Euthanasia

Question 1

What is euthanasia?

Answer 1

Killing someone or allowing them to die when they are already going to die (e.g. someone with incurable cancer), or the quality of their life will be so low it is not worth them living (e.g. someone suffering from a debilitating disease such as Motor Neurone Disease).

Question 2

What does the term ‘euthanasia’ mean?

Answer 2

‘A good death’

Question 3

What is voluntary euthanasia?

Answer 3

When a person’s life is ended at their request or with their consent. This might be the case when someone is suffering from an incurable or terminal illness. The helper should be convinced that the decision is serious, reasonable, not the result of a temporary state, circumstances are not likely to change etc.

Question 4

What is non-voluntary euthanasia?

Answer 4

When a person’s life is ended without their consent but with the consent of someone representing their interests. This might be in the case of a patient who is in a persistent vegetative state.

Question 5

What are ‘living wills’?

Answer 5

Some people prepare “living wills”, which advise on their wishes in the event that they suffer an irreparable debilitating injury, leaving them in a state where they have no mental facilities to express their own wishes.

Question 6

What is active euthanasia?

Answer 6

When somebody does something to actually kill the person (for example giving a lethal injection to somebody who’s dying from cancer). This might be done by the person themselves, a family member, the doctor or anyone else – the important point here is that they would not die on their own.

Question 7

What is passive euthanasia?

Answer 7

When you allow someone to die by taking away something that they needed to live (for example turning off a life support machine that is keeping someone alive, not artificially feeding them when they cannot be fed normally, not continuing to resuscitate). The important point here is that you are not killing them but rather you are taking away what they need to survive. This is sometimes referred to as not taking extraordinary measures to keep someone alive.

Question 8

1961 Suicide Act

Answer 8

Suicide became legal in UK, but it is still an offence to “aid, abet, counsel or procure” such an act. Anyone who helps a sufferer to end their life risks being charged with murder or manslaughter.

Question 9

What is the law in the Netherlands?

Answer 9

In the Netherlands euthanasia is now legal, from 1.1.2002. For some time the courts in Holland have turned a blind eye to the practice of euthanasia and the law has been changed to acknowledge this – with the majority of the public in full support’.

Question 10

What is the law in Switzerland?

Answer 10

Switzerland allows Euthanasia under strict conditions. Several people have gone from the UK to Switzerland to have assisted suicide using the organisation “Dignitas”.

Question 11

What would people who believe in sanctity of life say about euthanasia?

Answer 11

This argument says that euthanasia is unacceptable because of the sanctity of human life. It is an absolutist approach to the issue of euthanasia as it considers all human life as sacred and so it can never be deliberately taken – regardless of the consequences of not allowing it. It would suggest alternatives to euthanasia such as palliative care (pain relief), hospice care etc.

Question 12

‘In the image of God’ = ‘__ _’

Bible quotes used to argue AGAINST Euthanasia

Answer 12

‘Imago dei’ - Genesis 1:26

Question 13

‘Do not __’

Bible quotes used to argue AGAINST Euthanasia

Answer 13

‘Kill’ - Exodus 20:13

Question 14

‘The Lord gave and __ ___ __ ___ ___’

Bible quotes used to argue AGAINST Euthanasia

Answer 14

‘the Lord has taken away’ - Job 1:21

Question 15

What is the quality of life?

Answer 15

Life must have some benefits, some attributes for it to be worth living and to have value.

Question 16

What would people who believe in the quality of life say about euthanasia?

Answer 16

Focus on the idea of whether or not our experience of living life is good. Proponents of the Quality of life stance would argue that human beings should be able to live dignified lives and end life with dignity – it is seen as a matter of self-respect not just about ending pain.

Question 17

What type of approach is quality of life?

Answer 17

Relativist

Question 18

What type of approach is sanctity of life?

Answer 18

Absolutist

Question 19

What is Peter Singer’s first quality of life commandment?

Answer 19

1. Recognise that the worth of human life varies

Question 20

What is Peter Singer’s second quality of life commandment?

Answer 20

2. Take responsibility for the consequences of your decisions (to save or end life)

Question 21

What is Peter Singer’s third quality of life commandment?

