Analysis of Philippa Foots Article on Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia as defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is a quiet and easy death. One may wonder, is there such a thing as a quiet and easy death? This is one point that I will discuss in my paper, however the question that my paper will answer is; should active euthanasia be legalized? First, I will look at Philippa Foots article on Euthanasia and discuss my opinions on it. Second, I will look at James Rachels article on active and passive euthanasia and discuss why I agree with his argument. Finally, I will conclude by saying that while the legalizing of active euthanasia would benefit many people, it would hurt too many, thus I believe that it should not be legalized. Through Philippa Foots article she is trying to†¦show more content†¦If a child is born with a horrible disease and the only way to survive is to have an operation, which will in a sense allow the child to live, but under poor conditions, the parents have a difficult decision to make. It might b e very easy to think about themselves and how raising this child would perhaps be a burden to them or a burden to society. Once again in order for euthanasia to be morally permissible they have to make to decision based on what is good for the child. This is where another crucial point comes into play. Who is to say that even though this child will grow up with severe abnormalities and discomfort that they wont find happiness? There are many fairly severely handicapped people for whom a simple affectionate life is possible. (Foot, p.795) As you can see, the decision of ending a persons life is a very delicate and hard decision. It is however, a decision we are only allowed to make if it is passive euthanasia being considered. As of right now, active euthanasia is not permissible. We now need to discuss what would happen if active euthanasia were permissible. As far as legalizing active euthanasia Foot thinks that we need to be careful. She doesnt exactly support the idea. She feels that euthanasia will be, first of all, abused. People who want to get rid of the elderly will simply euthanize them and for their own benefit,Show MoreRelatedReligion and Bioethics: Physician Assisted Suicide, a Religious Perspective2205 Words   |  9 PagesThe article I read examined the link between bioethics and religion in regards to Physician-Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia. Specifically, it made an obvious point of defining the distinction between killing and letting one die. In addition, it focused on the link between Faith and Reason, the development of tradition throughout history, modern statements on this ethical dilemma, and then drew conclusions based upon these analyses. These are all significant points to consider when attempting to determine