...Ethical Theories Applied to Euthanasia It is a patient’s right to make the decision to end their life when they are facing a terminal illness, especially after all attempts to provide pain management have failed. However, these patients are left with few options due to the legal, moral, or religious complications of voluntary euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (PAS). But, if terminally ill patients had these options available, they would be given the respect to die with the dignity they are entitled to at the end of their life. By applying the utilitarian theory to this question, we would first have to ask, are we providing the greatest amount of happiness or more pain? From a utilitarian point of view, if allowing someone to die with dignity will promote more happiness for them, and those who will be affected by this act, then it is morally ethical. By applying virtue ethics, we would have to ask, whether it is more charitable to continue with pain management until their death, or to relieve their unnecessary pain and suffering by voluntary euthanasia or PAS. Regardless of the moral theories applied, legalizing voluntary euthanasia or PAS, will grant more options, to include reducing the amount of suffering experienced, eliminate the patient’s use of other means to end his or her life, and allow for families to prepare for their loved one’s passing, all of which keeps the patient’s dignity intact. Utilitarianism looks at the best action producing the best consequences...
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...Euthanasia Nicholas A. Manuel SOC120 Intro. to Ethics and Social Responsibility Brandon Wolfe 24 June 2013 - You always here the ones that you love say, when my time comes to die, just kill me and don’t let me suffer. For some people this is easier said then done and to partake in this action will be assisting someone in his or her suicide, which has been also known as euthanasia. Euthanasia faces ethical problems that question’s the caregivers medical integrity, the common argument that God is the only one can take someone’s life, and the fact that it is considered murder. I will discuss which one of the three classical theories would resolve these problems, as well as discuss one out of three contrary perspectives. We don’t want to see our love ones suffer just as much as we do not want to see some one end their life. A decision that is life threating with any decision that is made. There are three classical theories in ethics that describes the reasoning behind ones actions or thought process. Those theories are utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. The theory that would resolve the problem of euthanasia would be that of virtue ethics. “Virtue Ethics is an ethical theory that evaluates the morality of the person doing a given act, rather than the act itself. Virtue ethics thus emphasizes that the various virtues and whether a person reflects those virtues in his or her actions are crucial to moral evaluation” Mosser (2010). Where some believe that this...
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...The Ethics of Euthanasia The ethical nature of euthanasia, or assisted suicide, in the United States has been contested for decades, which brings about the proliferation of biomedical morality. According to the New Health Guide, as of June 2015, euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia and Luxembourg. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Albania and in American states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana. Because euthanasia is not legal throughout the United States, there is a divisive public controversy over the moral, ethical, and legal ramifications. In order to establish a clear understanding of these issues, I will define the terms in question and provide an all-encompassing interpretation. There are only slight differences between euthanasia and assisted suicide, and that is a disparity in the degree of involvement and behavior. Assisted suicide entails making the lethal mechanism available to the patient to be used at a time of the patient’s own choosing. By contrast, euthanasia entails the physician taking an active role in carrying out the patient’s request, and usually involves endovenous, or within a vein, delivery of a lethal substance. For the sake of this paper, I will consider both of them equal issues in the bioethical paradigm, and use them interchangeably. The objective of this paper is to outline two ethical theories, utilitarianism and Kantianism, in regards to the concept of euthanasia and bring about...
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...Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma, Impact of Voluntary/Assisted Euthanasia Luellen Lawler, Soma Philip, Annamma Anto, and Janice Haddock Team Green, Grand Canyon University Ethical Decision Making in Health Care 437 V Dr. Ann Leslie Claesson September 01, 2012 Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma, Impact of Voluntary/Assisted Euthanasia There are several topics in the field of biomedical ethics that are controversial and by nature require careful examination of one’s own values and viewpoints. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of voluntary or assisted euthanasia and the ethical implications it entails in relation to the profession of nursing. Nurses have the responsibility to act in their patient’s best interests. However, that may become difficult in the event that a patient asks for help in the task of ending his or her own life. There were two case scenarios provided for review concerning the topic of voluntary or assisted euthanasia. The common ethical implication among nurses involved in these particular cases seems to be the ambivalence they experience in relation to their level of involvement. Although nurses worldwide are confronted with euthanasia requests from patients, the views of nurses on their level of involvement in euthanasia remains unclear (Dierkx de Casterle, Verpoort, De Bal, & Gastmans, 2006). It stands to reason that palliative care nurses in particular, would have the highest frequency of experience with patients who are...
