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Moral Doctrine of Active and Passive Euthanasia
Active and passive euthanasia
Active euthanasia may be more preferable in those cases, when a person struggles with excruciating pain caused by some incurable illness. For instance, one can speak about people who struggle with cancer. By choosing this approach, a medical worker can end the suffering of an individual who may perceive his/her life as a burden.
In contrast, passive euthanasia cannot help such people; in fact, they are simply left to their own devices. Admittedly, the life of this person may be shortened, but there is nothing that can relieve his/her pain. So, from an ethical viewpoint, active euthanasia is more appropriate.
The limitations of the conventional moral doctrine
The conventional moral doctrine which allows passive euthanasia, but prohibits active euthanasia can prompt people to take wrong decisions about various ethical issues related to life and death. This framework lays stress on the idea that killing is completely inadmissible for a medical worker.
However, James Rachels (2015) notes that killing is often motivated by the need to gain something. For instance, people can act in this way to acquire wealth. In turn, there is no personal gain for a medical worker who performs active euthanasia (Rachels, 2015, p. 310). They take this step only to reduce the suffering of a patient who cannot be helped in any other way. This detail is not always considered by the opponents of active euthanasia; so, they may disregard the interests of a patient.
Killing and letting another person die
In this article, James Rachels (2015) provides two narratives illustrating common misconceptions about passive and active euthanasia. One of the characters kills a child in order to acquire wealth; in turn, the second individual does not do anything to prevent a boy from dying (Rachels 2015, p. 310). He is also driven by the need for personal gain.
The author shows that there is no moral difference between these acts because in both cases, people are motivated by selfish interests (Rachels 2015, p. 310). More importantly, they deliberately destroy the life of a person who does not want to die. These examples are important for showing that the motive of an action and its outcome are the main criteria according to which its morality should be evaluated.
Passive euthanasia and intention
One should not suppose that passive euthanasia is the unintentional termination of a persons life. In this case, medical workers also have to decide if it is necessary to provide treatment that can continue the life of a person. Moreover, this professional understands that there are alternatives to passive euthanasia.
For instance, healthcare professionals may continue the artificial ventilation of a persons lungs, even though the brain of this individual is irreversibly damaged. Additionally, there is a clear intention or a motive, for instance, one can speak about the need to reduce the suffering of a person. Thus, it is not possible to say that passive euthanasia is unintentional.
Passive euthanasia and voluntary actions
Additionally, according to James Rachels (2015), it is inappropriate to argue that passive euthanasia does not involve any action. In this case, a person only avoids doing other actions which can be necessary for prolonging the life of a patient. However, this inaction can also be scrutinized from an ethical viewpoint.
For instance, the failure to provide the proper medication is considered to be a gross medical error which can end the career of a physician. Overall, the arguments advanced by the author are mostly aimed at showing that active euthanasia can be acceptable from an ethical viewpoint.
Reference
Rachels, J. (2015). Active and Passive Euthanasia. In O. Roca & M. Schuh (Eds.), An Examined Life: Critical Thinking and Ethics (pp. 307-312). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
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