Abstract:
One of the most challenging issues in medical ethics is a permission or prohibition of euthanasia. Is a patient with an incurable disease who has lots of pain permitted to kill oneself or ask others to do that? The main reason advanced by the opponents is the absolute prohibition of murder. Accordingly, the meaning of murder plays a key role in determining the moral judgment of euthanasia. The aim of this paper is to confirm the role of intention in moral judgment of euthanasia and eliminate the name of unjust murder from voluntary euthanasia. The Intention of an agent determines the name of the act and whether it is right or wrong. An important point that dose not taken into account in the definitions of murder, killing as well as their ethical judgment is considering the attributes of being unjust and forcible. Killing a human being is neither intrinsically good nor bad, but its ethical judgment depends on the way that happens, i.e. just or unjust. Every killing is neither bad nor unethical except unjust one which is both bad and unethical. The attribute of “unjust” has been mentioned in the definition of murder in Islamic jurisprudence, law, traditions, and Quran. Owing to this argument, on one hand, it is true to state that voluntary euthanasia is not unjust and forcible murder (the test of correct negation), and on the other hand, it is not true to say that voluntary euthanasia is unjust and forcible murder (the test of incorrect predication). It can be concluded that voluntary euthanasia is an independent title other than unjust murder and does not have its judgment.
Machine summary:
Second, it is assumed that killing (ending others’ life) gets its title and technical name based on the aspects that this act happens and then, its ethical judgment is determined.
In active euthanasia, doctors or others do something like infusion of a killing medicine in order to end the patient’s life and release him/her from great pain and useless suffering.
Following is an argument that is provided in favor of voluntary euthanasia: Killing (meaning taking a human’s life) in itself is neither right nor wrong.
Killing gains a new title based on the aspects of killing and the situations in which it occurs, and then its ethical judgment (right or wrong) is determined.
Justice and injustice are two main aspects of rightness and wrongness of acts including killing or ending a life.
Active voluntary euthanasia is taking a patient’s life suffering from an incurable illness with his/her satisfaction, will, permission, and request to end his/her useless pain.
Test of Correct/Incorrect Prediction and Negation / The opponents of euthanasia assume that euthanasia is an instance of murder and unjust killing, and its ethical judgment is to be wrong.
On one hand, predicting the meaning of “unjust killing” on “voluntary euthanasia” is incorrect in the sentence “voluntary euthanasia (which means taking the life of an incurable patient by his/her request to release him/her from intolerable suffering) is unjust killing”.
On the other hand, predicting the meaning of “mercy/just killing” on the word “voluntary euthanasia” is correct in the sentence: “voluntary euthanasia (which means taking the life of an incurable patient by his/her request to release him/her from intolerable suffering) is mercy or just killing”.