Aiming to Kill: The Ethics of Suicide and EuthanasiaFor at least a generation, the debate over the morality of euthanasia and assisted suicide and their legalization has been going strong. We are all well aware of the main arguments for and against them, and their general profiles are widely known. In fact, in some instances there appear to be signs of weariness along the battle lines, with little hope of any decisive advance by either side... i.e., a stalemate. In Aiming to Kill, Biggar attempts to review as judiciously as possible the main lines of argument for and against the moral and legal permissibility of euthanasia and assisted suicide. He aspires to negotiate a way through to a mature judgment by taking account of the three basic elements of the controversy--the value of human life, the morality of acts of killing, and the fear of slippery slopes--and running a coherent argument through all of them. Biggar does not pretend to be neutral in the discussion, but rather is open to both sides of the argument and presents them in this manner. |
Contents
The Traditional Position and the Pressures | 1 |
The Value of Human Life | 18 |
The Morality of Acts of Killing | 57 |
Copyright | |
4 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
accept affirm Aquinas argues argument assisted suicide autonomy Barth's basic Battin biographical bodily bomber Cahill cent Chapter choose Christian Moral Principles cited by Keown commit concept condition doctors doctrine of double Donagan double effect Dutch Dworkin dying Ethics euthana euthanasia and assisted example explicit request Finnis foreseen G. E. M. Anscombe Germain Grisez Griffiths Grisez Harris human individual implies innocent intend intentional killing intrinsic James Rachels Jonathan Bennett judgement Keown in ibid killing and letting McCormick means moral distinction morally permissible Nazi Netherlands non-voluntary euthanasia objection obliged one's pain palliative palliative care patients permit persistent vegetative person Peter Singer Philippa Foot physical physician-assisted suicide possible practice prohibition proportionate Public Policy Rachels rational reason refusal relief respect sense side-effect slippery slope someone Summa Theologiae termination theological tion Tony Bland traditional treatment unbearable suffering value of human vocation voluntary euthanasia wrong
References to this book
Approaching the End: A Theological Exploration of Death and Dying David Albert Jones No preview available - 2007 |