Ethical Reasoning Final Paper (Assisting Suicide)

Euthanasia

Shaketa Robinson

PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning

Prof. Paul Pistone

June 29, 2020

Euthanasia

Part 1: Ethical Question

What is euthanasia, and is it an ethical practice according to utilitarianism theory?

Part 2: Introduction

In some countries, mercy killing is allowed when the patient requests it mostly

due to excess pain. Physicians conduct euthanasia, and in most countries, there have been

issues of whether the physicians should be allowed to choose whether to participate in it

when a patient requests it with some countries allowing them to choose (Thomson, 2019).

Most cases involving euthanasia are a result of severe conditions for the patient, and they

opt to use it because the pain is too much for them to withstand. Euthanasia can be

defined as a painless way of killing a person who is suffering from diseases that have no

cure and pain or patients who are in an irreversible coma (Keown, 2018).

In some countries, voluntary euthanasia is legal and involuntary euthanasia is not

legal in any country (Vidanapathirana, 2017). Laws regarding euthanasia are different in

all countries, with some small similarities. There are various debates on the legal, ethical,

and moral issues concerning euthanasia. Some religions and organizations of human

rights view euthanasia as an act of murder, and they do not support it as they regard it to

be an act of murder. Religion argues that euthanasia should not be allowed even under

any circumstances. There are several debates on whether the non-voluntary killing of

individuals can be classified as euthanasia without factoring in the condition of the

patient or the intent. Some people view the patient's consent regarding euthanasia as

essential, while others are of the contrary opinion.

Euthanasia is done in two ways the active and passive way. Active euthanasia involves

stopping treatment that supports the life of an individual to bring about death, while

passive euthanasia involves the use of force and lethal substances to bring about death

(Vidanapathirana, 2017). Some authors view the two terms as unhelpful and misleading,

but they are still used widely.

Part 3: The ethical theory

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that boosts actions that optimize the wellbeing and

happiness of the affected people. Jeremy Bentham founded the theory, and he viewed

utility as the property in any commodity which tends to bring about benefit, pleasure,

happiness, or good to prevent the occurrence of pain, evil, or mischief (Mill, 2016).

According to this theory, any action results are the only measure or standard of wrong or

right. And it considers all human interests as equal.

Epicurus and Aristippus put forward the hedonism forms with Aristotle arguing that the

most significant human good is eudaimonia. Aquinas explored happiness in depth.

Different types of consequentialism existed in the medieval and ancient world, such as

Mohism's state consequentialism (Barrow, 2015). State consequentialism advocated for

population growth, wealth, and political stability. It is believed that John Gay created the

first systematic theory about utilitarian ethics. The theory of Gay was mas made

accessible by William Paley after developing it.

Utilitarianism is a theory of ethics that determines wrong from right, depending

on the result of an action. It holds that the choice, which is the most ethical, is the

particular one that derives the highest good for the most people (Lyons, 2015). It remains

the only framework of morals that can be applied to justify war or military force

activities. It is also the most used in business as it accounts for benefits and costs in the

best way. It is limited in the scope that people cannot predict the future outcomes of their

present actions. It is also limited to the extent that it has issues when it comes to

accounting for people's rights and justice.

Part 4: Application of Ethical Theories of Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a theory that decides good and wrong using the results of an

action. For example, one may feel happy after buying a car and using it to travel to their

destination; thus, they will think that they did the right thing. The principle of this theory

which is that the most ethical choice is the one that brings the best results to the most

people applies in enthusiasm in that mercy killing brings happiness to the relatives of that

person by saving them the pain of seeing him/her in a painful condition which is not

likely to come to an end (Lyons, 2015).

Euthanasia is an ethical practice because it brings a lasting solution to the pain of

the patient by terminating their life and leading them to rest. Mercy killing also brings

satisfaction to the relatives of the patient by saving them the continued payment for

hospital upkeep, which is usually too high. According to Utilitarianism, euthanasia is an

ethical practice as it is the only solution to an irreversible coma as the individual will

never be productive again, and he/she is a liability to their family (Mill, 2016).

However, according to this theory, euthanasia can be considered the unethical

practice as its results might not be suitable for other individuals. For example, the

individuals might bring happiness to the person taking care of them, but it might bring

pain to the people who depend on the patient for survival like the children of the patient.

It also may bring regrets to the physicians performing the act, especially where the doctor

is forced to complete the task as part of her/his duty (Kahane et al., 2018). Euthanasia

might be performed on an individual with an incurable disease, but it is not certain

whether the pain would not reduce in the future; hence it could be unethical to perform a

mercy killing on an individual because they are undergoing pain in the present time.

References

Barrow, R. (2015). Utilitarianism: A contemporary statement. Routledge.

Kahane, G., Everett, J. A., Earp, B. D., Caviola, L., Faber, N. S., Crockett, M. J., &

Savulescu, J. (2018). Beyond sacrificial harm: A two-dimensional model of

utilitarian psychology. Psychological Review, 125(2), 131.

Keown, J. (2018). Euthanasia, ethics, and public policy: an argument against

legalization. Cambridge University Press.

Lyons, D. (2015). Utilitarianism. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, 1-4.

Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism-Ed. Bailey. Broadview Press.

Thomson, J. J. (2019). Physician-assisted suicide: Two moral arguments. Ethics, 109(3),

497-518.

Vidanapathirana, M. (2017). Non-voluntary passive euthanasia should be legalized in Sri

Lanka.