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Related Experiment Videos

Voluntary euthanasia: a utilitarian perspective.

Peter Singer1

  • 15 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. psinger@princeton.edu

Bioethics
|February 13, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are ethically complex. This review examines utilitarian arguments for and against these end-of-life options, considering global legal shifts.

Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Medical Law
  • Philosophy of Medicine

Background:

  • Belgium legalized voluntary euthanasia in 2002, joining the Netherlands.
  • Oregon allows physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, though facing federal opposition.
  • Global legal frameworks for end-of-life choices are evolving.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review ethical arguments concerning voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.
  • To analyze these practices from a utilitarian ethical perspective.
  • To explore the justification for prohibitions against killing and their applicability to assisted dying.

Main Methods:

  • Ethical analysis using a utilitarian framework.
  • Examination of arguments for and against voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.
Keywords:
Analytical ApproachDeath and EuthanasiaPhilosophical Approach

Related Experiment Videos

  • Review of legal developments in Belgium and Oregon.

    • Main Results:

    • The essay will present a utilitarian analysis of voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.
    • It will address the ethical question of why killing is generally wrong and whether this applies to assisted dying.
    • Specific utilitarian arguments for and against permitting these practices will be considered.

    Conclusions:

    • The ethical permissibility of voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is a subject of ongoing debate.
    • Utilitarianism offers a framework for evaluating the consequences of these end-of-life options.
    • Legal and ethical landscapes surrounding assisted dying continue to develop globally.