Evaluating Euthanasia
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Agree Disagree
● Sanctity of Life - God created ● Outdated Principle - Natural law
human life in his image, suggesting ethics and the sanctity of life
that human life is especially valuable principle were created to be useful
and that only God has the right to in the socio-economic conditions of
end it. Supported by the bible in their time since violence and killing
“thou shall not murder” (Exodus), was much more common and
“your body is a temple of the holy therefore needed to be strongly
spirit” (1 Corinthians), and “whoever restricted. Society can now afford to
sheds human blood, by humans gradually relax the inflexibility of its
shall their blood be shed” (Genesis rules
9)
Counter : Outdated not False, This
Counter : Christian Theology doesn’t actually make his theory
(Singer), Sanctity of Life of humans wrong, as calling an ethical theory
is based on belief in an afterlife and outdated is not an argument against
that God had ownership of us. Since its actual truth
Christian theological tenants are no
longer accepted, we should Counter Counter : Socioeconomic
re-evaluate Christian ethical Context, Aquinas claimed he
precepts too. discovered the primary precepts
through human reason, as God
Counter : Legalism (Fletcher), designed, however it’s a simpler
Rejection of legalism in the Bible explanation that Aquinas was simply
includes the sanctity of life. Fletcher intuiting what was good for people in
argued that the Bible is not a his socio-economic condition. Since
legalistic ‘rules book’ but an ‘editorial we are in a different condition,
collection of scattered sayings’ Natural Law is no longer needed
which at most offers us ‘some
paradigms or suggestions’ ● Primitive and Barbarous (Mill +
Freud) - Biblical morality (divine
● Natural Law (Aquinas) - law) is primitive and barbarous,
Euthanasia violates the primary showing it comes from ancient
precept to protect and preserve human minds, not God. J. S. Mill
human life. Violating the sanctity of calls the Old Testament “Barbarous,
life, such as by allowing euthanasia, and intended only for a barbarous
also violates the primary precept of people”. Freud similarly argued that
maintaining an orderly society. Our religious morality reflected the
society will break down because “ignorant childhood days of the
living contrary to God’s design is human race”.
unnatural and thus leads to
immorality and social disorder ● Personhood (Singer) - Criteria for
personhood are rationality and
Counter : Double Effect, Catholic self-consciousness. He
Church uses the double effect to distinguishes between ‘humans’
, claim that sometimes doctors can (members of our species) and
stop or withdraw treatment or even ‘persons’ (rational self-conscious
administer pain medication which beings). Singer argues that not all
could speed up death, so long as humans are persons, such as the
the intention is not to kill severely disabled
Counter : Unenforced Doctrine ● Quality of Life (Singer) - What we
(Singer), Criticises the way that the find wrong with killing someone is
sanctity of life principle is applied by that it deprives them of the life they
the Catholic Church claiming that want to continue to live. If
“they do not really act as if they euthanasia is voluntarily asked for
believe it”. Cases of patients in by a competent adult, then it would
comas who the Church have not be wrong because they don’t
allowed passive euthanasia for (e.g. want to continue living their life. For
Karen Ann Quinlan) non-voluntary euthanasia for babies
or patients in a vegetative state,
● Power Corrupts (Barclay) - If given they have no sense or conception of
the power to judge what is good or their life, so it doesn’t deprive them
bad, people will do selfish or even of anything that they are able to
cruel things and people’s loving have a preference to not be
nature can be corrupted by power. deprived of.
Someone might find it loving to
manipulate/pressure someone into Counter : Slippery Slope (Fisher), If
or out of euthanasia, perhaps if they Euthanasia is allowed for quality of
will get inheritance to pay for their life, then some elderly or otherwise
children’s food or something. Some vulnerable people might be tempted
might find it loving to end their life to die because they feel like a
because they feel like a burden. burden e.g 2022 Canada case of
Denise saying they have applied for
Counter : Humanity come of Age euthanasia “because of abject
(Fletcher + Robinson), Humanity poverty” and being unable to treat
has ‘come of age’, meaning now their condition
people are more civilised, to the
point that granting them more Counter Counter : Wider Societal
autonomy will increase love without Issues, these are not criticisms of
risking the stability of society euthanasia per se. They highlight
the problem with allowing
Counter Counter : Facade of euthanasia in a society which lacks
Improvement (Barclay), People proper support for those who need it
might appear improved, if granted
the freedom (and thus power) to do ● Libertarian Autonomy (Nozick) -
what they want, they won’t choose Argued for the principle of
the loving thing they will choose the ‘self-ownership’, meaning we
selfish or even the cruel thing. essentially have property rights over
our own lives and bodies. This
● Acts and Omissions (Blackburn) - means that if a person wants to die
Taking action to end a life, and and receive help from others
omitting to take action to save a life, (making it euthanasia) then that is
are not morally equivalent. As their absolute right
described by Simon Blackburn, If
you wish someone dead, and act to Counter : Lovesick Teenager
make that the case, then you are a (Singer), Doesn’t want to make it
murderer, however if you happily easy for people to end their lives
discover someone is on the verge of when they have a treatable
