Euthanasia and the duty to die: a moral advocacy of the responsibility to end life at the right time

The general aim of this project is to investigate thoroughly the moral issues related to death and dying in medical contexts, focusing on those cases where patients seek help to die on their own terms. The focus of the debate in society at large tends to focus on the question of whether it is morally permissible for a patient to ask for help to die, and whether it is morally permissible for a doctor to provide that aid. This issue will be thoroughly discussed in the course of this study. But the primary aim of this project is to approach this debate from a different and hitherto neglected angle. If there is a moral duty to die in certain circumstances, then the traditional debate needs to be recast. Put another way, if there is a moral duty to die in certain circumstances, then there is a related right to aid in carrying out this duty if such aid is required: a right which confers a moral obligation on those who can provide that help. This casts the familiar debate in an entirely different light. The primary aim of the project, then, is to establish that there is indeed a moral duty to die in certain circumstances, and to work out and analyse the ramifications of this claim. The hypothesis defended in this project is the recognition of a personal moral duty to die in certain scenarios, for which active euthanasia must be among the available procedures to end one’s life when one has such a duty. Timing is paramount for those who recognise their duty to die and are willing to retain control over their dying. Therefore, active euthanasia is one of the medical procedures that allows patients to retain control over the time of their dying, which further offers them the possibility to find meaning in their lives and deaths. Another integral part of our thesis is advocating for the active role that healthcare practitioners must play in actively ending the patient’s life at her own request. Healthcare professionals must acknowledge their societal role as medical experts whose duties are ultimately based on a shared understanding of what is good and fair for all. Finally, although it is discussed in the first chapter, an overarching metaphysical reflection regarding the meaning of life and death, together with a consideration of the evils of dying, supports the ideas and arguments presented. Ultimately, both the duty to die and active euthanasia rest on the consideration that, sometimes, death is preferable to suffering in life and can also provide a final meaning to our existence.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Year dc:date

2021

Author dc:creator

• Guerrero Quinones, Jose Luis

Contributors dc:contributor

• Boulter, Stephen

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/hyrt-a537

OAI identifier oai:identifier

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