The Morality of Euthanasia essays

The Morality of Euthanasia essays In contemporary American society, a general topic for moral discussion is euthanasia, the act of painlessly ending the life of a person for reasons of mercy. This is usually done in cases in which the person is hopelessly sick or injured. Although by this definition euthanasia may clearly seem to be morally permissible, it is cause for much debate and controversy in todays American culture. In this essay, I will defend the view that euthanasia is almost always morally acceptable, exceptions being non-voluntary active euthanasia, (which will be defined shortly), or cases in which the patient has been suicidal before the diagnosis of a disease or a debilitating accident. Before beginning my arguments, I think it important to first discuss the different types of euthanasia. Voluntary active euthanasia is when the patient wishes to end their life, and this is done through such means as injecting them with a lethal dose of a drug, therefore dying of unnatural causes. Voluntary passive euthanasia occurs when the patient wishes to end their life, but death is caused naturally by removing a life-sustaining machine or by not starting treatment for a disease. Non-voluntary active euthanasia is simply active euthanasia in which the patient is unable to express their wishes and a loved one makes the decision for them. Non-voluntary passive euthanasia is passive euthanasia under the same circumstances as non-voluntary active euthanasia. (There also exists another form, involuntary euthanasia, which directly violates the patients wishes, which seems to simply be homicide; therefore I will not further discuss this issue). Another act that falls within the scope of euthanasia is Physician Assisted Suicide. This is when a physician provides the information, means, or supervision for the successful suicide of their patient at the patients request. Moving on to my argument supporting the morality of euthanasia, ...