Euthanasi The Morality Of Voluntary, Active Euthanasia

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Murder or Mercy: The Morality of Voluntary, Active Euthanasia 1596 words without Works Cited Euthanasia is defined as the act or practice of killing or allowing someone to die in order to prevent further suffering. Some view this act as granting mercy by taking away the pain and allowing a person to die, others believe that this is murder. This practice is considered illegal in forty-six states, which leaves only four states that have passed laws allowing euthanasia to occur under the right circumstances. Active euthanasia is considered a very controversial topic because terminally ill patients believe they should have the right to decide when to end their lives but ethicists and lawmakers say otherwise. In the eyes of Ethics, voluntary euthanasia is still considered murder. Many ethicists believe that taking the life of another person, no matter the circumstances, is morally wrong. In this paper, I would like to illustrate that not only is voluntary, active euthanasia morally permissible under the right circumstances but it is also morally wrong to deny someone the right to a peaceful death. According to Brock (2007), there are two values that support the ethical permissibility of euthanasia: the value of self-determination and well-being. Self-determination is essentially a person’s effort and interest to make decisions and live their lives according to their own beliefs and values. Patients who are calling for active euthanasia want exactly that, to end their lives on their terms. If self-determination extends to your entire life, why not your death? “For many patients near death, maintaining the quality of one’s life, avoiding great suffering, maintaining one’s own dignity, and insuring that others remember us as we wish t... ... middle of paper ... ...lls a person it is unnatural to live, so why then is death so unnatural? We have assistance entering this world, I do not understand why do not have any leaving it. At the end of the day people have their reasons for believing why voluntary active euthanasia should not be allowed. It was my goal to demonstrate reasons that voluntary active euthanasia can be seen as morally permissible and should be allowed. The value of self-determination or controlling one’s own life, the value of well-being or the quality of life, and ending one’s suffering for themselves and the sake of their families are all reasons why voluntary active euthanasia should be legal. In this paper, I wanted to illustrate that not only is voluntary, active euthanasia morally permissible under the right circumstances but it is also morally wrong to deny someone the right to a peaceful death.

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