Download Voluntary Euthanasia

Voluntary Euthanasia
and Involuntary
Euthanasia
VOLUNTARY
EUTHANASIA
INVOLUNTARY
EUTHANASIA
PASSIVE
EUTHANASIA
ACTIVE
EUTHANASIA
VOLUNTARY
EUTHANASIA
INVOLUNTARY
EUTHANASIA
PASSIVE
EUTHANASIA
ACTIVE
EUTHANASIA
Euthanasia is performed because
the patient has asked for it. e.g. a
cancer patient who asks for a drug
to quicken their death
Euthanasia is performed without the
dying person being told. e.g. a coma
patient.
Doctors give a painkilling drug but
do nothing to save the patient.
Doctors give the patient pain killing
drugs knowing that the drug will also kill
the patient.
Voluntary Euthanasia
• Voluntary euthanasia is where a person
has made a conscious decision to end
their life.
• It can be during an illness when there is
no hope of recovery.
• You might make the decision while well,
that in the event of you becoming ill
with no chance of recovery you would
prefer your death to be hastened by
the help of someone.
Voluntary Euthanasia
The person wants to die and says so.
This includes cases of:
• asking for help with dying
• refusing burdensome medical
treatment
• asking for medical treatment to be
stopped, or life support machines to
be switched off
• refusing to eat
• simply deciding to die
Practical reasons
• Terminally ill – better than waiting
for possible long and painful death
• Quality of life might be going –
sportsperson left severely
handicapped in wheelchair or bed
• Deterioration of condition
• Physical pain
• Mental /mental loss leading possibly
to PVS (Persistent Vegetative State)
• Burden on family for care
• Don’t want to give family the
responsibility of ending life – give it
to doctors
Involuntary (Non-voluntary)
Euthanasia
• This is where the choice to end your life
is not made by you but by others.
• Doctors would get relatives’ permission
to carry out euthanasia.
• However, relatives’ sometimes refuse
and the doctor’s take it to the courts.
When might involuntary
euthanasia be an option?
• Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)
with no predicted hope of recovery.
• Person’s life is judged to be of such
poor quality it is not worth living.
• Possibly result of illness or injury.
• Child born with severe mental/
physical deformity which will cause
severe pain/suffering.
• Terminally ill person who is
suffering greatly.
• the person is too young (eg a very
young baby).
• the person is senile.
• Limited resources for NHS. Why use
precious resources on someone with
no hope instead of where there might
be hope of recovery
• unable to communicate wishes to
others.
• the person is mentally retarded to a
very severe extent
Involuntary (Non-voluntary)
Euthanasia
The person cannot make a decision or
cannot make their wishes known. This
includes cases where:
• the person is in a coma
• the person is severely brain
damaged
• the person is mentally disturbed in
such a way that they should be
protected from themselves
Homework
• Come up with 3 possible arguments
for and against Euthanasia.
• Remembering to distinguish
between voluntary and involuntary!!!