Euthanasia- Gay Williams
Gay-Williams presents an opposing argument against euthanasia. This reading made me really think about my stance on euthanasia. I personally have mixed feelings on this topic. Gay-Williams states that euthanasia is “inherently wrong” and is starting to become more accepted. One comment I have is that as science is advancing and new remedies are created, this thinking might be changing for some people. He defines euthanasia as taking the life of a person who knows that they are terminally ill. Gay-Williams then makes exceptions to euthanasia, such as murder or dying before/during treatments.
Euthanasia is acting out of normal human nature according to Gay-Williams. It goes against instinct and religion. I agree with him on this point. While euthanasia can be helpful for someone in extreme amounts of pain, is it going against the will of god? I believe that the end of our life if something that we cannot determine, it is
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This is what makes us different from “the brute creation.” I disagree with this, because punishments are needed for people who do wrong things. Punishment, while a form of pain, shows other people the consequence of doing something wrong. In the next point that Bentham makes, he also says this is not a reason to be lenient to wrong doers.
Bentham says that pleasures and pains have seven different ways of being measured. A legislator has to view all the pleasures and pains and their values before making a decision. Pleasure is valued through how long it lasts and the intensity of it. It is important to assess the problem through taking in account of who is being affected and what pleasure and pain it will cost. Another important point that Bentham makes is to see what kind of pleasure or pain will be caused from a decision. It is good to sort out what pleasures are actually good and important, and what will be the overall