Ethics of Assisted Death: Part II

3 thoughts on “Ethics of Assisted Death: Part II”

  1. 1. Please verify that you are the author. 2. This is certainly well crafted to support your perspective. The opening certainly lets us know your position and the strength of your commitment. Opening with the generalization that you opponents are so poorly informed was a real turn off for me. Ethics are certainly complex. Murder is a strong common wrong in most cultures but murder for particular reasons is acceptable. The US just recently passed national legislation to stop lynching. We still are no where near stopping capital punishment and war.

    1. Yes, I am the author. I will edit the post to include my name.

      I am sorry you were “turned off”, but I stand by my position that those who are pro AD have not thoroughly examined the other side of the argument in a discerning manner. In a few weeks I will address the proverbial “slippery slope”. I believe the most dangerous aspect of these laws are the associated unexamined and unintended consequences. Most of the public who are in favor of AD do not have the exposure to even the basic bio-ethical principles. Their support is the result of gut instinct and knee jerk reactions.

      I would argue that we will never do away with war. Human nature is set and unlikely to change. Envy, greed, power lust and other negative human characteristics are with us for the long haul. I also think our efforts would be better spent working against the death penalty than abandoning the sick through “mercy killing”. My position is set forth to to invite discussion and counter arguments.

      Thank you for your comments. I enjoyed your critique.

  2. Great article. I think there are many of us in palliative care who do not agree that death is necessary in order to relieve suffering and that there is value in some of the difficult moments (for the patients, for the families, and even for us…as in more effort, more care.

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