Euthanasia is a termination of life for individuals suffering from incurable diseases. It is an illegal procedure in most of the world. Decisions about euthanasia are especially hard to be made because they concern the topic that everyone, sometimes unwillingly, faces – eternal sleep. The etymology of the word shows that its primary meaning can be described as a good death. Hence, the definition is the act of seeking to provide the person a more pleasant way of ending their life than they naturally might experience because of their situations (Johnstone, 2019). There are strong arguments for and against the mentioned action. This essay aims to analyze the phenomenon of mercy killing in terms of moral theories and make a conclusion based on the presented arguments.
Euthanasia is mainly considered to be a ‘bad thing to do given the moral principles existing in the society and general perception of death as something wrong. However, if one applies the deontological theories to this question, the named act may become acceptable. Deontology states that the feasibility of one’s actions, which affect the other, is determined not only by the consequences but also by the other’s moral duties (Johnstone, 2019). In other words, people are unique and have different positions of life perception. It is why the ethical component of the decision should be looked through the patient’s ethical lens. Hence if euthanasia does not violate the patient’s moralistic principles, then nobody else can condemn its usage for the benefit of the treated.
The next argument attributes to Kantian ethics, which is one of the ethical theories accepted globally. According to Kant’s principle of autonomy, every person has a right to be secured from use for somebody’s sake without consent (Johnstone, 2019). This postulate is especially useful for ethical considerations in medicine and patient care. Although Immanuel Kant would be literally against mercy killing, his philosophy can be used to support it and make it virtuously admissable (Johnstone, 2019). If the given statement is formulated alternatively, it shows that euthanasia is an agreeable operation: the action can be morally permissible if the affected people have given their approval. This suggestion means that euthanasia allows patients to act upon their autonomy, which is the tolerable and right thing to perform.
Furthermore, theories of utilitarianism also encourage the legalization of mercy killing procedures. Utilitarians are convinced that if the actions bring happiness, then the result should conclude their moral worth them (Johnstone, 2019). Euthanasia is mostly about helping terminally ill patients suffer less and die with dignity. Its perception can be viewed as something that brings happiness to the individual. Assuming that the subjects are unable to fully appreciate the joy of living because of the conditions they are in, euthanasia is a life-hanging procedure that brings relief and satisfaction (Johnstone, 2019). As a result, the method mentioned above can be considered as a tool to make disabled individuals untroubled.
To conclude, despite the immorality of euthanasia in modern society, it is an ethically permissible procedure that follows the major philosophical principles. The debate will last for a long time further and will not be ceased until the social postulates of what is right change accordingly. Deontology, Kantianism, and utilitarianism altogether are shown to support the idea of mercy killing and its consequences. Hence, it can be summarized that euthanasia is a project that should be adopted internationally.
References
Johnstone, M. (2019). Bioethics: A nursing perspective. Elsevier.