RE euthanasia for and against

Ought Euthanasia be legalised INTRODUCTION Euthanasia means a good or happy death and comes from the Greek, 'eu' and 'thanatos' which mean good death. It can be seen as mercy killing or murder depending on which view is taken on it. There are different types of euthanasia which include, active euthanasia, which is purposely ending the life of a patient with something specific e.g. by lethal injection. Passive euthanasia, which is taking away any treatment that is prolonging the patients life e.g. switching off a life support machine. Voluntary euthanasia is when the patient asks to terminate their life. Involuntary euthanasia is when the decision to end the life is taken for the person by another as they are incapable of expressing their view. Assisted suicide is providing the necessary components so another can end their life. ETHICAL QUESTIONS Euthanasia poses several ethical questions in which some defend euthanasia and others contradict it. When asked to terminate another being's life, it could be argued that you are maintaining their dignity so that they do not have to suffer so it is right for us to keep their dignity from them and prevent euthanasia to be legalised? Another question contradicts this one by asking is it right to terminate a person's life if they want to live on and keep their dignity in that way? Situation ethics could also be brought in when it

  • Word count: 4134
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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With reference to the topic of abortion , examine and comment on the controversies, which arise from an issue or issues within medical ethics and how far these conflict with religious/moral principles

With reference to the topic you have investigated, examine and comment on the controversies, which arise from an issue or issues within medical ethics and how far these conflict with religious/moral principles The medical topic I will be discussing is abortion. This is defined as the ‘deliberate termination of a pregnancy.’ Abortion splits the public into two opinions, pro-life and pro-choice. In the religious context the sanctity of life is paramount. But this presents a conflict with the Right to Self Determination. As Judith Jarvis Thomson’s analogies of the ‘famous violinist’ and the ‘burglar’ would suggest, the foetus is regarded as part of the woman’s body. Therefore abortion is considered acceptable because women should have absolute autonomy over their bodies. However, the Sanctity of Life would counter argue that all life is sacred, so a pregnant woman would not have the right to an abortion because it entails the killing of an innocent human life. The Catholic Church heavily pursues a pro-life outlook and believes that the Sanctity of Life is a moral absolute. The principle of the sanctity of life is based on the teaching of Genesis 2:7 ‘Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.’ It operates on the premise that all human life, irrespective of its

  • Word count: 4111
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Utilitarianism VS Kantian Deontological Ethics

Utilitarianism VS Kantian Deontological Ethics Utilitarianism is a theory of metaethics. This means that it is grounds for what we mean when we say something is good, bad, right or wrong. This differs from normative ethics, which addresses which things that we encounter in real life are good or bad. Utilitarian ethics is based on quantitative maximisation of some good for society or humanity and its main advocate was Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). It is a form of consequentialism, thus focusing on the outcomes of actions and placing emphasis on the ends over that of the means. The good that is required to be maximised is often happiness or pleasure, though some utilitarian theories might seek to maximise other consequences. Utilitarianism is sometimes summarised as "The greatest happiness for the greatest number." As a form of consequentialism, utilitarianism states that we must first consider the consequences of our actions, and from that, make an appropriate choice about our action that would generate the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people (or in some forms of utilitarianism, people and animals). In modern times this is, perhaps wrongly, interpreted as stating that an action is judged entirely by its consequences, and so can be morally good even though the intentions of the action may have been villainous or wicked. Thus, this interpretation

  • Word count: 3981
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Considering the Ethics of Abortion

B. Medical Ethics Contents Medical Ethics is an area of great concern in the modern age, though several of the issues have been of concern for centuries. Abortion and euthanasia are not new issues, for they were known in ancient times. An early Christian writing, the Didache a text written in 54 CE, condemns it. However, issues pertaining to embryo research are new, as are those concerning transplants. New technology tends to throw up new ethical problems, as human power extends into areas where it was once absent. The central moral question is basically: if I am able to perform an action, why can I not perform it? In the modern world this question might take the specific form of whether or not any advance in technology is morally legitimate. Does the fact that a new technology is developed automatically confer legitimacy on its use? The answer to the questions above must be in the negative. For example, the atomic bomb was a skilful technology, but it produced great evil and suffering. German firms produced gas chambers for the Nazis, but we would not applaud them for the quality of their technology, however effective or advanced for the time it was. There is no escape from these examples by saying that they are extreme cases; they are, but they clearly exemplify a general principle that developments in

  • Word count: 3976
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Essay on Law vs. Justice

Essay on Law vs. Justice Based on the many case studies and online discussions our class has had over the past eight weeks, the topic of ethics was always very prominent. Ethics is a process of evaluating actions according to one's moral principal of values. Everyday, businesses and their employees try to choose between profit and moral. Perhaps, some of them obtain both, but every time it could have roused ethical issues. Those issues concern fairness, justice, right or wrong; as a result it can only be resolved according to ethical standards. Setting the ethical standards for the way of doing business in corporations is primarily the task of management. Corporations have to maintain the same standards as an individual person and, in addition, corporations, as organizational units, have their own social responsibilities toward customers, employees and society. The law is a standard to judge by. While it is open to human interpretation and may be defined by the political philosophy of the interpreter, it differs from justice in that it provides a framework of what is right or wrong conduct. "It could be said that the law is the mechanism by which society enforces acceptable behavior." [1] Justice is, on the other hand purely subjective and relies on an individuals perception, experience, religious and circumstantial background. Justice for some may not agree with

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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The Dreamings as being fundamental to Aboriginal cultures & societies

