itself has no moral importance
4. Most common argument in favor of doctrine is invalid

45. Conventional doctrine says that it is ok to allow patient to die,
1. Active euthanasia is in many cases more humane than passive euthanasia
Conventional doctrine says that it is ok to allow patient to die,
but never to take direction action to kill the patient

46. Asks to die now peacefully
Throat cancer example
Patient with incurable throat cancer is in terrible pain which cannot be alleviated
He will die in a few days
Asks to die now peacefully

47. Withholding Treatment
This will allow the patient to die
But it will take several days of terrible pain
Isn’t it more humane to end his life as sson as possible?

48. Once the decision has been made to let the patient die,
doesn’t it make more sense to help the patient die as soon as possible and peacefully as possible?

49. is to endorse the option that leads to more suffering rather than less
To say no,
is to endorse the option that leads to more suffering rather than less

50. Being allowed to die can be a slow and painful process
Lethal injection is quick and painless

51. 2. Conventional Doctrine leads to decisions concerning life and death made on irrelevant grounds
Down Syndrome Cases
Babies with D.S. and additional complications are allowed to die because of the additional complications when D.S. is the real reason for letting them die

52. If you don’t think D.S. babies should live then make that decision
Don’t hide it behind other complications which can very easily be fixed

53. Smith and Jones Case (p. 397)
Conventional Doctrine rests on a distinction between killing and letting die that itself has no moral importance
Smith and Jones Case (p. 397)

54. 4. Most common argument in favor of doctrine is invalid
1. It is wrong to say that the doctor does nothing
The doctor does do something, he withhold treatment that could prolong the patient’s life

55. 2. This position assumes that death is the worst thing that could happen
Maybe prolonged pain and suffering is

56. 3. Doctors should not allow the law to determine what it moral
Sometimes laws are immoral
Slavery