Ethics and Moral reasoning
Facing Life While Fighting For an End
Tabitha Price
Ashford University
Course: PHI208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Instructor: Rachael Howell
4/7/2014
Facing Life While Fighting For an End
Every one of us will stare down the face of death at some point in our lives; however, some will face it in much more unpleasant circumstances then others. We all have a right to choose what we want to do with our bodies. We even have the right to decide that we no longer wish to endure the pain and suffering of a terminal illness. Terminal illness is when someone is suffering from something that will eventually take their life regardless of any medical interventions. In this paper I will discuss the point in which a person has a right to decide if they want to die and what processes are ethically moral in aiding them in seeing their wishes come to fruition.
Medicine has created more ways to cure or to minimize a person’s suffering from diseases that were once fatal or painful. Medical technology has given us the power to sustain the lives of patients whose physical and mental capabilities cannot be restored, whose degenerating conditions cannot be reversed, and whose pain cannot be eliminated. As medicine struggles to pull more and more people away from the edge of death, there are pleas for relief outpouring from the tortured, deteriorated lives that all of us be merciful and give them the relief they need. (C Andre, and M Velazquez, KND).
When a person is faced with the end of their life, it is said that we should agree that the absence of pain and the pride of the person should be taken into great consideration. When a terminally ill person is no longer capable of intellectual pursuits, is in constant pain and must rely on others for all of their needs, Mill feels that it is a more dignified choice to end the suffering, therefor fulfilling the "absence of pain" principle (pain including one 's inability to seek higher pleasure through intellectual
Tabitha Price
Ashford University
Course: PHI208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Instructor: Rachael Howell
4/7/2014
Facing Life While Fighting For an End
Every one of us will stare down the face of death at some point in our lives; however, some will face it in much more unpleasant circumstances then others. We all have a right to choose what we want to do with our bodies. We even have the right to decide that we no longer wish to endure the pain and suffering of a terminal illness. Terminal illness is when someone is suffering from something that will eventually take their life regardless of any medical interventions. In this paper I will discuss the point in which a person has a right to decide if they want to die and what processes are ethically moral in aiding them in seeing their wishes come to fruition.
Medicine has created more ways to cure or to minimize a person’s suffering from diseases that were once fatal or painful. Medical technology has given us the power to sustain the lives of patients whose physical and mental capabilities cannot be restored, whose degenerating conditions cannot be reversed, and whose pain cannot be eliminated. As medicine struggles to pull more and more people away from the edge of death, there are pleas for relief outpouring from the tortured, deteriorated lives that all of us be merciful and give them the relief they need. (C Andre, and M Velazquez, KND).
When a person is faced with the end of their life, it is said that we should agree that the absence of pain and the pride of the person should be taken into great consideration. When a terminally ill person is no longer capable of intellectual pursuits, is in constant pain and must rely on others for all of their needs, Mill feels that it is a more dignified choice to end the suffering, therefor fulfilling the "absence of pain" principle (pain including one 's inability to seek higher pleasure through intellectual
References: Ituriguy, July 5, 2008. The Decision To End One 's Own Life Is A Fundamental Human Right. Retrieved March 10, 2014 from www.opposingviews.com Wikipedia, KND. Utilitarianism. Retrieved: March 24, 2014 from www.wikipedia.com C. Andrea and M. Valdez, KND. Assisted Suicide: A Right or A Wrong? Retrieved: March 24, 2014 from www.scu.edu J. Conley, April 2010. Kantian vs. Utilitarian Ethics of Euthanasia. Retrieved: March 24, 2014 from www.wp4dying.blogspot.com M. Levine, KND. PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE: LEGALITY AND MORALITY. Retrieved: March 24, 2014, from: www.levinlaw.com