Chau Phan Studies of Religion I Foundation Study 1 Aboriginal Belief Systems and Spirituality THE NATURE OF ABORIGNAL SPIRITUALITY The Dreamings as being fundamental to Aboriginal cultures & societies DREAMINGS: past, present & future ( involves all aspects of life ( ancestral beings leave world left w/ their signs of goodwill. If their descendants can interpret these signs, they will live under the assurance of good fortune. ( main purpose of religious ritual: to renew and conserve life. ( human person made up of material & spiritual elements ( material element req. individuals to understand the sacred tradn of their grp & conform to the patterns determined by that tradn ( world order comes fr. all the events in wh. ancestor beings travel & transform themselves into sites. ( there is no sense of a 1st creator. DREAMINGS COMPRISES: ( inextricable r/ship with nature. ( awareness of greater power that makes living things possible. ( a spirit world beyond death ( ritual - way of communicating b/w 2 worlds (humanity & spirits) ( myth - strong oral tradn ( totem sys. ( kinship TOTEMS ( link b/w land, kin & Dreamings ( allow the trad/nal Abor. hunting & gathering lifestyle to be sustainable ( integral nature of Abor. spir. KINSHIP ( is fabric of Abor. society ( everyone has a defined role that determines their r/ship w/ others. ( kinship extends to

  • Word count: 3733
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Capital Punishment

'Capital Punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the execution of a person by the state as punishment for a crime. Crime is known as a capital offence, or capital crimes.'1 Capital Punishment has been a worldwide issue, and has been elaborated since the Christian faith was introduced into the world, although the Christian faith was introduced when capital punishment was an accepted feature of the legal system, as represented when Jesus and a penitent thief were on the crosses..."We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong".2It has and still being debated among a variety of countries and religions. Although only in recent times has capital punishment been questioned. The feature has still been retained by a few western European countries, or those of Anglo-Saxon origin in other parts of the world. 104 countries have formally abolished the feature from their legal system but some countries still retain the feature, but is only used under specific circumstances and capital offences, such as treason. In the USA the practices varies among different states. Capital Punishment was partially abolished in the UK by 1965; at this time only major felonies passed the judgement of using capital punishment such as treason, piracy with violence and arson remained as capital crimes. By 1999 the act of Capital Punishment had

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Outline the general ethical responsibilities on helping relationships and discuss them with examples from a variety of caring roles.

Outline the general ethical responsibilities on helping relationships and discuss them with examples from a variety of caring roles. The responsibilities on helping relationships are to maintain the general trusts of their clients and patients, not only through care, but also through observing certain codes of practice to preserve their rights. These codes are referred to as ethical codes and they act as guidelines to shape and uphold the general principles regarding staff and patients relationships. This essay would attempt to outline the general codes of ethics, and discuss the moral principles underpinning ethical responsibilities within helping relationships, with particular examples from health and social care and counselling roles. Ethical conflicts will also be identified within these roles making particular reference to policies that work in conjunction with these codes. Within caring or helping professions, the counsellor or carer needs to be aware that the client is in their care, because they feel they can help their present situation. Any mistrust or doubt created by these professionals could result in the betrayal of the client's trust. It is therefore important that codes of guidance are enforced in order to ensure good practice within these roles. What are Ethics? Ethical issues are the science of morals, that branch of philosophy, which is concerned with

  • Word count: 3291
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Compare Mill and Kant's ethical theories; which makes a better societal order?

Compare Mill and Kant's ethical theories; which makes a better societal order? John Stuart Mill (1808-73) believed in an ethical theory known as utilitarianism. There are many formulation of this theory. One such is, "Everyone should act in such a way to bring the largest possibly balance of good over evil for everyone involved." However, good is a relative term. What is good? Utilitarians disagreed on this subject. Mill made a distinction between happiness and sheer sensual pleasure. He defines happiness in terms of higher order pleasure (i.e. social enjoyments, intellectual). In his Utilitarianism (1861), Mill described this principle as follows: According to the Greatest Happiness Principle ... The ultimate end, end, with reference to and for the sake of which all other things are desirable (whether we are considering our own good or that of other people), is an existence exempt as far as possible from pain, and as rich as possible enjoyments. Therefore, based on this statement, three ideas may be identified: (1) The goodness of an act may be determined by the consequences of that act. (2) Consequences are determined by the amount of happiness or unhappiness caused. (3) A "good" man is one who considers the other man's pleasure (or pain) as equally as his own. Each person's happiness is equally important. Mill believed that a free act is not an undetermined act. It is

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Examine and comment on the view that religious and/or moral principles provide essential guidelines for medical ethics with reference to abortions.

Examine and comment on the view that religious and/or moral principles provide essential guidelines for medical ethics with reference to the topic you have investigated It is clear that medicine would progress faster without the restraining influence of moral and religious principles. An example of this is be a recent topic in the news today, that of three parent IVF. While this procedure is providing a possible solution to mitochondrial disease, some people argue that scientists are venturing too close to designer babies and cloning. This is seen as unnatural or by the Catholic Church ‘playing God’. Catholics also believe that the discarding of an embryo during the procedure is the eradication of a (potential) human being. In 2015, the Anglican and Catholic Church warned MPs that it would be irresponsible to pass the new laws allowing the DNA of a ‘second mother’ to be used to repair the genetic faults in an unborn child. Bishop John Sherrington said “There are serious ethical objections to this procedure which involves the destruction of human embryos as part of the process. The human embryo is a new human life, and it should be respected and protected from the moment of conception.” Most people agree that nobody wants medicine and science to be entirely unrestricted, especially when one examines the inhumane consequences of Nazi experimentation during the

  • Word count: 3245
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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