PHI 221 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Down Syndrome, Assisted Suicide, Homicide
17 Nov 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
People who oppose active voluntary euthanasia argue that there is an important moral difference between active euthanasia and passive euthanasia (letting die). People who favor active voluntary euthanasia argue that there is no moral difference. Note the basic stance of the ama (289). If the patient requests to die, the cessation of life-prolonging treatments to allow the patient to die can involve considerable suffering over a long period of time. (what moral value is central here?) Rachels claims that the conventional doctrine leads to decisions based on irrelevant grounds. People think killing someone is always morally worse than letting them die; but is this true? (story of smith and jones, 290). If a doctor decides to let a patient die, they are in the same moral position as one who kills; only the means are different. Letting die is intentional termination of life .
