Personal philosophy on “Assisted /Voluntary Euthanasia” 1
Summarized response -interview with healthcare colleague.
Ask individual to share his or her philosophy and worldview in relation to assisted
/voluntary euthanasia & summarize the response.
Basically it is like asking questions and making an essay.
Personal philosophy on “Assisted /Voluntary Euthanasia”
The practice of ending life in a humane and less painful manner has been a topic of
debate in the recent years. While a number of nations have legalized this practice, several others,
enthusiasts and religious leaderships have increasingly stepped up their fight against this
practice. In this essay, I interview a colleague to determine his personal philosophy on this topic.
First, the question on what entails assisted /voluntary euthanasia proves important in the
debate. The colleague argues that he is aware that this term refers to the process of voluntarily
ending a person’s life in a painless manner, especially in case of terminal and painful disease like
cancer. Secondly, the colleague argues against this practice based on religious and ethical issues.
He reports that allowing this practice to take place is not only a sin, but also unethical. He argues
that when a person voluntarily allows ending the life of another, there is a common belief in both
persons that the subject of the process is “better off” when dead than when alive (Shannon,
2006). This implies that the two persons will have prejudged the situation, leaving out the
possibility that the subject may survive beyond the expectations. He believes that life is always
complicated such that even a cancer patient may survive and even recover from the disease. He
believes that palliative care, in addition to modern technology, is enough proof that patients with
terminal diseases can obtain comfort while attempts to prolong or save their lives are underway.
Personal philosophy on “Assisted /Voluntary Euthanasia” 2
Secondly, he believes that the request by a dying person to be helped in committing
suicide should not be considered competent, genuine and voluntary (Battin, Rhodes & Silvers,
2009). This is because the desire to die may not be genuine; by rather it might have resulted from
a temporary despair. In fact, he believes that it is not the will of a person to die, but transient
conditions or pain may force someone to commit suicide. Therefore, there is need to consider
psychiatric intervention in addition to palliative care rather than assisted /voluntary euthanasia.
Personal philosophy on “Assisted /Voluntary Euthanasia” 3
References
Battin, M. P., Rhodes, R., & Silvers, A. (2009). Physician assisted suicide: expanding the
debate. New York, NY: Routledge
Shannon, T. A. (2006). Death and dying: A reader. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers.