Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Religious Studies – Anthology
56Not surprisingly the wedge argument is supported by those who wish to uphold the
SOL, those who have a strong deontology (that rules must be obeyed) and
genuinely feat that expectations are not in the end in people’s best interests. The
BMA c it es (Medic al Et hic s T oday, p.153) the situation in the Netherlands where
some 1000 (or 0.8 per cent) of all deaths a year are the result of non-voluntary
euthanasia.
Helga Kuhse challenges proponents of the wedge argument to provide
empirical evidence to support their case. Her own c onc lusion is that the wedge
argument is used by sc aremongers to support their c omplete ban on all forms of
euthanasia. The most frequently cited example of the wedge argument is the active
non-voluntary euthanasia prac tised by the Nazis during the Holoc aust years as a
form of eugenic s (literally ‘the produc tion of good offspring’) where the deaths of
millions were justified as part of the improvement of society. Kuhse c onc ludes:
whilst the Nazi ‘euthanasia’ programme is often cited as an example of
what c an happen when a soc iety ac knowledges that some lives are not
wort hy t o be lived, t he mot ivat ion behind t hese killings was neither mercy
nor respect for autonomy; it was, rather, racial prejudice and the belief
that racial purity of the Volk required t he eliminat ion of c ert ain individuals
and groups. As already noted, in the Netherlands a ‘social experiment’
wit h ac t ive voluntary euthanasia is c urrently in progress. As yet there is
no evidenc e that this has sent Dutc h soc iety down a slippery slope.
‘Euthanasia’, in P Singer (ed). Companion to Ethic s (1991), p.302.The SOL deontological response is to point to a number of rec ent liberalisat ions in
the law which illustrate the wedge taking effect. For instanc e, abortion in the UK is
illegal but is permit t ed in ext reme c ases. Sinc e 1967 (when the Abortion Ac t was
introduc ed in England and Wales), the large number of abortions for 16–24 -year-
olds suggests that ‘exceptions’ (e.g. threat to psychological life of the mother) are
effec t ively being used as a form of birt h c ont rol. Many people now think that
abort ion is legal and in prac t ic e an abort ion is usually given on demand. Another
example might be t he liberalising of t he divorc e laws and t he dec line of t he family.
Finally, as we have already seen, there are those who argue that legalising
euthanasia would not promote patient autonomy but in fac t reduc e it. Legislat ion
would do irreparable harm t o doc t or-patient relationships and destroy the trust
whic h is essent ial if a doc t or is going t o be able t o administ er t he right kind of c are.
T he following ext rac t from t he Brit ish Medic al Assoc iat ion illust rat es t he point :
We have c onsistently emphasised the importanc e of patient autonomy and
right s, reflec t ing t he weight soc iet y assigns t o individual freedom of
choice. Supporters of a right to die often present this issue as one of
personal libert y, maint aining t hat t herefore individuals should be ent it led
to assistanc e to end their lives at the time and in the manner they c hoose.
The BMA, however, maintains that autonomy has limits. The rights of one
group c annot be permitted to undermine the rights of others. Rec ognising
a legal right t o die would have implic at ions for t he whole of soc iet y and,
perhaps, most part ic ularly for it s vulnerable members.