AS Ethics Distance Learning Lesson 2: - PowerPoint Presentation

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AS Ethics

Distance Learning Lesson 2: Voluntary Euthanasia

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Recap from Lesson 1: Six Quick Questions (10 mins)

1. Define ‘euthanasia’.

2. Name the four types of euthanasia and give examples of each

3. Explain (using

Biblical quotes

) reasons why

Christians might:

a.) Support euthanasia.

b.) Disagree with euthanasia.

4. How does quality of life relate to euthanasia?

5. How does sanctity of life relate to euthanasia?

6. Define palliative care. How is this an alternative to euthanasia?

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Paper 2: Ethics Have to answer 3 questions out of the 4. Each question is worth 40 marks:16 marks available for AO1- Knowledge and Understanding.24 marks available for AO2- Analysis and Evaluation. Key terms: • agape • conscientia • ratio • synderesis • telos.Make links to Ethical Theories: Natural Law and Situation Ethics.

Topic

Content

Key Knowledge

Euthanasia

Key ideas, including:

o sanctity of life

o quality of life

o voluntary euthanasia

o non-voluntary euthanasia

the religious origins of this concept (that human life is made in God’s image and is therefore sacred in value)

• the secular origins of this significant concept (that human life has to possess certain attributes in order to have value)

• what it is (that a person’s life is ended at their request or with their consent) and its use in the case of incurable or terminal illness

• what it is (that a person’s life is ended without their consent but with the consent of someone representing their interests) and its use in the case of a patient who is in a persistent vegetative state

Learners should have the opportunity to discuss issues raised by euthanasia, including:

•

the application of

natural law

and

situation ethics

to euthanasia

• whether or not the religious concept of sanctity of life has any meaning in twenty-first

century medical ethics

• whether or not a person should or can have complete autonomy over their own life

and decisions made about it

• whether or not there is a moral difference between medical intervention to end a

patient’s life and medical non-intervention to end a patient’s life

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Learning Purpose

All: Is it morally acceptable to help someone die?Most: Should Tony Nicklinson have been allowed help to die?Some: What would our ethical theories say? (Make links to prior learning: Natural Moral Theory and Situation Ethics)Are they persuasive? Which is best? Why?

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Key Question for this session:

Is

it

morally acceptable

to help someone die?

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You will achieve this by:

Justifying to assess whether or not it is morally acceptable to help someone die. Reasoning to suggest whether Tony Nicklinson should have been allowed help to die.Evaluating how persuasive the arguments for and against voluntary euthanasia are.

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Starter Task (30 mins)

You are going to watch a news clip about Tony Nicklinson.

As you are watching, fill in the 5

Ws

and 1 H sheet.

https

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96kN76PfSe0

Other sites for you to use for your research:

https://www.dignityindying.org.uk/assisted-dying/the-law/tony-nicklinson

/

http://

www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/euthanasia/cases.htm

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Voluntary Euthanasia

Tony Nicklinson Case

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Is it

morally acceptable

to help someone die?

Should Tony

Nicklinson

have been allowed help to die?

What would our ethical theories say? Are they persuasive?

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You will achieve this by:

Justifying to assess whether or not it is okay to help someone die. Reasoning to suggest whether Tony Nicklinson should be allowed help to die.Evaluating how persuasive the arguments for and against voluntary euthanasia are.

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Task 1 (30 mins)

Using the information you have researched, come

up with different points of view regarding the key

quotation -

record them on the

continuum on the next slide.

Then…

Read

through the different statements

on the slide following that and shade

the font

in two colours – agree

(green) / disagree (red)

or write them out in two columns if you do not have a printer. If you prefer you could cut them out and add

them onto the continuum

where

you think

they

belong.

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“Tony Nicklinson should be given help to die.”

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Voluntary euthanasia is illegal in the UK

Some people say that people should have the right to avoid pain and should be able to choose a gentle,

painless death as long as the decision is made rationally.

Some people argue in favour of voluntary euthanasia because suicide is an

option for able-bodied people and it is discriminatory not to allow it for disabled people.

Some people argue against voluntary euthanasia because the person might change their mind when they are no longer able to communicate.

Some people argue that allowing voluntary

euthanasia will encourage unscrupulous people to put pressure of sick relatives to end their lives when this was not what they wanted.

The ‘slippery slope’ argument is the view that if something is allowed in exceptional circumstances it begins

a process which becomes impossible to stop and the situation will get out of hand.

Some people argue

that it puts doctors and other health professionals in an impossible position. Our right to die doesn’t mean we have a right to force people to kill us.

Christians

would argue that all life is sacred because it is a gift from God. God decides when life should end not us.

Some people argue that quality of life is commonly considered in cases

of animal welfare, where it is considered by many to be cruel not to euthanise a suffering animal.

