Should Euthanasia Be Allowed or Not: Ethical Dilemma of Philosophical Approach

Abstract

Euthanasia is one of the controversial issues discussed in medical ethics .Ethical issues in the medical field are invariably accompanied by legal issues, and the typical causes include societal and professional misconduct .Euthanasia can be defined as the intentional killing of a dependent human being for their benefit .A patient might have an incurable disease and ask his doctor to stop the treatment which is keeping him alive, which causes a conflict between autonomy and non-maleficence .According to the Hippocratic Oath, doctors are not allowed to let patients die even if they were in serious situation .The intent of this paper is to examine the ethical issues related to euthanasia in a philosophical context .Sub objectives of this study are to find out why euthanasia should be allowed and why euthanasia should be forbidden. Research methodology used in this study was largely based on qualitative approach which analyses the relevant documentary sources from books, journals and web sites relating to this area .A descriptive research design was applied in this study .There are several types of Euthanasia such as active and passive euthanasia, voluntary and involuntary euthanasia, indirect euthanasia and assisted suicide .Egoism and utilitarianism are two moral theories that apply to euthanasia and both theories can be used to support and oppose the moral dilemma of euthanasia. Findings shows that practicing euthanasia has a lot of undesirable and harmful outcomes. It is virtually an act helping people die. It promotes abuse, gives doctors the right to murder and is contradictory to religious beliefs.