Medical Ethics & Euthanasia
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One of the principal questions in contemporary medical ethics that bleeds into societal morality is the question of euthanasia. Should modern medicine do all it can to save a patient, or should quality of life issues enter into the question? What is the moral balance between preserving life and preventing a once vital human from remaining comatose, sometimes for years? Should religious beliefs prevent medical professionals from helping to ease the pain and suffering of prolonged treatment in a terminally ill patient? These are but some of the difficult questions surrounding the debate on the subject of euthanasia. This paper will present an historical overview of some of the major issues on the subject, give both the pro and con sides of the argument, look at the issues of morality and justice as related to euthanasia using the writings of Piaget, Kohlberg, and Lyons and Gilligan, carry that discussion further with additional ethical issues, and conclude with a synthesis of the dilemmas faced by both health professionals and society at large.For instance, the case of Nancy Cruzan who was once an active and energetic young woman and who now has been "condemned to 'live' in a permanent vegetative state by a tragic accident and by a 4 t0 3 vote of the state's [Missouri] highest court" (New York Times, 12/3/89). The court ruled that the state had the right to insure and promote life. That right to life, regardless of the quality, was absolute and protected by both mora
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letter of the moral code. It would then seem a small step to transcend this subjective morality and apply it to euthanasia. If society is to be considered moral, compassionate, and dedicated to alleviating suffering, then the morality of so called "mercy killing" should perhaps not be the question. Rather, according to Piaget, the moral obligation of society insists on answering to the greater societal consciousness in order to determine what is best for both the individual and society (Gruber and Coneche, 1977, p. 150). In the case of Nancy Cruzan, it would be more moral to allow her feeding tubes to be withdrawn. Nancy is brain dead, and for all intents and purposes only living in the biological sense. Her own morality would seem to cry for an end to this lifelessness, while it would also seem advantageous for society to intercede and allow her to die with dignity. This, too, would allow needed medical space, time, and equipment to be transferred to those who had a better chance of recovering and reentering into society. This would seem to translate well into more universal moral concepts of society, and for Piaget, ensure that the cognitive processes he described could blend into somewhat of an international moral code (
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Arthur Dyck, United Various, Gilligan Lyons, Lawrence Kohlberg, York Times, Nancy Cruzan's, Lyons Gilligan, Nancy Cruzan, Locke Rousseau, Gruber Vineche, quality life, rachels 1986, moral decisions, lyons 1983, lyons gilligan, kohlberg 1984, terminally ill, medical professionals, passive euthanasia, etal 1987, euthanasia review 1, kohlberg etal 1987, harvard educational review, terminally ill patient, overview major issues,
Approximate Word count = 5273
Approximate Pages = 21 (250 words per page)
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