Deck 15: Euthanasia

Question 1

Talk about:
-Active euthanasia

Answer 1

euthanasia that occurs as the intentional termination of a patient's life that involves taking means to hasten her death.

Question 2

Talk about:
-Advanced directive

Answer 2

a document detailing a person's wishes about medical treatment in the event that that person can no longer communicate those wishes to a doctor.

Question 3

Talk about:
-Euthanasia

Answer 3

the practice of assisting in a patient's death, where such assistance is motivated by the hope of benefiting the patient.

Question 4

Talk about:
-Involuntary euthanasia

Question 5

Talk about:
-Legal moralism

Question 6

Talk about:
-Legal paternalism

Question 7

Talk about:
-Non-voluntary euthanasia

Question 8

Talk about:
-Passive euthanasia

Question 9

Talk about:
-Physician-assisted suicide

Question 10

Talk about:
-Slippery slope argument

Question 11

Talk about:
-Voluntary euthanasia

Question 12

By what feature is euthanasia distinguished from other behaviors that result in the death of an innocent person?

A) It is motivated by the desire to benefit other people.
B) It is motivated by the hope of benefiting the patient.
C) Both a and a
D) Neither a nor a

Question 13

Which of the following is a type of euthanasia?

A) Voluntary
B) Passive
C) Active
D) All of the above

Question 14

Proponents of the Impossibility of Voluntary Euthanasia Argument argue that

A) patients can never choose to end their lives voluntarily.
B) it is not possible for the end of someone's life to be good for them.
C) only some people who are eligible for euthanasia can be choosing voluntarily.
D) None of the above

Question 15

According to the Slippery Slope Argument,

A) whether or not terrible abuse of euthanasia is likely, it should be illegal.
B) if active euthanasia is immoral, then it should also be illegal.
C) if legalizing active euthanasia would eventually lead to terrible abuse, then active euthanasia should be illegal.
D) All of the above

Question 16

Which of these outcomes might a proponent of the Slippery Slope Argument be concerned about?

A) We will allow the killing of infants born with various illnesses and deformities.
B) We will allow the killing of the mentally ill.
C) Medical professionals will be killing elderly patients who want to live, but whose care is extremely expensive.
D) All of the above

Question 17

What is the name for a form of argument that is designed to criticize certain social innovations on the grounds that allowing them will lead to terrible results in the long run?

A) An equivalence argument
B) An absolutist argument
C) A legal argument
D) A slippery slope argument

Question 18

One argument that active euthanasia is morally permissible begins with the premise that if an act is _______ and prevents needless suffering, then it is morally acceptable.

A) socially efficient
B) compassionate
C) morally justified
D) retributivist

Question 19

Critics of the Compassion Argument must show that some

A) cases of passive euthanasia are not compassionate.
B) cases of passive euthanasia are not morally acceptable.
C) compassionate actions are morally acceptable.
D) compassionate actions are immoral.

Question 20

According to the Equivalence Argument, there is no moral difference between which two things?

A) Involuntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia
B) Active euthanasia and passive euthanasia
C) Justified euthanasia and unjustified euthanasia
D) All of the above

Question 21

What is the case of Smith, Jones, and the child supposed to show?

A) There is no moral difference between killing and letting die.
B) Active euthanasia is compassionate and prevents needless suffering.
C) Legalizing active euthanasia would eventually lead to terrible abuse.
D) None of the above

Question 22

Which of these terms describes the capacity to determine for ourselves how we are going to live our life?

A) Paternalism
B) Compassion
C) Autonomy
D) Moralism

Question 23

What is the conclusion of the Autonomy Argument?

A) Active euthanasia should be illegal.
B) There is no morally relevant difference between active and passive euthanasia.
C) Many instances of active euthanasia should be legally permitted.
D) None of the above

Question 24

Which of the following is a case in which choosing to die might violate someone's rights?