Many people think that each person has the right to control his or her body and life and so should be able to determine at what time, in what way and by whose hand he or she will die.

Allowing people who are using

expensive medical resources

to commit euthanasia would not only let them have what they want, it would free valuable resources to treat people who want to live.

In some cases, euthanasia promotes the best interests of everyone involved and violates no one's rights.

It is therefore morally acceptable.

Christianity teaches that suffering can have a place in God's plan, in that it allows the sufferer to share in 

Christ's agony

and his redeeming sacrifice. They believe that Christ will be present to share in the suffering of the believer.

Some people fear that allowing euthanasia sends the message, "it's better to be dead than sick or disabled".

What if the person

would have got better if there were advancements in medicine?

Euthanasia is usually viewed from the viewpoint of the person who wants to die, but it affects other people too, and their rights should be considered.

Good palliative care is the alternative to euthanasia. If it was available to every patient, it would certainly reduce the desire for death to be brought about sooner.

Providing palliative care can be very hard work, both physically and psychologically. Ending a patient's life by injection is quicker and easier and cheaper. This may tempt people away from palliative care.

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Now consider the applying the ethical theories:

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Natural Law

God created us for a purpose (to know & love him) - euthanasia goes against this.

Euthanasia would be an apparent good – it may seem the right thing to do but it does not draw us closer to God and gives us a sense of moral guilt.

Man’s first precept, according to Aquinas, is self-preservation. The other precepts, concerning our purpose in life, cannot be served by prematurely ending our lives.

Reason identifies ‘natural’ or ‘cardinal’ virtues – these include fortitude, which should be shown by people who are suffering greatly.

Traditional utilitarian arguments focus on pleasure/pain – but these can’t be the end or purpose of humans as animals experience them.

Situation Ethics

Demands that we ‘push our principles to one side and do the right thing (St Louis cabbie). Fletcher claimed that Jesus lived by the principle ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’.

In many cases, euthanasia is the most loving compassionate thing to do, and we should ignore the rules of the Catholic church or the rules of the Bible. However, Situation Ethics is not ‘Antinomian’ (a system that has no rules and treats each situation as unique). They have rules or principles which they live by, but these can be set aside if love is better served by doing so.

 

Jesus… abolished the law with its commandments and legal claims Ephesians 2:15

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Task 2: What would our ethical theories say about euthanasia? (20 mins)

Natural Law

Situation Ethics

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Task 3 (10 mins)

We need to apply the theories of Natural Law and Situation Ethics to

euthanasia in essays,

so use your knowledge and your revision guides to apply these theories to Tony’s

case or to other case studies.

Annotate your continuum showing where Natural Law and Situation Ethics views would sit.

Can you make links to the points you have already

mentioned?

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Task 4 (10 mins)

To maximise A02 marks we have to critique views.

In a

green

highlighter

pen highlight the

views you find persuasive making sure you explain why.

In a

red

pen highlight the views you don’t find persuasive making sure you explain why.

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Plenary: Peer Assessment Task (30 mins)(Please refer to the Word document.)

•

All:

Task

1: What mark would you have given this essay? (Use the mark scheme & break it down into AO1 and AO2.) Email me with your answers –

ktozer@ttsonline.net

•

Some:

Task

2: What went well and what could make it even better? Add this to the email.

•

Most:

Task

3: Which sentence would you like to pinch to include in your essay? Please copy and paste it into the email to me.

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Is it

morally

to help someone die

?

What evidence can you use to support your view now?

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Did you meet today’s learning objectives?

All: Is it morally acceptable to help someone die?Most: Should Tony Nicklinson have been allowed help to die?Some: What would our ethical theories say? (Make links to prior learning: Natural Moral Theory and Situation Ethics)Are they persuasive? Which is best? Why?

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Enrichment: Task 1

I hope that you managed to watch the rest of ‘Me Before You’.

1. How is Will’s quality of life affected by his accident

?

(Think about his mental health, dignity, career, social life as well his physical health.)

2

. Who does Will believe should make the decisions about his life? What do you think?

3

. Who else could be deemed as having the final say about end of life issues?

4. Where do the

Traynors

take Will? Why?

5

. What are the alternatives for Will?

6

. What type of euthanasia is discussed in the film? Clues: Active / passive and voluntary / non-voluntary

7. Do you think that Will made the right decision? Why / why not?

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Enrichment: Task 2

https://www.massolit.io/courses/utilitarianism-940b9fd5-e53b-4bed-8ba5-74c7a6d0196a

https://www.massolit.io/courses/kantian-deontological-ethics

Please use these two links above to recap and extend your

learning about Utilitarianism and Kantian

Ethics. (These

will be very helpful

links as

you

apply ethical theories to Business Ethics & Sexual Ethics.)