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...Animal rights cover all aspects on wellbeing and how human beings are supposed to relate with animals. There are several theories that are introduced to present ethical relationship that exist between animals and human being. Moral equality theories develop equal considerations and other status of moral aspects that are accorded to animals. This is through refuting some of the moral relevancies of fore mentioning the special characters or properties of human perception as a being. Therefore, through the support of different theories, moral equality is also supposed to be extended to animal rights (Tännsjö, 2008.). This is on the ground of similarity of characteristics and qualities such as physiological and mental level in capacities. Therefore, through the moral impacts, reasoning about the animal rights is approached from different dimensions and concrete conclusion shows the need of having morals and ethical framework considering the rights of animals. Examples compact impacts ethical decisions about animals There are different examples that are used to illustrate the relationship that exist among animals and human being (Tännsjö, 2008.). The ethical morals are supposed to cover positive relationship that enhances better life of the animals. Therefore, the major ethical factor is ensuring safety of the animals. It helps to identify their health and ethical relationship through identifying animal as a part of better life. In most cases, animals are kept at homes through domestication...
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...incurable pancreatic cancer. No amount of pain medication is available to treat her pain and allow her to maintain consciousness. She knows her time is limited and she does not feel she should have to wait out the inevitable in such a terrible state. At the same time the family pet Bassett hound is found to have a mass in her intestines. She cannot eat and barely moves as she is in so much pain. The veterinarian has given the option of putting her to sleep or euthanizing her to put her out of her misery as she is suffering so. This sits well with most people. Aunt Bessie requesting euthanization though is out of the question. Why is the question that this paper will attempt to answer and why this is wrong will also be addressed? Euthanasia Defined Euthanasia can bring about different feelings to people depending on the context in which it is used. Mention that good old dog and it is good as they no longer suffering. Change the identity to a person and it is not so easily swallowed. No matter how it is...
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...physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. * Social justice is the primary form of justice, but it encompasses other types of justice such as commutative, restorative, distributive, and contributive. * The four types of social justice are significant as they cover all the human entitlements. The social work department incorporates human rights in the creation and implementation of policies dealing with end of life decisions. * Euthanasia has evolved to become an important ethical concern especially for the elderly. * Many individuals in the recent times have changed their outlook regarding the issue of physically assisted death. Main ethical concerns * Euthanasia is a Greek word, which implies a ‘good death.’ * In the contemporary world, euthanasia is the compassionate activity of ending the life of a terminally ill patient. * Conversely, physician-assisted death occurs when a doctor provides the means of suicide to a patient who has chosen to end their life. * There are two categories of euthanasia, which are active and passive. * Active euthanasia involves the activity by a physician to fasten the death process such as administering of a lethal injection. * Passive euthanasia involves the behavior of withholding the essential care that leads to survival such as refusing to administer the necessary medications. * Active and passive euthanasia can either be voluntary, involuntary or non-voluntary. What ethical theories, if any, are used...
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...Is Euthanasia Immoral Active euthanasia is the willful taking of a person’s life to relieve them of pain and suffering (lethal injection) and passive euthanasia (discontinuing treatment) is to cease medical treatment to prevent the prolonging of pain and suffering resulting in death. The objective and purpose of this paper is to dispute and argue against the use of active euthanasia as a cautious selection of choice to end a persons’ life based on the purposes of relieving pain and suffering for that person using Kantian theory to best support this claim. This paper will consider the ethical complexities of euthanasia. It will take into consideration and briefly explain the ethical theories of deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics to analyze whether the use of active euthanasia is indeed a moral act and if it is morally permissible for doctors to end the lives of their patients by use of euthanasia and should laws allow it? Euthanasia is a form of suicide. People should not be allowed to kill themselves nor should others be allowed to assist them in doing it. The debate of the use of active and passive euthanasia and whether it should be morally permissible and accepted into law has been under much controversy over the years. Active euthanasia should not be permitted because it violates laws against killing, such as criminal homicide-the unlawful taking of the life of another. It is also contrary to the role of the physician which is to prolong the life of patients...
