The Case Of Evan Motts Assisting His Wife 's Euthanasia Essay
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I am going to discuss in this essay the case of Evan Motts assisting his wife 's euthanasia. I will cover the ethical issues regarding this topic including whether or not Evan should be punished. I will look at the theories of Kantian Ethics and Utilitarianism to justify whether or not Evan 's actions were morally right.
An Auckland man is facing a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 14 years after assisting his terminally ill wife to commit suicide. Evan Mott researched suicide methods and put together a kit to assist his 55 year old wife, Rosemary Mott, who had been diagnosed with an incurable, aggressive form of multiple sclerosis a few years before. On December 28th 2011, Rosemary asked her husband to leave the house, when he returned she was dead. It is believed that the family knew about the planned suicide. Evan Mott is now scheduled to appear in Auckland District Court this month for a plea enquiry hearing on charges of assisting suicide ("Man charged with helping wife die", 2012).
The key ethical issues of this case include, whether terminally ill patients should be able to make the choice whether they want to end their life, or should they suffer in pain to their unavoidable death. Is it fair that someone puts their loved one out of their misery and makes them happy but still receives a similar punishment to that of a murderer. The key ethical issue I am looking at is whether Evan Motts should be punished for assisting his wife 's euthanasia.
The theory of