Mentor’s Comment:
Both the issues are critically controversial in the field of medical science. Terminating life is considered unethical and are morally wrong act, but there are certain circumstances for utilitarian cause such action can be made justifiable. Separately justify your argument on both the issues.
Refer the below source for hints:
Euthanasia: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/overview/introduction.shtml
Abortion: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/
Model Answer:
Euthanasia:
- Euthanasia and abortion are controversial issues in medical ethics.
- Euthanasia is defined as the, act or practice of painlessly putting to death or withdrawing treatment from a person suffering an incurable Euthanasia is intentionally killing another person to relieve his or her suffering.
Justification for euthanasia:
- It provides a way to relieve extreme pain. It provides a way of relief when a person’s quality of life is
- In a democracy a person has the right to decide what he or she wishes to do with his or her If treatment is unavailable and a person is unable to bear the suffering, then it is his or her right to end the painful life.
- Euthanasia can save life of many other people by donation of vital
- Self-determination is one of the key elements that make individual It is the ability to determine our destiny as individuals and is facilitated by our ability to think for ourselves. Euthanasia provides individual a chance to move out of painful life.
- Whereas on the other hand Mercy killing is morally incorrect and should be forbidden by law. It is homicide and murdering another human cannot be rationalized under any circumstances.
- Euthanasia can be misused. Many psychiatrists are of the opinion that a terminally ill person or someone who is old and suffering from an incurable disease is often not in the right frame of mind to take a call. Such a person deciding to die may not be a rational
- Family members deciding on behalf of the patient can also lead to abuse of the law legalizing euthanasia as it can be due to some personal interest.
Abortion:
- Abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy due to removing an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus. An abortion that occurs spontaneously is also known as a miscarriage. When deliberate steps are taken to end a pregnancy, it is called an induced abortion, or less frequently an “induced miscarriage”.
Justification for abortion:
- If a pregnancy puts the life of the mother at risk, then we should consider the value of the fetus compared to the value of the life of the mother.
- An unwanted child does not have a good life. If a mother has a child that she does not want then both she and the child may be greatly harmed; forcing the mother to continue with the pregnancy might produce a child with little chance of a happy life for itself and cause the mother much suffering as:
- The mother should have a right to control her own life, at least to the extent that in doing so she does minimal harm to herself.
- The right to abortion is vital for gender equality. The right to abortion is vital for individual women to achieve their full potential.
- Banning abortion puts women at risk by forcing them to use illegal methods that may be more harmful.
- But on the other hand the right to life should always outweigh the right of an individual to equality or to control their own It can be misused.