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...Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma Part 1 Grand Canyon University April 26, 2013 Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma Part 1 Voluntary and assisted euthanasia have been and will continue to be one of the most controversial ethical debates in the medical field. Euthanasia stems from the Greek language: eu meaning good and thanatos meaning death. The practice of voluntary euthanasia is when the patient requests to die but someone else has to perform the act, for example removing the patient from all life-sustaining equipment or giving a lethal injection. Where as the definition of assisted suicide is a physician prescribes a lethal dose of medication and the patient on his or her own will have to perform the act of consuming the medication to cause death. There are many ethical implications that arise from either option. “In the balance are crucial issues: personal autonomy, dignity, compassion, ending suffering, protection of the vulnerable, promotion of good palliative care, and redefinition of the role of the physician in death and dying” (Van Norman, (2012). It is imperative for nurses to be conscious of their obligations professionally, educated on the laws surrounding the issue, who the stakeholders involved are, the impact on social values/morals, and the ethical theories and principals involved. Nursing Obligation According to the American Nurses Association nurses are never allowed to have any part in euthanasia, such actions would be a direct violation of the...
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...Explain how the various formulations of the Categorical Imperatives might be applied to an ethical issue? [25] Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is best known for his ‘Copernican Revolution’ in the theory of knowledge. He argued that space, time and causality were features of the way our minds organise experience, rather than features of the external world. Kant’s ethical theory was deontological and absolute. We use reason for morality acceptance. His categorical imperatives are part of Kant’s ethical theory, they require the sense of reason (which he believed that a human possess). He believed that if you combined ones duty with goodwill it will result in a moral act. Mixed emotions will not do in a moral situation, you need to exclude all possible emotions to make a perfect moral action. This will then result to summum bonum (an afterlife with God). However, to work out what your duty is, is an ethical dilemma. We can link Kant’s Categorical Imperatives (CI) to euthanasia. Euthanasia is terminating a patients life, painlessly, who is suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. Terminating someone's life can be voluntary (someone helps a person die) or involuntary ( where a patient is capable of ending their own life). Euthanasia can also be passive (food and water deprivation) or active (injected a patient with a medicine which will painlessly kill them). There are many churches and religions which will deny this mercy killing. Natural law followers...
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...Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma Grand Canyon University Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma Euthanasia is considered “assisted suicide” (Ethical key issues- Euthanasia., 2011). Terminally ill, old age, and poor disease prognosis’s are some population of patients that research euthanasia. Euthanasia is currently illegal due to many ethical implications. Euthanasia is an ongoing ethical dilemma that affects nursing as a profession, has legal implications, and stirs up ethical debates over social values, morals, and norms. “Standard 7, under the heading “Standards of Professional Performance,” reiterates the moral obligation of the nurse to practice ethically and to provide care “in a manner that preserves and protects healthcare consumer autonomy, dignity, rights, values, and beliefs” and “assists healthcare consumers in self determination and informed decision-making”” (ANA position statement, 2013). Nurses in all healthcare related settings play a key role in patient care at end-of –life. Nurses’ care for the physical and spiritual needs of patients and their families while, also collaborating with all members of the interprofessional healthcare team. Nurses witness the devastating effects of life-threatening diseases. It is difficult to balance amongst saving a life and the enabling of a dignified death. Nurses need to keep their own feelings in check because they could have an influence on clinical decision making. “It is within the framework of the Code for Nurses and...