Answer 21

3. Respect a person’s desire to live or die

Question 22

What is Peter Singer’s fourth quality of life commandment?

Answer 22

4. Bring children into the world only if they are wanted

Question 23

What is Peter Singer’s fifth quality of life commandment?

Answer 23

5. Do not discriminate on the basis of species

Question 24

Where did the Hippocratic Oath form?

Answer 24

• Plays from Ancient Greece deal with the issue of characters suffering unbearable pain and asking for help to die. The Greek physician Hippocrates, who is known for the Hippocratic Oath doctors take to promise to preserve life, himself said that a doctor should: “refuse to treat those who are overmastered by their disease realising that in such cases, medicine is powerless.”

Question 25

What is the modern view?

Answer 25

The emphasis in modern times is on autonomy, personal choice and rights - The right to choose when to die, especially if life has become difficult, painful, undignified. The absolutist stance of Sanctity of Life is rejected for the more relativist approach of Quality of life.

Question 26

What is personhood?

Answer 26

Personhood refers to the things that truly make us human beings – awareness of self, others, the world, and the will and ability to act. Once these are lost, some would argue that the person is no longer a “person”, no longer fully human. And this, for them, would justify euthanasia.

Question 27

Who does Peter Singer believe are not ‘persons’?

Answer 27

New born babies, those who have a disability

Question 28

How do the views differ between sanctity and quality of life?

Answer 28

Sanctity of life is a religious view, while quality of life is a secular view

Question 29

How does the support differ between sanctity and quality of life?

Answer 29

Sanctity of life is supported by Natural law, while quality of life is supported by situation ethics

Question 30

What is autonomy?

Answer 30

In modern times, autonomy is seen as an essential principle – being free to make our own decisions about our own future. Many today think we should be able to make decisions about when we die and the manner of our death - if we require the assistance of a loved one or a doctor in the final stages, this should be available to us as a right, society should allow it.

Question 31

What does utilitarian, John Stuart Mill, say about autonomy?

Answer 31

“Over himself, over his body and mind, the individual is sovereign.”

Question 32

Diane Pretty

Answer 32

Diane Pretty suffered from motor neurone disease, which can lead to a slow and painful death. She wanted her husband to help her commit suicide and took her case to court, as it was against British law. She felt that she had lost most of her human dignity and no longer had a quality of life. Diane lost her case, and died of natural causes in 2002 in a hospice. This was not what she wanted.

Question 33

Tony Bland

Answer 33

When doctors at Airedale Hospital in Yorkshire asked the High Court for permission to withdraw artificial nutrition and hydration from Hillsborough victim Tony Bland, his family supported the application.
After the Hillsborough stadium tragedy, Tony was left in a persistent vegetative state - and hence was not legally dead. His parents believed their son would not want to be kept alive in such a condition.
They petitioned the court to sanction the withdrawal of hydration and artificial nutrition, which it did.

Question 34

Tony Nicklinson

Answer 34

Tony Nicklinson was paralysed after a stroke in 2005 and developed locked-in syndrome. He fought a legal battle for the right to die but this was turned down by the High Court in 2012. After this he stopped eating, developed pneumonia and died in August 2012.

Question 35

Dr Jack Kevorkian

Answer 35

Kevorkian earned the name ‘Dr Death’ by photographing the eyes of dying patients. Later in his career (starting in 1987) he began to advertise his services as a physician offering ‘death counselling’.
Kevorkian believed that helping people was not enough, and actually killed Thomas Youk, filmed himself doing so and showed the film on 60 Minutes. He left the studio in handcuffs, and, defending himself unsuccessfully in court, was sentenced to 10-25 years in prison. In 2006 Kevorkian became terminally ill with Hepatitis C and asked to be pardoned.

Question 36

Daniel James

Answer 36

In March 2007, Daniel James, a former under-16 England international, was playing rugby when a scrum collapsed on him and he broke his neck.
His mother explained that ‘he couldn’t walk, had no hand function, and had constant pain in his fingers. He was incontinent, suffered uncontrollable spasms in his legs and upper body, and needed 24-hour care’.
On 12 September 2008, aged 23, he travelled to Switzerland with his parents and killed himself by lethal injection at the Dignitas clinic.
His parents supported his decision.