Euthanasia_And_Utilitarianism__A_Philosophical_Approach

Euthanasia And Utilitarianism: A Philosophical Approach Euthanasia and Utilitarianism: A Philosophical Approach With today’s advancements in medicine and technology, many unforeseen issues arise that we are forced to deal with. Euthanasia is ‘the act or practice of ending a person’s life in order to release the person from an incurable disease, intolerable suffering, or undignified death’ (Beauchamp & Walters). These progressions in technology help people live when historically death was inevitable. If a person is ill, or severely injured, these new technologies give them a chance to survive, but they do not guarantee an enjoyable survival. This paper will discuss the ethical and moral issues regarding euthanasia according to utilitarianism. After examining both positive and negative sides of the issue I will contend that active euthanasia continue to subsist as an illegal act. An example of euthanasia in the past is Robert Litamer; a Saskatchewan farmer killed his twelve year old daughter who was severely disabled due to cerebral palsy. According to the laws and regulations in Canada this act is considered ‘active euthanasia’- aiding ones suicide - or essentially, murder. But to Robert Latimer, this act was done out of pure compassion for his daughter (Kondro). A euthanasia, suicide, death, one, morally, cases, right, person, pain, issues, happiness, case, active, laws, issue, act, robert, physician-assisted, people, palliative, life, die, care, beneficial, wishes, walters, utilitarian, passive, milton, live, law, family, consequences, because, beauchamp