A) A terminally ill teenager requests to be euthanized, even though it will cause his friends and family great suffering.
B) A single parent who is terminally ill requests euthanasia without having taken steps to ensure that her children will be well cared-for after her death.
C) A person causes their partner to suffer by requesting to be euthanized.
D) All of the above

Question 25

The claim that we can legally prohibit a person's behavior for their own good, even if that behavior is autonomous and violates no one's rights is called

A) the doctrine of double effect.
B) libertarianism.
C) legal moralism.
D) legal paternalism.

Question 26

People who favor legal moralism have proposed legislation that

A) bans indecent books.
B) criminalizes homosexual sex.
C) forbids the sale of liquor on Sundays.
D) All of the above

Question 27

Which of these claims is true about legal moralism and legal paternalism?

A) They may both be false.
B) If one is false, the other must be true.
C) If they are both false, the Autonomy Argument fails.
D) None of the above

Question 28

Which of these claims is true about the Doctors Must Not Kill Argument?

A) It relies on the idea that passive euthanasia is the intentional killing of an innocent person.
B) It contains a premise that is true by definition.
C) If it is sound, all euthanasia is morally forbidden.
D) All of the above

Question 29

What is the conclusion of the Absolutist Argument?

A) It is never morally permissible for doctors to perform active euthanasia.
B) Active euthanasia is morally acceptable.
C) Active euthanasia is never morally acceptable.
D) Active euthanasia should be illegal.

Question 30

Which of these arguments concerns the advisability of legalizing euthanasia rather than its moral status?

A) The Playing God Argument
B) The Absolutist Argument
C) The Compassion Argument
D) The Medical Error Argument

Question 31

Which of the following is an objection to the Playing God Argument discussed in the text?

A) God intended us to exercise our autonomy over small issues.
B) It is not clear why an all-loving God would require a person to experience agony that is unlikely to foster character development.
C) Suffering builds moral character.
D) All of the above

Question 32

What is the difference between active and passive euthanasia? Do you think this difference is morally important? Why or why not? Considering your answer to this question, present and defend a position regarding the moral permissibility of active euthanasia.

Question 33

In your own words, explain the Compassion Argument. Why might someone find this argument compelling? Do you think this argument is sound or unsound? In defending your evaluative stance, present what you think the strongest objection to this argument is and whether the objection succeeds.

Question 34

According to the Equivalence Argument, there is no morally relevant difference between killing and letting die. Do you agree with this claim? Use specific examples to motivate your position. Considering your answer, do you think active euthanasia is morally permissible? Why or why not?

Question 35

Explain the Doctors Must Not Kill Argument against the morality of doctors performing active euthanasia. Do you think that it follows from their "do not harm" oath that doctors should not perform active euthanasia? Defend your answer.

Question 36

Many people agree with the Playing God Argument against the morality of active euthanasia. In your opinion, what sense of "playing God" makes this argument the strongest? Is allowing passive euthanasia also an instance of "playing God?" Do you think the argument is sound? Why or why not?

Question 37

In the case of Jack, the cancer patient, Rachels claims that Jack's suffering is

A) the result of poor medical care.
B) preventable without resorting to euthanasia.
C) the inevitable product of his disease.
D) None of the above

Question 38

Rachels thinks that the Utilitarian Argument for the permissibility of active euthanasia

A) is the best argument for active euthanasia.
B) succeeds but is not the best argument for euthanasia.
C) does not succeed.
D) shows why active euthanasia is not morally permissible.

Question 39

Rachels concludes that euthanasia is

A) sometimes morally acceptable because it promotes the best interests of all involved and violates no one's rights.
B) never morally acceptable because it kills an innocent human being.
C) sometimes morally acceptable because it maximizes happiness.
D) never morally acceptable because it would be abused if it were allowed.

Question 40

According to Rachels, active euthanasia is sometimes in the best interests of

A) the person being euthanized.
B) the family of the person being euthanized.
C) people who do not even know the person being euthanized.
D) All of the above

Question 41

Rachels thinks that happiness and the avoidance of misery are

A) all that's morally important.
B) very morally important, but not the only things that are.
C) only somewhat morally important.
D) not morally important.

