Utilitarianism and Euthanasia
Laurentine Asare Philosophy 103 April 28, 2011 ETHICS
The moral issue that I will discuss about is Euthanasia. Euthanasia simplu means bringing the death of another for the benefit of that person and also known as mercy killing. “When a person carries out an act of euthanasia, he brings about the death of another person because he believes the latter's present existence is so bad that she would be better off dead, or believes that unless he intervenes and ends her life, it will become so bad that she would be better off dead” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). There are two forms of euthanasia; voluntary and non-voluntary. Voluntary euthanasia means if it’s coming from the patient him or herself. Non - voluntary means a family member making the decision for the patient. In an active euthanasia which is illegal, it is saying that you are performing direct action to take someone’s life. In a passive euthanasia which is legal, it is allowing someone to die by not performing some life sustaining action. What does euthanasia has to do with morality? My morality behind euthanasia is that euthanasia should be the right to die for patients who are intensely ill. Euthanasia is natural in a way because in real life, there is a matter of life and death. It is natural for people to live but death is also part of nature. No one can live forever, and since euthanasia is performed on people facing serious illness and facing death. Euthanasia seems to understand the course of nature and its ways by letting the patient wish be fulfilled and let them die in peace instead of suffering in pain.
Jeremy Bentham, founder of Utilitarianism. Actions are good/bad, right/wrong based on whether or not they will produce
The moral issue that I will discuss about is Euthanasia. Euthanasia simplu means bringing the death of another for the benefit of that person and also known as mercy killing. “When a person carries out an act of euthanasia, he brings about the death of another person because he believes the latter's present existence is so bad that she would be better off dead, or believes that unless he intervenes and ends her life, it will become so bad that she would be better off dead” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). There are two forms of euthanasia; voluntary and non-voluntary. Voluntary euthanasia means if it’s coming from the patient him or herself. Non - voluntary means a family member making the decision for the patient. In an active euthanasia which is illegal, it is saying that you are performing direct action to take someone’s life. In a passive euthanasia which is legal, it is allowing someone to die by not performing some life sustaining action. What does euthanasia has to do with morality? My morality behind euthanasia is that euthanasia should be the right to die for patients who are intensely ill. Euthanasia is natural in a way because in real life, there is a matter of life and death. It is natural for people to live but death is also part of nature. No one can live forever, and since euthanasia is performed on people facing serious illness and facing death. Euthanasia seems to understand the course of nature and its ways by letting the patient wish be fulfilled and let them die in peace instead of suffering in pain.
Jeremy Bentham, founder of Utilitarianism. Actions are good/bad, right/wrong based on whether or not they will produce