The Debate Over Voluntary Euthanasia

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Should euthanasia be allowed or not? It has become a very controversial issue nowadays.Velleman and Hooker have different perspectives of euthanasia whether there should be a law permitting voluntary and nonvoluntary euthanasia. I would strongly agree with Hooker's argument that there should be a law permitting voluntary euthanasia when it's for the good of the own person and they should be able to make their own decisions. Brad Hooker believes that according to Rule-Utilitarianism we ought to have a law permitting voluntary and nonvoluntary euthanasia. Types of euthanasia, he addresses are, Voluntary euthanasia is when a person is killed or dies for his own good and asked to die; Non-Voluntary euthanasia is when a person is unconscious or …show more content…

He believes that having an option or given an option can be harmful even if we don’t exercise it. “ A person can be harmed by having a choice, even if he chooses what’s best for him” (Velleman 95). Just given that option can force critically ill patients whether they want to live or die. And how theres is also a difference when we think that our life is tiresome versus others thinking so. He also believes that a person might justify why they would still like to live, but while there explaining why they choose to live they might feel pressured by family members to choose to die. For example, let's say someone had a really bad diagnosis and was in really bad pain, but they thought that they should still live because there might be a cure or a treatment, but there family makes them feel unwanted and that there too much too take care off so, then they re think and might want to die so they won't be a burden. Velleman also argues that “autonomy is probably not increased by being given the choice to die”. What he is saying is that the person needs to have full reasoning capacity to make any decisions. “ If a significant number of patients were both competent and morally entitled to chose euthanasia, then we might be obligated to make that option available” (Velleman 97).Velleman is comfortable allowing euthanasia when it’s by default because there might be some people that would like that option of euthanasia and we might be obligated to give it to them and that the best policy of euthanasia is no policy at