Is Euthanasia Morally Acceptable Essay - 2334 Words

Is it right to intentionally bring about the death of a person? The vast majority of people would instinctively answer this question â€Å"no,† unless it related to an act of war or perhaps self-defense. What if taking the life of the person would benefit that person by ending their suffering? Would it be morally acceptable to end their suffering? Questions like these are debated by those considering the morality of euthanasia, which is a very controversial topics in America. Euthanasia can be defined as â€Å"bringing about the death of another person to somehow benefit that person† (Pojman). The term implies that the death is intentional. Because there are several different types of euthanasia, it is difficult to make a blanket statement†¦show more content†¦In cases of involuntary euthanasia, the patient is able to provide informed consent, but does not do so. For example, a young man is in agony after being severely injured in a car accident. He be gs the doctor to do anything to save him. Knowing that the young man’s pain is only going to get worse and that he will die in a matter of hours, the doctor gives the young man a lethal dose of medication in order to spare him additional pain and end his life. Despite the fact that someone’s motive for euthanizing another person against their will could seem moral, I believe the practice of involuntary euthanasia is highly immoral and equivalent to murder. Not surprisingly, involuntary euthanasia is almost universally condemned in civilized society. â€Å"Nonvoluntary euthanasia† sounds like it would mean the same thing as involuntary euthanasia, but it does not. Like involuntary euthanasia, nonvoluntary euthanasia is requested by someone other than the patient, such as family members or a physician, and is performed without the patient’s consent (Pojman). However, the difference is that nonvoluntary euthanasia occurs when the patient’s wishes are unknown instead of acting deliberately against their wishes. In my opinion, it would be difficult to argue favorably for the morality of nonvoluntary active euthanasia. If the patient’s wishes are unknown, how can we as a society accept that they should be intentionally killed by nonvoluntary active euthanasia? HowShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia: Not Morally Acceptable Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagesfollowing essay, I argue that euthanasia is not morally acceptable because it always involves killing, and undermines intrinsic value of human being. The moral basis on which euthanasia defends its position is contradictory and arbitrary in that its moral values represented in such terms as ‘mercy killing’, ‘dying with dignity’, ‘good death’ and ‘right for self-determination’ fail to justify taking one’s life. 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Many people for euthanasia have the mindset that humans have the right to control his or her body and life and therefore have the freedom to choose how, where and when they will die. This belief stems from the idea ofRead MoreVoluntary Active Euthanasia Essay1010 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is morally permissible? Voluntary Active Euthanasia is a controversial subject, Does one have the right to end their own life? According to Peter Singer in â€Å"Voluntary Euthanasia: A utilitarian Perspective,† Voluntary Active Euthanasia is morally permissible under certain circumstances. If and only if certain requirements are met by certain parties can the process of voluntary active euthanasia be completed. Certain situations where Voluntary Active Euthanasia is morally permissible include;