As an applied ethical issue, it is important to make ethical claims in the light of practical and real-world factors. Legality of the forms of euthanasia varies from nation to nation Belgium allows for voluntary and active euthanasia, the UK does not.ġ0In the next two sections, we outline two different forms of medical afflictions that will ground discussion of arguments in favour and against the varying forms of euthanasia. A person who has a life-support machine switched off, for example, dies via natural causes but only as a result of a decision to allow natural causes to take effect.ĩAlthough euthanasia that is both voluntary and passive is not particularly common, euthanasia could come in any combination of methods and decisionmakers as laid out. Thus, a person who is passively euthanised is allowed to die via natural causes even though methods to keep them alive might be available. Passive EuthanasiaĨPassive euthanasia occurs when a person is allowed to die due to the deliberate withdrawal of treatment that might keep them alive. Active EuthanasiaħIf a person is actively euthanised it means that their death was caused by external intervention rather than natural causes, most likely through a lethal injection or the voluntary swallowing of a deadly cocktail of drugs. In addition, we can differentiate between types of euthanasia based on the method involved in ending a life. This form of euthanasia is most commonly associated with young infants or patients in a coma who cannot, due to the nature of their age or condition, make any decision for themselves.ĦThe above offers a differentiation of types of euthanasia in terms of the person making the decision.

Non-Voluntary EuthanasiaĥNon-voluntary euthanasia occurs when a decision regarding premature and merciful death is made by another person, because the individual to be euthanised is unable to make a decision for themselves. Voluntary EuthanasiaĤVoluntary euthanasia occurs when a person makes their own choice to have their life terminated in order to avoid future suffering. Euthanasia is thus the act of seeking to provide a good death for a person who otherwise might be faced with a much more unpleasant death - hence the term “mercy killing”.ģThere are different ways to categorise the various types of euthanasia and it is critical to be confident and familiar with these categorisations. Like most upstanding and respectable philosophical terms, euthanasia has its roots in Ancient Greek language it is based on a combination of the terms eu meaning “well” and thanatos meaning “death”. Key TermsĢThe etymology of euthanasia helps to reveal the meaning of the term. Specifically, we consider the ethical issues surrounding euthanasia (sometimes labelled as “mercy killing”). While the morality of the latter would be an interesting topic itself (and you may look to issues discussed in Chapter 8 for some inspiration), it is the morality of an issue connected to the former that draws the focus of this chapter. Euthanasia IntroductionġThere is an old adage that only two things in life are certain - death and taxes. What does he expect us to do, hug him?’ 1 1. One theologian I spoke to said contemptuously, ‘Peter Singer takes the most basic human instincts and tries to reason them out of existence. These charges are spat out of the sides of their mouths. Singer says it would have been OK to kill his own mother. Singer says seriously damaged human beings are on a par with apes. Singer says it’s OK to kill disabled babies. Hari, ‘Peter Singer: Some People are More Equal than Others’, (.)

Quotes from terminally ill patients