Active Euthanasia

In “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, James Rachels argues that, morally, active and passive euthanasia are the same. Rachels’ strongest argument for this claim is that killing is not worse then letting one die. Since active euthanasia is killing and passive euthanasia is letting one die, morally active and passive euthanasia are the same (Rachels, 1997). I intend to argue that this argument fails because factors such as intent and cause of death play a role in passive and active euthanasia and when these factors are present it can be said that active and passive euthanasia are not the same and in fact active euthanasia is morally worse then passive euthanasia.

There are various terms used for this topic area so to clear up any misunderstanding of the meanings, I will give the definitions of those terms. First, the term Euthanasia is Greek for “good death” and “is the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment.” (Legal-Dictionary) Under the big umbrella term of euthanasia there are the following terms: 1) “Voluntary Euthanasia is the

There are multiple types of physician assisted suicide. Collectively, they fall under the categories: active or passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is when someone steps in and deliberately ends a life. An example of this would be a physician administering a lethal dose of muscle relaxants to end the life of a patient. Passive euthanasia is best described as when a patient withdraws from a life preserving treatment. Euthanasia in general can also be classified as either voluntary, non-voluntary, and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is when a person makes the conscious decision to end his or her life. Non-voluntary euthanasia is when a person is unable to give their consent, and another person makes this decision on their behalf. This usually is the case for patients who are in a coma who have previously expressed this wish. Involuntary euthanasia is when a person is killed against their wishes. Involuntary euthanasia is almost always considered

There are three widely known types or methods of euthanasia, these are active voluntary euthanasia (AVE), physician-assisted suicide (PAS), and passive euthanasia, which is also known as withdrawal. These three acts, though all resulting in the same things, are quite different. Active euthanasia is a premeditated deed that results in death. Passive euthanasia is also a premeditated deed, however in this scenario, the death happens in order to evade an extended life in pain. In physician assisted suicide the doctor does not execute the patient, he simply provides the measure for which the death requires in which the patient ends their life. This is necessary and due to the fact that many doctors were being convicted and imprisoned for murdering

Euthanasia, physician assisted suicide, peaceful death, there are plenty of names for it, but not one single name gives an accurate representation of just what exactly takes place. “We categorically reject the moral relativism, the utilitarian view that what is right or wrong depends just on weighing whether benefits outweigh risks and harms, and in particular, that this is only a matter of personal judgment” (Boudreau & Somerville , 2014). Euthanasia is a broad topic with an unimaginable numbers of opinions good and bad. In order to take a step closer in the right direction there needs to be a level of agreement reached between opposing sides. The whole subject is based on what you, he, she, or I think is morally, religiously, and politically correct, but ultimately the person dying should be who decides whether they are going for right or wrong reasons.

Active euthanasia is a subject that is raising a lot of concern in today’s society on whether or not it should be legalized and under what circumstances should it be allowed. This is a very tricky subject due to its ability to be misused and abused. There are a wide variety of things that need to be considered when it comes to who should be allowed to request active euthanasia such as, is it an autonomous choice, do they have a terminal illness, is their quality of life dramatically decreased, and are they in pain and suffering. Both James Rachel and Daniel Callahan have very different opinions on active euthanasia and whether or not it should be allowed. However both authors manage to provide a substantial argument on where they stand regarding active euthanasia.

According to Webster’s dictionary the term euthanasia Is defined as, “ the act or practice of killing someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any more suffering.” Now then there are two primary types of euthanasia according to Rachel’s. We have Passive Euthanasia in which the physician does nothing to bring about the death of the patient. By this physician doing nothing, ceasing treatment, the patient dies of the illness he already was diagnosed with. The patient dies of natural causes. The doctor is therefore letting the patient die. Then we have Active Euthanasia were the physician does something to bring about the death of the patient. The physician gives the terminally ill patient a lethal injection therefore now making the doctor the

The most commonly known forms are passive and active euthanasia. Passive is when a patient refuses life saving medical treatment, and active is when lethal medication is injected into the patient. Euthanasia itself is “intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit” (Batten 398-400). Assisted suicide is when “someone provides an individual with the information, guidance, and means to take his or her own life with the intention that they be used for this purpose” (Batten 398-400). Physician-assisted suicide is when a doctor is the one who assists, such as by prescribing a lethal dose of medication. Assisted Suicide is legal in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, and New Mexico. New regulations were brought about when these states legalized assisted suicide. Specifically, you must make two oral request and one written one, two doctors must be convinced that the decision is voluntarily, and you must be over eighteen (Batten

The idea of non-voluntary active euthanasia is not such a disaster, as euthanasia itself. The problem that comes into consideration is when and why it should be used. When euthanasia is non-voluntary and active, such as on a patient with dementia, the ethical decision comes into play if there are episodes of clarity and the patient has or has not mentioned what they want to do at the end of life situations. Principles of deontology suggest duty and obligation. A medical professional in such situations have an obligation to fulfill the patient 's wishes. The nature of their obligation does not sway based on what they personally think. Patients with dementia have some moments of clarity, but because their brains are still deteriorating, non-

respirator or provision to food and water through a tube. This form would pertain to my aunt’s

It’s important to start by understanding the different types of euthanasia. Allowing someone to die is, “Forgoing or withdrawing medical treatment that offers no hope of benefit to the total well-being of the patient, or that imposes

No matter what state of health the patient is in, you as the physician will never be the first to bring up active voluntary euthanasia to the patient. The patient must always be the first to bring up active voluntary euthanasia.

The democracy of The United States should legalize active voluntary euthanasia (AVE), active non-voluntary euthanasia (NVAE), and physician-assisted suicide/death (PAS/PAD), in cases where the patient has a terminal illness, unbearable pain, or is in a vegetative state without a chance of revival. Currently, AVE, NVAE, and PAD are illegal, with exceptions of PAD being legal in California, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington State by legislation, and Montana by court rulings . In these states, AVE and NVAE are sometimes included with PAD, but it can vary, as Oregon and Washington have Death with Dignity (DWD) acts, Montana passed a law after the Baxter v. Montana case, and Vermont added it to their act of “End of Life Choices”. AVE is defined as

Most passive methods are given towards patients in the ‘vegetable state’, as well as newborn babies that look as if they are too sick or disabled to continue life, or even mentally impaired elders. Doctors may not give food or water to the patients, give them less attention, or sometimes write notes to other doctors giving an order to cut the supply of oxygen. On the contrary, active euthanasia is a ‘one-and-done’ type of procedure. Methods include giving pills or drugs for the patient to take, lethally injecting the patient, gassing the patient, or even giving out a ‘peaceful pill’. The peaceful pill is a pill given by the doctor to the patient. When the patient takes the pill, they fall into a heavy sleep. However, they never wake up; thus

Euthanasia is the act of a physician or other third party ending a patient's life in response to severe pain and suffering. Euthanasia can be classified into three types. They are voluntary euthanasia, non-voluntary euthanasia and involuntary euthanasia. Involuntary euthanasia is the action that takes the patient’s life without any informed consent of the patient but the patient may want to live.