The University of Nottingham

Malaysia Campus
MPW2153 MORAL STUDIES
2013
Topic: Take a position on mercy death and argue
either for or against it while explaining your principle
and its application on this issue.
No. Name

Student I/D

Programme

1.

Stella Lee Yian Li

UNIMKL-010754

Foundation Engineering

2.

Ting Li Zhun

UNIMKL-010813

Foundation Engineering

3.

Tey Su-Yi

UNIMKL-010838

Foundation Engineering

Mercy Death

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/0a0501/euthanasia_501097f.jpg

Euthanasia
A word derived from Greek language meaning good

death.
An act which put a person or an animal to death,
painlessly, to relieve them from a painful or an
incurable disease.

Euthanasia
Mercy Death

Mercy Killing

Taking ones life with his/her consent.

Voluntary

Taking ones life without his/her consent.

Non voluntary

Methods to carry out euthanasia

Active Euthanasia

Occurs when medical professionals

takes specific step to cause the death of

a patient.
Eg: Injecting a lethal amount of

Barbiturates.

Passive Euthanasia

Occurs by withdrawing medical treatment

where the patient deliberately depend on is

being withdraw.
Eg: Withdraw nutrition from a coma patient.

Countries that carry out Euthanasia

Netherland
s

Washingto
n and
Oregon

Belgium

Luxembo
urg

Organizations against euthanasia

Organization for Euthanasia

Compassionate Healthcare Network

(BC, Canada)
Hope Australia (Australia)
Patients Right Council (US)
Care Not Killing (UK)

Right to die Organization

Source: http://www.euthanasia.cc/97-1dvd.html

Euthanasia- Case Study

Case 1: Dr Moor, 1998
Dr Moor was charged with the murder of George Liddell, an 85-year-old

terminally ill cancer patient.

However, while he admitted giving Mr Liddell a dose of diamorphine, Dr
Moor said he had only done so to relieve pain, not to kill him. What made
the case unusual was that not only did Dr Moor admit in the media to
administering a lethal dose of drugs to many patients, he also admitted
that he had done so within days of giving the interview. After his acquittal
in May 1999, he said he would do it all over again.
The verdict established once and for all that doctors who administer
drugs to relieve pain are acting within the law, whether or not the patient
dies as a result.
Source from: http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/euthanasia/cases.htm

Case 2: IDENTICAL twins were killed by Belgian.

Marc and Eddy Verbessem, 45, were both born deaf and sought to end

their lives after learning they would also imminently go blind.

Having spent their entire lives together, sharing an apartment and
working as cobblers, the brothers told doctors they could not bear the
thought of not being able to see each other.
Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, requiring those who seek it to convince a
doctor and judges that they are suffering unbearable pain. The twins
case was unusual because they were not in physical pain or terminally ill.
The pair were euthanised by lethal injection by doctors at Brussels
University Hospital on December 14. They were very happy. It was a
relief to see the end of their suffering, supervising doctor David Dufour
told RTL television news.
They had a cup of coffee in the hall, it went well and a rich conversation.
The separation from their parents and brother was very serene and
beautiful. At the last there was a little wave of their hands and then they
were gone.
Source from: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/belgian-twins-killed-bydoctors-in-unique-euthanasia-case/story-e6frf7jo-1226553945755

Case 3: Clarietta Day

After passage of the Oregon law allowing physician-assisted suicide,

but before it went into effect, Clarietta Day, age 78, had a severe
stroke. She had told her longstanding physician, Dr. James Gallant
(Corvallis, Ore.), that she did not want heroic measures and did not
want to be kept alive on machines. Based on this understanding of
the patient's wishes, Dr. Gallant (1) took her off life support, (2) gave
her frequent large doses of painkillers, and (3) attempted to stop her
cardiac pacemaker by placing a magnet over it. She continued to
breathe. He then ordered an intravenous injection of a paralyzing
drug and Mrs. Day died in 15 minutes. Dr. Gallant wrote on her death
certificate that the cause of death was "stroke due to subarachnoid
hemorrhage."
The Oregon Board of Medical Examiners investigated and called this
active euthanasia, an action they felt was both unethical and illegal.
They suspended his license to practice for 60 days. The district
attorney decided not to file criminal charges.
Source from: http://www.wrtl.org/assistedsuicide/personalstories.aspx

Why Euthanasia should be

allowed?

Everyone has the right to decide when and

how their life end.
Dying is part of life.
People have the right to make it better.
Take back autonomy.
Die with dignity.

Euthanasia provides a way to relieve pain.

Physical pain of terminally patients.

Emotional pain of waiting for death.

Emotional pain of being a burden to his/her
loved ones.
Grief and pain of the patients loved ones.

Euthanasia relieves the burdens of

patients loved ones.

