Passive euthanasia is unethical - Essay Example

Euthanasia Passive euthanasia is the failure to provide possibly life-saving or life-extending medical treatment for a patient. It also requires theintent, by the person withholding treatment, of causing that patient's death. No one is actively killing the patient; instead, the doctor or other care taker is simply not performing an action that would save the patient. Withholding medication, various medical therapies, CPR, or even food and water classify as passive euthanasia. Voluntary passive euthanasia has two forms: the patient decides for themselves that their medical treatment is making them feel worse and withdraws from treatment, or the patient is deemed legally incompetent and a guardian decides that euthanasia is the correct course.

Especially due to this second form being in existence, passive euthanasia is unethical. Ethical behavior is defined as following behavioral standards and values of the community and of society in general. In medicine, ethics involve applying values and judgements to the practice of medicine, in order to find a balance between the wishes of an individual and the impact of those actions on the community at large. Primarily, ethical behavior for physicians involves respecting the principles of patient autonomy, promoting the well-being of others, avoidance of harm, justice, protecting the dignity of the patient, and honesty.

Passive euthanasia is unethical because it fails to meet several of the criteria for ethical behavior in physicians. In the case where a guardian decides that the best thing to do is euthanasia and the physician complies, the physician is failing to meet the ethical standard for patient autonomy. Even when the patient decides for themselves that they wish to have treatment withdrawn, obliging with those wishes could be considered failing to avoid harm to the patient, and possibly even a violation of the ethical principle of justice.