Overview
Instructions: Pick ONE of the following questions and write a 1,200 + word essay (around 4+ typed, double-space, pages) in response. Make sure your answer is focused on the question and give reasons, particularly in terms of moral principles.
Submit your essay via Blackboard.
1.Use Diane’s case to discuss the debate on active euthanasia and assisted suicide? What claims does her case support or refute on either side? Did her case move you in the direction of supporting PAS or against it? [You might want to consider the following sorts of questions in responding to the main question: Do the reasons Diane has for rejecting treatment also support her request for assisted suicide? Would it be reasonable to claim that Quill “killed” his patient? What do Quill’s motivations reveal about the reasons doctors might support requests for assistance in suiciding? Could Quill’s way of handling a case like Diane’s pose slippery-slope risks? Or does Quill’s conduct diminish such risks?]
2. Must patients sometimes be protected from their own decision making?Does an autonomous decision necessarily reflect individual well-being? Explain why or why not. Consider using Diane’s and Dax’s case or some of the others (Howe, for example) we’ve read about to focus your essay.
3. Does an individual’s interest in making intimate and private decisions outweigh society’s interest in protecting the weak from potential abuse? Does the possibility of a slippery slope should society legalize PAS or voluntary active euthanasia justify denying the requests of patients like Diane (or maybe Dax)?
4. Consider Monica’s case (found in the Medical Paternalism section of Course Content on Blackboard). What, in your view and given what you’ve studied in the course, is the right answer to the question whether the medical team should wake Monica or not? Be sure to justify your answer as comprehensively as you can, drawing on the various ethical theories and moral principles we’ve examined.