Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Religious Studies – Anthology
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is frequently referred to because it most clearly expresses the balance between the
popular will, medic al prac t ic e and legal c ont rol. (For a full ac c ount see Singer,
Rethinking Life and Death, 1994, pp.143–7). T he c ase is for physic ian-assisted
suic ide.
- Merc y killing is illegal, but where t here is a c onflic t of dut ies between the
doc tor’s medic al ethic s and the demands of the patient euthanasia may be
permitted (the key issue therefore is that of conflict of duties.) - Only a medical practitioner may be permitted to carry out euthanasia.
- The patient must make his or her request to die persistently and explicitly.
- The patient’s request must be freely made, well-informed and without c oerc ion.
- The patient’s condition must be one where there is no foreseeable room for
improve ment and where there is unbearable pain. All ot her alt ernat ives for
relieving pain should have been c onsidered. - A doctor should seek advic e and sec ond opinion of another independent doc tor.
- The Dutc h parliament regularised this proc edure in 1993. The doc tor must
report his or her ac tion to the public prosec utor who then judges eac h situation
case by case. A doctor may be prosecuted if the above criteria have not been
adhered to.
iii) T he USA
In the USA the movement is towards ‘proxy empowerment’ and developing the use
of living wills. T he movement is t owards physic ian-assisted suicide. Physic ian-
assisted suicide is strongly resisted by t he pro-life movement.
iv) Aust ralia
In Australia there is no uniform law; however, a doc tor may disc ontinue life-support
at the request of the patient. This does not c onstitute, for the purposes of law,
assisted suicide. In the State of Victoria an act of 1988 permits a person to appoint
a proxy. In South Australia a person may use an advanc e direc tive under the 1983
Natural Death Ac t refusing ‘extraordinary treatments’ should they bec ome
incapacitated.
c) Objections to legalising euthanasia
One of the primary objec t ions t o legalising eut hanasia has been t he slippery slope
or wedge argument. The wedge argument is based on a form of logic whic h argues
t hat what may be permit t ed init ially as an exception becomes the rule. T his is
borne out by the observation that:
- there are always those who exploit a weaker rule
- what begins with the best of intentions results in undesirable ends.