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...paper is to discuss the topic of euthanasia with the intention of shedding some light on this issue should you ever have to make this choice. There are many reasons for and against euthanasia and this article will explore some of those reasons. Specifically this paper includes a review of the following topics; Background which will include; What is euthanasia and where does it come from, Canadian law in regards to euthanasia, Euthanasia in other countries, What does our society say today? Then I will be looking at the pro euthanasia which will include; Can euthanasia be dignified where I will be looking at the Kantian and the Healthy Soul Theories, and Personnel choice. The last part will be looking at against euthanasia which will include; Who decided when to die which will include the Divine command theory and the Ethical Dilemma and I will end with a Conclusion. Thereafter, an analysis will be completed on the a fore mentioned that will include a discussion analysis of what is taken from within an existing body of research with final recommendations which will be presented based on the research. Background What is Euthanasia and where does it come from? The meaning of the word euthanasia comes from a combination of Greek words eu meaning good and athantos meaning death (Corbett, 2009). Therefore one would say that euthanasia is a good death and by saying this we are then saying “to die with dignity” (Corbett, 2009). Euthanasia is the intentional killing of people...
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...ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTH To evaluate the impact of moral philosophy on medical practice we must first look at what a moral philosophy is, also which philosophies that will be included. Moral philosophy is the area of philosophy concerned with theories of ethics, with how we ought to live our lives. Deontology and utilitarianism are the two philosophies that I shall be evaluating and applying throughout this essay. These are two time-honoured philosophical positions that apply to a wide variety of topics. Deontology is an ethical system that is attributed to the philosophical tradition of Immanuel Kant. Deontology demands that the actions, or means themselves must be ethical. This philosophy is based upon principles of duty and obligation, we have the freedom to act morally (right) or otherwise (wrong) based on General Universal Laws. To respect life means that you must not kill, to respect others is not to steal these moral laws are black and white as you must do what is right and do not do what is wrong regardless of circumstance or outcome. Deontologists argue that there are transcendent ethical norms and truths that are universally applicable to all people. Deontology holds that some actions are immoral regardless of their consequence; these actions are wrong in and of themselves. We should not act out of feeling, inclination, love or compassion, but out of our moral duty according to the universal moral laws. Kant gives a ‘categorical imperative’ to act morally at all times...
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...foundation of ethical theories. We can talk about two main general categories in which we can place the ethical theories: teleological and deontological. From the first category we enumerate the Aristotelian perspective or the one developed by J. St. Mill, while the Kantian perspective is exemplary for deontological ethics. According to the teleological perspective, a form of human behavior is described as moral or non-moral according to the goals explicitly set. The mere achievement of these goals is a necessary and sufficient condition to qualify as moral people’s actions or deeds without taking into account the “intermediate stages” of the actions performed to achieve those goals. Deontology, as a general horizon of articulating the ethical theories, believes on the contrary that in every moment of our existence, every action or deed that we accomplish can be described as moral or non-moral according to the ethical principles underlying our behavior. The very important consequences arising from the two general theoretical horizons concern two different perspectives on “human nature”, or what we call the essence of the human being. Starting from this horizon we will have the consequentialist and deontological dimensions related to euthanasia. The bioethical dimension in which we will discuss the issue of euthanasia involves both dimensions or horizons. The arguments against euthanasia seem to rely rather on the Kantian deontological horizon, while euthanasia pros seem...
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...Immanuel Kant and Euthanasia Euthanasia is defined the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. The topic of whether euthanasia is morally or ethical wrong has been argued for decades. In those arguments, philosopher Immanuel Kant’s theories have always been cited. Based on Kant’s Deontology theory, the outcome of an action is not relevant to morality; the only right thing is to do what reason dictates. His categorical imperative states: Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law” (McLachlan, 2009, p70.). Thus as a rational being, man cannot to formulate a maxim to give other’s right to take his life because of he is in a terrible condition. This kind of maxim will not form a universal law thus it should be removed and replaced with a more reasonable maxim. If we will such maxim, we will end in hypothetical imperative not categorical. In addition, Kant explained the practical imperative further in his categorical imperative second formulation: “act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only” (McLachlan, 2009, p73.). Thus, if humanity is an end, no man has the right to take his life even in whatever condition he finds himself Overall, Kant’s theory is very influential in the argument of euthanasia ethical issues. Based on his theory, euthanasia is not a moral...
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