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Agree Disagree
● Sanctity of Life - God created ● Outdated Principle - Natural law
human life in his image, suggesting ethics and the sanctity of life
that human life is especially valuable principle were created to be useful
and that only God has the right to in the socio-economic conditions of
end it. Supported by the bible in their time since violence and killing
“thou shall not murder” (Exodus), was much more common and
“your body is a temple of the holy therefore needed to be strongly
spirit” (1 Corinthians), and “whoever restricted. Society can now afford to
sheds human blood, by humans gradually relax the inflexibility of its
shall their blood be shed” (Genesis rules
9)
Counter : Outdated not False, This
Counter : Christian Theology doesn’t actually make his theory
(Singer), Sanctity of Life of humans wrong, as calling an ethical theory
is based on belief in an afterlife and outdated is not an argument against
that God had ownership of us. Since its actual truth
Christian theological tenants are no
longer accepted, we should Counter Counter : Socioeconomic
re-evaluate Christian ethical Context, Aquinas claimed he
precepts too. discovered the primary precepts
through human reason, as God
Counter : Legalism (Fletcher), designed, however it’s a simpler
Rejection of legalism in the Bible explanation that Aquinas was simply
includes the sanctity of life. Fletcher intuiting what was good for people in
argued that the Bible is not a his socio-economic condition. Since
legalistic ‘rules book’ but an ‘editorial we are in a different condition,
collection of scattered sayings’ Natural Law is no longer needed
which at most offers us ‘some
paradigms or suggestions’ ● Primitive and Barbarous (Mill +
Freud) - Biblical morality (divine
● Natural Law (Aquinas) - law) is primitive and barbarous,
Euthanasia violates the primary showing it comes from ancient
precept to protect and preserve human minds, not God. J. S. Mill
human life. Violating the sanctity of calls the Old Testament “Barbarous,
life, such as by allowing euthanasia, and intended only for a barbarous
also violates the primary precept of people”. Freud similarly argued that
maintaining an orderly society. Our religious morality reflected the
society will break down because “ignorant childhood days of the
living contrary to God’s design is human race”.
unnatural and thus leads to
immorality and social disorder ● Personhood (Singer) - Criteria for
personhood are rationality and
Counter : Double Effect, Catholic self-consciousness. He
Church uses the double effect to distinguishes between ‘humans’
, claim that sometimes doctors can (members of our species) and
stop or withdraw treatment or even ‘persons’ (rational self-conscious
administer pain medication which beings). Singer argues that not all
could speed up death, so long as humans are persons, such as the
the intention is not to kill severely disabled
Counter : Unenforced Doctrine ● Quality of Life (Singer) - What we
(Singer), Criticises the way that the find wrong with killing someone is
sanctity of life principle is applied by that it deprives them of the life they
the Catholic Church claiming that want to continue to live. If
“they do not really act as if they euthanasia is voluntarily asked for
believe it”. Cases of patients in by a competent adult, then it would
comas who the Church have not be wrong because they don’t
allowed passive euthanasia for (e.g. want to continue living their life. For
Karen Ann Quinlan) non-voluntary euthanasia for babies
or patients in a vegetative state,
● Power Corrupts (Barclay) - If given they have no sense or conception of
the power to judge what is good or their life, so it doesn’t deprive them
bad, people will do selfish or even of anything that they are able to
cruel things and people’s loving have a preference to not be
nature can be corrupted by power. deprived of.
Someone might find it loving to
manipulate/pressure someone into Counter : Slippery Slope (Fisher), If
or out of euthanasia, perhaps if they Euthanasia is allowed for quality of
will get inheritance to pay for their life, then some elderly or otherwise
children’s food or something. Some vulnerable people might be tempted
might find it loving to end their life to die because they feel like a
because they feel like a burden. burden e.g 2022 Canada case of
Denise saying they have applied for
Counter : Humanity come of Age euthanasia “because of abject
(Fletcher + Robinson), Humanity poverty” and being unable to treat
has ‘come of age’, meaning now their condition
people are more civilised, to the
point that granting them more Counter Counter : Wider Societal
autonomy will increase love without Issues, these are not criticisms of
risking the stability of society euthanasia per se. They highlight
the problem with allowing
Counter Counter : Facade of euthanasia in a society which lacks
Improvement (Barclay), People proper support for those who need it
might appear improved, if granted
the freedom (and thus power) to do ● Libertarian Autonomy (Nozick) -
what they want, they won’t choose Argued for the principle of
the loving thing they will choose the ‘self-ownership’, meaning we
selfish or even the cruel thing. essentially have property rights over
our own lives and bodies. This
● Acts and Omissions (Blackburn) - means that if a person wants to die
Taking action to end a life, and and receive help from others
omitting to take action to save a life, (making it euthanasia) then that is
are not morally equivalent. As their absolute right
described by Simon Blackburn, If
you wish someone dead, and act to Counter : Lovesick Teenager
make that the case, then you are a (Singer), Doesn’t want to make it
murderer, however if you happily easy for people to end their lives
discover someone is on the verge of when they have a treatable