Question 42

Under which conditions does Rachels think that active euthanasia is morally permissible?

A) When it promotes the best interests of everyone concerned and violates no one's rights
B) When it is in the best interests of the patient
C) When the patient wants to die and it violates no one's rights
D) None of the above

Question 43

According to Rachels, if killing someone is in the best interests of everyone but that person does not want to die, then killing the person is morally

A) required.
B) permissible but not required.
C) impermissible.
D) None of the above

Question 44

Which of the following claims would Rachels accept?

A) Active euthanasia is sometimes morally permissible.
B) Active euthanasia is never morally permissible.
C) Utilitarianism is the correct moral theory.
D) Both a and c

Question 45

What does Rachels think is the best argument for active euthanasia?

A) The Utilitarian Argument
B) The Argument from Mercy
C) The Argument from Overpopulation
D) The Argument from Efficiency

Question 46

Which of the following does Rachels think is a good objection to utilitarianism?

A) It doesn't consider the variety of things that people derive pleasure from.
B) In some circumstances, it would justify killing innocent people who do not want to be killed.
C) It doesn't account for the fact that human capacities are different from those of animals.
D) None of the above

Question 47

Why does Rachels think that euthanasia is sometimes morally permissible? What do you think is the strongest objection to his view? Can he overcome this objection? Defend your answer.

Question 48

Explain Rachels's objections to the utilitarian argument for active euthanasia. Do you find Rachels's objections to utilitarianism to be compelling? Defend your answer.

Question 49

Write an essay critically assessing Rachels's "best interests" argument for active euthanasia. Present the argument in detail and then raise what you take to be the strongest objection to the argument. Do you think that Rachels can overcome this objection? Explain and defend your response.

Question 50

Kass argues that doctors should

A) only be permitted to kill their patients if their patients request it.
B) only be permitted to kill their patients if it is in the patient's best interest.
C) never be allowed to kill their patients.
D) None of the above

Question 51

In which of the following respects does Kass think legalizing euthanasia would harm the doctor-patient relationship?

A) Vulnerable patients will lose trust in their doctors.
B) Doctors will not be able to care wholeheartedly for patients.
C) Both a and b
D) Neither a nor b

Question 52

Kass argues that patients who are likely candidates for euthanasia won't be _______ if euthanasia is legalized.

A) the only ones who suffer
B) able to trust their doctors
C) able to give informed consent
D) All of the above

Question 53

Which of the following is not a limit set forth in the Hippocratic Oath?

A) No breach of confidentiality
B) No dispensing deadly drugs
C) No nonmutual exposure
D) No sexual relations with patients

Question 54

The Hippocratic Oath requires promising

A) not to prescribe a deadly drug when asked for it.
B) not to heal those who have committed deep injustices.
C) not to objectify patients with their gaze.
D) never to cease medical intervention.

Question 55

According to Kass, what is the supreme ethical principle restraining the physician's power?

A) The physician's compassion
B) The autonomy of the patient
C) The dignity of human life
D) The greatest happiness principle

Question 56

Kass argues that _______ can never be compatible with intentionally killing a patient.

A) wholeness and healing
B) compassion and sympathy
C) euthanasia
D) bringing nothingness

Question 57

Kass points out that healing the sick is in principle a project that

A) must violate human dignity.
B) must end with the physician doing harm.
C) must fail.
D) None of the above

Question 58

According to Kass, what do the dying most need?

A) Medical management of pain
B) Company and care
C) Technological assistance
D) The option for physician assistant suicide

Question 59

As an example of the ills of legalizing euthanasia, Kass references which country?

A) The Netherlands
B) Mexico
C) Canada
D) Sweden

Question 60

How does Kass answer the question of how doctors should care for patients at the end of their lives? Be sure to explain the roles played by the concepts of humanity, autonomy, and physician responsibility in his answer. Do you agree with his answer? Why or why not?

