Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide Morality Essay

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Power to Kill

Ethics in modern medicine are still grounded in a document that is thousands of years old: the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath states, "I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect," (Tyson 1). Clearly, the Hippocratic Oath warns against the practice of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide is generally considered to be against the tenets of practicing medicine, because medicine is supposed to heal, not kill. In spite of this fact, several American states including California, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont have legalized the practice of physician-assisted suicide. The legalization follows a modern modification of the ancient Hippocratic Oath, which is not used in every American hospital but which does allow for the possibility of euthanasia (Tyson). Although it seems like a compassionate means of resolving pain, there are several reasons to oppose legalized euthanasia. One reason is medicine itself: pain can be alleviated through means other than dying. New techniques and treatments provide the means by which to provide relief without ending a person's life. Another reason is that doctors should not be in the position of "playing god," and euthanasia empowers doctors in unprecedented and dangerous ways.

Proponents of physician-assisted suicide usually claim that the practice is a last resort for people experiencing chronic pain and who have been terminal illnesses. As Zeldin points out, even in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium, where physician-assisted suicide is legal, those doctors must meet certain specific criteria before killing their patients.

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The practice might be legal in some states and countries, but this does not mean the practice is moral. As Pinker points out in "The Moral Instinct," morality is often arbitrary and relative and that even Hitler might have believed he was acting "morally."

Physician-assisted suicide is immoral for many reasons. First, it is a practice that by definition entails either actively assisting someone to die or passively allowing them to die by withdrawing life support. As such, physician-assisted suicide takes a life. Although few moral beliefs are truly universal, Pinker does note that there are some a few themes that emerge throughout different cultures. One of those themes is harm. Even toddlers understand that harming other people is immoral (Pinker). Proponents of euthanasia claim that not killing the person does more harm because the person's life is painful. Yet all people suffer, and pain is an integral part of life. Doctors clearly are not allowed to kill anyone, but a few individuals have decided that doctors are allowed to kill people who have terminal illnesses -- something that could be viewed as discrimination.

Another problem with physician-assisted suicide is that the practice gives too much power to doctors. Even though the modern Hippocratic Oath states, "it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty," it also claims, "Above all, I must not play at God." What is taking a life if….....

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"Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide Morality" (2016, April 09) Retrieved May 29, 2025, from
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