Euthanasia - ProCon.org

Euthanasia

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Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be legal?

Proponents of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) contend that terminally ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and compassionate death. They argue that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that guarantee such rights as marriage, procreation, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment.

Opponents of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide contend that doctors have a moral responsibility to keep their patients alive as reflected by the Hippocratic Oath. They argue there may be a "slippery slope" from euthanasia to murder, and that legalizing euthanasia will unfairly target the poor and disabled and create incentives for insurance companies to terminate lives in order to save money.

[Editor's Note: We do not recommend or refer specific physicians, counselors, organizations, or other experts on end-of-life issues.] Euthanasia ProCon.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit website that presents facts, studies, and pro and con statements on questions about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide and related end-of-life issues.

Pros & Cons by Category

CORE QUESTION

Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be legal?

Definitions

What is euthanasia?

What is physician-assisted suicide/physician aid in dying?

What is voluntary active euthanasia?

What is passive euthanasia?

What is non-voluntary euthanasia?

What is the medical definition of death?

Moral Differences in Forms of Assisted Dying

Is there a moral difference between passive and active euthanasia?

Is there a moral difference between passive euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

Is there a moral difference between active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

Religious Concerns

Is the debate over euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide primarily religious in nature?

What are Catholic perspectives on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

What are Christian perspectives on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

What are Jewish perspectives on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

What are Muslim perspectives on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

What are Hindu perspectives on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

What are Buddhist perspectives on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

Law and Public Policy

Is there a legal right to die?

Should the government be involved in patients' end-of-life decision-making?

In the absence of an advance directive, who makes decisions for incapacitated patients?

Oregon Death with Dignity Act

What is the Oregon Death with Dignity Act?

What did Gonzales v. Oregon decide?

Does Oregon have the legal right to administer drugs for the purposes of physician-assisted suicide?

Is the Oregon Death with Dignity Act a good law?

Dr. Kevorkian

Who was Dr. Jack Kevorkian?

Did Dr. Jack Kevorkian ethically serve the best interests of his patients?

Terri Schiavo

What was the legal controversy at the center of the Terri Schiavo case?

From a moral perspective, should Terri Schiavo's feeding tube have been removed?

From a medical perspective, should Terri Schiavo's feeding tube have been removed?

From a legal perspective, should Terri Schiavo's feeding tube have been removed?

Legal Documents in the Terri Schiavo Case

Futility Policies

What is medical futility?

Are futility policies good for patients?

Euthanasia in Practice

Why do patients request physician-assisted death (a.k.a. physician-assisted suicide)?

Do euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide ensure a good death?

Should euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide only be allowed for the terminally ill?

Physician Involvement in Euthanasia and PAS

Would legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide destroy patient trust in the medical profession?

Is a physician ever obligated to help a patient die?

How common is it for physicians to participate in physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, despite the legal prohibition against them?

Do euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide violate the Hippocratic Oath?

American Healthcare System

Would legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide save money for the American healthcare system?

Are the economic pressures in the American health care system too great to safely legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?

Should healthcare resources be subject to rationing?

Would legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide save money for insurance companies?

Would financial motivations encourage insurance companies, health care providers, and patients to seek euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide if those options were legally available?

Living Wills, Advance Directives, & Power of Attorney

What is a living will?

Are living wills a good idea?

What is an advance directive?

What is a health care power of attorney?

Is the health care power of attorney sufficient on its own?

Pallative Care

What is palliative care?

Would legalizing euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide undermine the quality of palliative care that patients receive?

Would improving palliative care get rid of patient requests for aid-in-dying?

"Slippery Slope" Argument

Would legalizing voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide create a "slippery slope" to involuntary euthanasia?

Has legalizing voluntary euthanasia in Belgium and Holland created a "slippery slope" to involuntary euthanasia?

Doctrine of Double Effect

What is the doctrine of double effect?

Should the doctrine of double effect be used to guide end-of-life decision-making?

Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders

What is a Do-Not-Resuscitate order (DNR)?

Do Do-Not-Resuscitate orders endanger patients?

Infants & the Groningen Protocol

Is euthanasia acceptable for severely ill infants?

What is the Groningen Protocol and why was it drafted?

Special Groups

Would legalizing physician-assisted suicide endanger people with disabilities?

Would legalizing physician-assisted suicide endanger the elderly?

Would legalizing physician-assisted suicide endanger the poor?

Would legalizing physician-assisted suicide endanger minorities?

Would legalizing physician-assisted suicide endanger women?

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Last updated on 5/8/2013 3:34:57 PM PST