3. I. Introduction
The fact of death itself is not a point of
contention but the question of when we die is.
War, disease, accidents, capital punishment or a
myriad of the other circumstances may end our
life before its natural course has run.
The motive of the person who commits an act of
euthanasia is to benefit the one whose death is
brought about.
4. II. What is Euthanasia?
The New Oxford Dictionary of English defines
‘euthanasia’ as ‘the painless killing of a patient
suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an
irreversible coma’.
The word "euthanasia" comes straight out of the Greek
-- "eu", goodly or well + "thanatos", death = the good
death.
5. III. Types of Euthanasia
Voluntary
Euthanasia:
euthanasia is
requested by
the patient
voluntarily (
akin to suicide).
6. III. Types of Euthanasia
Involuntary Euthanasia: euthanasia is
occurred when it is performed on a
person who is able to provide
informed consent, but does not,
either because they do not choose to
die, or because they were not asked
(akin to murder).
7. III. Types of Euthanasia
Non-voluntary
Euthanasia: euthanasia
is conducted when the
consent of the patient is
unavailable, e.g. for
child, mentally
challenged people,
those unconscious and
those in vegetative
state.
8. Active Euthanasia
Active
Self-administered Other-administered
Assisted Unassisted Voluntary Involuntary
Non-voluntary
Active euthanasia: killing a patient by active
means, for example, injecting a patient with a
lethal dose of a drug. Sometimes it is called
“aggressive” euthanasia.
9. Passive Euthanasia
Passive
Purely Other- and Purely
Self-decided Self-decided Other-decided
Non-voluntary Involuntary
Passive euthanasia: intentionally letting a patient die by
withholding artificial life support such as a ventilator or
feeding tube. Some ethicists distinguish between withholding
life support and withdrawing life support (the patient is on
life support but then removed from it).
10. IV. Can be Euthanasia
justified?
Euthanasia in general could not be
morally justified due to the concern on
sanctity of life, slippery slope, available
better alternatives, etc.
11. Conclusion
Immanuel Kant no doubt is a unique scholar contributing to
almost every branch of philosophy; even his contribution to
ethical issues and to euthanasia in particular is really
satisfactory. Kant believes that we are all rational men and
must act as such. Rationality should define a human being
from any other animal and non-living things. He demands
of us to act in ways that do not contradict our very maxims
that will end up being a universal law. We should know that
our maxim will be treated as a universal law; this should
correct whatever abstract or mundane thoughts we carry
about.
