2. Introduction
•This presentation will explore
euthanasia and the right to die with
dignity through the context of three
different ethical theories from
government or other entities making it
illegal to the patients autonomous right
to choose euthanasia to modern day
applied ethics.
4. Euthanasia and Pluralism
• As we look at the ethical debate for euthanasia we have to look at
who is making the decision to allow euthanasia, is it the patient?
Is it the government?
• Even though it should be the right of the patient to make this
decision it is often times made by the government in laws that
make it illegal.
• As we look at this decision making process we find that the
government is often influenced by its members personal views on
the subject along with outside influences from organizations,
religions and political action committees.
5. Euthanasia and Pluralism cont.
• Should the government be allowed to make a blanket decision on
a subject like euthanasia or should it be left to the individual and
his/her personal beliefs?
• Yes I do think that the government should have some say in the
decision in in that there needs to be specific guidelines setup for
the decision and review making process so that if the decision to
proceed with euthanasia is being made that it is done in an ethical
way and with the patients best interest.
• I feel that this like abortion is going to be debated for many years
to come.
6. Euthanasia and Mill’s - Liberty
• As we look at euthanasia in the context of Mill’s thoughts on
liberty we can see that Mill feels that the patient has an
autonomous right and the liberty to choose euthanasia provided
it does not harm others.
• When you look at this you can see that if a patient is choosing to
end their life it is an act of selflessness on their part to end not
only their own suffering but the suffering of others around them.
So as we look at this the patient should have the right to make
this decision without a government entity telling them they cannot
do it.
7. Euthanasia and Mill cont.
• With Mill’s thoughts on individual liberty you can see where it
should be the individuals right to choose euthanasia over
continued suffering and added financial hardships for both
themselves and the people around them.
8. Euthanasia and Applied Ethics
• When we look at the medical field we tend to look at
applied ethics which are ethics that are derived from our
societal involvement that usually comes from moral
concerns.
• Euthanasia like abortion has become one of these
societal issues that has moral concerns attached to it.
• We have become a society that has made great medical
advances especially in the last fifty years but with these
advances comes the moral and ethical decision as to
when to stop treatment of the patient.
9. Euthanasia and Applied Ethics cont.
• Do we continue treatment of
the patient because we have
the technology or ability to
until they finally succumb to
their illness or injury?
• Or do we allow the patient to
make the decision to end their
life with dignity and thus
ending their suffering and the
suffering of those around
them?
10. Euthanasia and Applied Ethics cont.
• Just because a physician has the ability through medical
advances to keep a patient alive does not mean that they should
always do it. They need to look at what the quality of life is that
the patient currently has and what would their quality of life be if
they are kept alive. Are the going to be able to have a quality life?
Are they going to be in constant pain? Are they going to be
relegated to living in a care facility or being dependent on others
for the rest of their life?
• When you look at these questions especially for people that have
terminal diseases the answer is almost always going to be “no” we
should not keep them alive and have them and the people around
them suffer. We should allow them the opportunity to make the
decision to “Die With Dignity”.
11. Euthanasia and Applied Ethics cont.
• It is my personal opinion that we should allow terminally ill or
patients that have debilitating diseases that cause their quality of
life to be a poor one the ability to choose euthanasia. Why should
we force these people to continue to suffer in a way that they
have no quality of life. As someone who has watched people die
from cancer, ALS and AIDS or be in a vegetative coma with no
chance of recovery, I would not want that for myself and would
want to have the ability to “Die With Dignity” and end my life in a
peaceful supported way.
12. Works Cited
Paterson, Craig, Mr. Assisted Suicide and
Euthanasia. Abingdon, GB: Ashgate, 2012.
ProQuest ebrary. Web. 24 July 2016.
Keown, John. Euthanasia, Ethics and Public
Policy : An Argument Against Legalisation.
Cambridge, GB: Cambridge University Press,
2002. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 24 July 2016.
(“John Stuart Mill - On Liberty - YouTube”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWZrHUvh
Xcw 2016-07-24 14:57:54
http://time.com/3503000/behind-the-picture-
the-photo-that-changed-the-face-of-aids/
Jose, Jim, and Kcasey McLoughlin. "John
Stuart Mill and the Contagious Diseases
Acts: Whose Law? Whose Liberty? Whose
Greater Good?" Law and History Review,
vol. 34, no. 2, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge,
2016..doi:10.1017/S0738248016000080.
(“Ethics Online Text Textbook”)
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/pecorip/SC
CCWEB/ETEXTS/ETHICS/ Chapter 14
Diaconescu, A. M. (2012).
Euthanasia. Contemporary Readings in
Law and Social Justice, 4(2), 474-483.
Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/140
0159032?accountid=8289
