Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in the event of intolerable pain and suffering caused by an illness. This broad definition leaves room for different categories of euthanasia. It can be physician assisted or patient administered, it can be actively or passively administered on the patient, and it can involve direct or indirect assistance. This argument will focus specifically on the the morality of physician assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia. When euthanasia is voluntary, the patient requests for the termination of their own life. When euthanasia is physician assisted, a physician carries out a procedure that terminates the suffering patient’s life.
Both physician assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia are controversial from a moral standpoint. In order to assume a stance, one must consider and rank the importance of certain values such as the worth of preserving life, the degree of patient autonomy, and the external conditions that would justify death. There are many controversial questions that arise such as: Do patients have a right to die, and conversely do physicians have the right to kill their patients? Is it fair for patients to live against their will? Is preserving a patient’s life more important then their choice to live or die?
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