The idea that every human life is sacred and, therefore, killing an innocent human being regardless of the circumstances is unacceptable, has long dominated the public mind, making various issues like euthanasia a topic of heated debate. Euthanasia, also commonly referred to as mercy killing, can be defined as the act of putting a person to death or allowing to die in order to end pain and suffering. There is a lot of controversy regarding this practice, especially when it comes to the ethical aspect of the issue.
From the Utilitarian perspective, euthanasia is an act that needs to be considered in terms of whether or not it brings the largest amount of good to everyone involved. Utilitarianism is an ethical doctrine based on the idea that whether an action is morally right or wrong depends on its effect. According to its main advocate, Jeremy Bentham, the morality of an action is derived from its utility. In Bentham's theory, the principle of
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In this regard Singer (2003) points out that if a person decides that the good in their life will no longer be available to them due to the effects of their illness, they have the right to make the decision to end their unhappiness. In addition to this, euthanasia normally affects more than one person. Those closest to the patient will also be relieved from having to share their pain and watch them suffer. In addition to that, both the family members and the medical facility will no longer have to spend money on medical treatment of the patient. Following this logic, we can conclude that euthanasia can augment happiness for a number of people and therefore maximize the utility. However, this kind of reasoning is only applicable in case of voluntary euthanasia, i.e. when a person specifically expressed their wish to end their