What is the sanctity of life argument?
- The idea that human life has an intrinsic value
- Life is set apart by God
- God created life so only he can end it
- created in the image of God so even more valuable
- God = human as jesus = was a human for a reason
- Bible is scared and states human life is of worth (protestants)
scripture for sanctity of life
“You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13
‘ your body is a temple of the holy spirit, given by God, and does not belong to yourself’
scholarly support for sanctity of life …
*Aquinas
*Bishop Clemens August
*If we allow the killing of the weak eventually this will lead to the killing of anyone seen an unproductive.
*Pope Francis - embryos until elderly must be treated with respect
what is peter Singers argument for quality of life?
- people have different qualities of life and this is what should judge wether they can have euth or not
what is peter Subers argument for quality of life?
we cannot allocate resources or priorities patients if all human life is of equal value, it is impractical for society.
What is voluntary euthanasia?
Ending life painlessly when someone in great pain makes the conscious decision to ask for help to die.
strengths of voluntary euthanasia
è We are autonomous beings
è Dignity
è Allows them to be In control
è 10% of suicides in England involved terminally ill people
è we have no control on how we arrive in the world but we should on how we leave it’ Patrick Stuart
è Legal in UK means people dot have to spend so much going to dignitas
weaknesses of voluntary euthanasia
è Slippering slope
è Gives too much power to doctors
è Who decides who’s eligible for them - its not about legalising suicide its legalising others too kill
è Could stop advancement in treatments for certain illnesses
è Sanctity of life
What is non-voluntary euthanasia?
This is when the person is unconscious or otherwise unable to make a meaningful choice between living and dying, and an appropriate person makes the decision on their behalf.
an example of non voluntary euthanasia ?
For example, Tony Bland was a labourer from Keighley, West Yorkshire
He died on 3 March, 1993, nearly four years after the Hillsborough disaster.
strengths of non-voluntary euthanasia
è In the best interest of the patient
è “it might be in the best interests of the person to bring about their death, in so far as it brings an end to distress. “Andrew Pickens
è Costly and time
è Clarity for family
stops murder
weaknesses of non-voluntary euthanasia
è They’re not given the choice
è Who decides for them
è How do we measure when someone’s life isn’t worth living “There is no adequate test for deciding the point at which someone’s life is not worth living? Jonathon Glover
è Against our duty
what did Stephen hawking’s say about euthanasia ?
‘those in pain should have the right to choose to end their own life, and those that help should be free from prosecution’
what did George pitcher say about euthanasia ?
‘the change in the law would have’ profound effects … on our attitudes towards those who are ill and have disabilities’
what does law say about euthanasia ?
Currently, assisting a suicide is a crime in England and Wales and is punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
what did andrew pickens say
“it might be in the best interests of the person to bring about their death, in so far as it brings an end to distress. “Andrew Pickens
sociological argument against sancitity
- it was a strcit argument used in non-civilised ancient communities. It was respected because God is a motivator for law abiding behaviour. It is not relevnt today and was just a means of maintaining social order.
theme criticism of sanctity
- saving life is just one theme, there are other themes such as AGAPE and compassion which could overrule it
- tillich argued there is so much dogma and do nots in the bible we should have a more positive outlooked using agape
what is the quality of life argument?
refers to how happy or unhappy a life is. Proponents of the quality of life in relation to euthanasia regard it as a valid ethical consideration because they think that life has to be of a certain quality in order for it to count as worth living.
singers view on sanctity of life
- the sanctity of life of members of our species (humans) was based on ‘Christian domination of European thought’, especially belief in an afterlife and that God had ownership of us, his creation.
- since Christian theological tenants are no longer accepted, we should re-evaluate Christian ethical precepts too.
singer and the wrongness of killing
- what we find wrong with killing is that it stops them from wanting to live
- yet people requesting euth do not want to live so it is not wrong
- people with no consciousness do not even know what is happening so they cannot wish for their life to continue so we can kill them because theyre not being deprived of a preference
what is singers theory
preference util
what is the slippery slope argument?
The slippery slope is an argument which suggests that if we allow something in an extreme case, it won’t be long until we allow it in a less extreme case and so on until it’s allowed in many or all cases.
what is autonomy?
is the freedom of people to make their own choices. This isn’t directly a view on the value of life, but it is the view that the decision about whether a life is valuable ought morally to be up to the individual whose life it is.