Financial
burdens
Medical
expenditures

Emotional
burdens
Responsibility
to take care
of him/her

Euthanasia frees up medical

facilities and medical funds.
Shortage of medical facilities in most of the
countries.
Unable to get speedy access to the facilities.
Provide more rooms for patients that could be
cured.
Money can be used to save other peoples lives.

Why Euthanasia should be

forbidden?

Euthanasia is not the only way to relieve

pain.
Virtually all pain can be eliminated or
reduced significantly if proper treatment
is provided.
Mandate better education of health care
professionals.
Certified specialists who help alleviate
physical pain and provide necessary
support to deal with emotional suffering.
Proper palliative care makes euthanasia
unnecessary.

Euthanasia devalues human life.

The sanctity of life: ultimate importance and inviolability of
human life.
With Euthanasia, no ones life is being saved, only taken.

Human life deserves exceptional security and protection.

Morally incorrect, it is homicide and murder.
Accepting euthanasia accepts that some lives are worth less than others.

Euthanasia becoming non-voluntary.

How would one know whether the wish
to die is the result of an unbalanced
thought process or a logical decision in
mentally-ill patients?
Euthanasia might not be in a persons
best interest.

Euthanasia becomes a mean of health

care cost containment.
Focuses on cost containment rather than the health
and wellness.
Killing someone who is terminally to cut down on the
costs of their constant health care.
The average cost of euthanasia is somewhere
around 40 dollars, while the complete care for a
dying patient normally costs ten thousands of
dollars.

Euthanasia cause decline in medical

care.
I will give no deadly medicine to any one if
asked, nor suggest any such counselThe
Hippocratic Oath
Decline in medical care and cause victimization.

Allowing euthanasia undermines the commitment

of doctors and nurses to saving lives.
Allowing euthanasia will discourage the search for
new cures and treatments for the terminally ill.

Mrs.S
Mrs. S. from Oregon had been struggling with a malignant lymphoma for three

years. In spite of the best efforts of her several physicians, it had spread from
her lymph nodes to her bones, brain and spinal cord. She had vigorous
chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She had considerable pain, but this was
kept under adequate control with medication. She was repeatedly discouraged,
and this was helped somewhat by use of an antidepressant.
In a final visit with her primary physician, he gently confronted the fact that there

was nothing more that could be done for the disease, though comfort measures
could be continued. At the end of the visit, he said, "Well, I could write a
prescription for an extra large amount of pain medication for you." She declined
the offer and left the office. Mrs. S. and her husband were devastated. She kept
saying, "He wants me to kill myself!" They interpreted his offer as saying "Your
life is no longer worth living. You would be better off dead." Their longstanding
good relationship with this seemingly caring physician was shattered by this new
understanding of his values. Mrs. S. died comfortably at home several days
later.
Source: http://www.wrtl.org/assistedsuicide/personalstories.aspx

Religious arguments
Euthanasia is against the word and will of God.

Suffering may have value.

To kill oneself, or to get someone else to do it for us, is to deny God, and
to deny God's rights over our lives.
We should relieve suffering when we can, and be with those who suffer,
helping them to bear their suffering, when we can't. We should never deal
with the problem of suffering by eliminating those who suffer.

Conclusion

Mercy death is
morally wrong

Life is sacred
and the value of
Every life is
life is
worth living
incomparably
because life is a
more important
gift from God.
than happiness
or suffering.

References
Alex Tang (2005), A Good Day to Die: A Christian Perspective on Mercy Killing, Genesis Books an imprint
of ARMOUR Publishing Pte Ltd, Singapore.
BBC Ethics guide (n.d.) Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. Retrieved January 18, 2013, from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/
Buzzle (n.d.), Pros and Cons of Euthanasia. Retrieved January 19, 2013 from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and- cons-of-euthanasia.html
Debatewise, (n.d.), Do you agree or disagree with euthanasia or mercy killing? Retrieved January 19,
2013 from http://debatewise.org/debates/861-do-you-agree-or-disagree-with-euthanasia-or-mercy-killing/
English-Online (n.d.), Euthanasia- Pros and Cons of Mercy Killing. Retrieved January 19, 2013 from
http://www.english- online.at/society/euthanasia/pros-and-cons-of-euthanasia.htm
Euthanasia.com (n.d.), Euthanasia Facts. Retrieved January 20, 2013 from http://euthanasia.com
Leonard Park. J (n.d.), Will this Death be a Mercy-Killing or a Merciful Death? Retrived January 20,
2013 from http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-MK-MD.html
NSOTDhistory (Apr 19, 2011), YouTube Sky Television screens the suicide of a 59 year old Motor Neurone
disease sufferer Craig Ewert [Video]. Retrieved January 20, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=foCPtavccsc
SteadyHealth.com (Feb 15, 2011), Pros and cons of euthanasia. Retrieved January 19, 2013 from
http://ic.steadyhealth.com/pros_and_cons_of_euthanasia.htm