Question 61

Kass claims that there is a logical contradiction in the thought that a physician can benefit a patient by killing them. Explain why Kass thinks there is a logical contradiction here. Do you agree? Is there any way to make sense of euthanasia as a benefit to the patient? Explain and defend your answer.

Question 62

Kass's argument against active euthanasia takes the form of a slippery slope argument. Explain when Kass thinks is likely to happen if euthanasia is legalized. Do you find this argument effective? Do you find slippery slope arguments effective in general? Why or why not?

Question 63

Harris's survival lottery is a scheme where a computerized lottery is used to

A) select dying patients to be actively euthanized.
B) determine the order in which patients will receive organ transplants.
C) select which dying patients will receive organ transplants at all.
D) choose a healthy person to be killed so that their organs can be transplanted to dying patients.

Question 64

Which of the following is true of the survival lottery?

A) It involves killing innocent people.
B) It involves saving innocent people.
C) It is an attempt to ensure the survival of the maximum number of people possible.
D) All of the above

Question 65

Why, according to Harris, can doctors not defend inaction by arguing that neither law nor convention requires them to kill in order to save lives?

A) Because doing so begs the question
B) Because such an argument is an appeal to custom or authority
C) Because such an argument is an expression of moral squeamishness
D) All of the above

Question 66

What is one possible harmful side-effect of instituting the survival lottery according to Harris?

A) Distress and terror
B) An increase in crime
C) A deterioration in the doctor-patient relationship
D) Violent protests

Question 67

According to Harris, _______ should be not be allowed to benefit from the survival lottery.

A) the elderly
B) doctors
C) people to blame for their medical condition
D) people with criminal records

Question 68

According to Harris, what is the most promising objection to the survival lottery based on?

A) The biblical commandment against killing
B) The right of self-defense
C) The principle of common decency
D) The right to equal concern and respect

Question 69

Which of the following is not an objection Harris considers to the survival lottery?

A) The survival lottery violates the distinction between killing and letting people die.
B) The survival lottery involves playing God with people's lives.
C) The survival lottery is contrary to the human virtues of compassion and mercy.
D) The survival lottery unacceptably involves "third parties."

Question 70

How does Harris respond to the objection that the survival lottery runs counter to our desire for security?

A) He claims that the objection simply begs the question.
B) He points out that the chances of being selected in the lottery might be slimmer than being killed in a car accident.
C) He argues that our desire for security has less moral importance than a dying patient's desire to live.
D) He argues that our desire for security has no moral relevance.

Question 71

According to Harris, _______, in particular, ought to be in favor of the survival lottery.

A) utilitarians
B) virtue ethicists
C) absolutists
D) natural law theorists

Question 72

What is one practical obstacle to implementing the survival lottery according to Harris?

A) The time required to determine whether a patient is responsible for his condition
B) The computing technology required to implement the lottery.
C) The complications of organ transplantation
D) None of the above (There are no practical obstacles according to Harris.)

Question 73

Many would object to Harris's proposed survival lottery scheme on the grounds that it involves killing innocent people. But Harris claims that rejecting the survival lottery scheme involves killing innocent people as well. What is Harris's support for this claim? Is it convincing? Why or why not?

Question 74

According to Harris, what is the most promising objection to the survival lottery? How does Harris respond to this objection? Is his response compelling in your view? Why or why not?

Question 75

Of the objections Harris considers to the survival lottery, which is the strongest in your view? Which is the weakest? Explain and defend your answers.

Question 76

Case Study
For Kelly's entire life, snowboarding has been her single passion. She grew up in the hills of Vermont and took every possible chance to hit the slopes. Her talent and dedication were so great that she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team. She competed at two Olympic Games and won several medals. Sadly, while training for her third Olympic trials, she was involved in a devastating snowboarding accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down at the age of 24.
After four years of life as a quadriplegic, Kelly informs her loved ones and her doctors that she would like to end her life. She claims that the suffering of being unable to pursue her passion of snowboarding has been excruciating and that the life she leads is psychologically unbearable.
-What should Kelly's doctors do in response to her request? What moral principle should they use to guide their actions?

Question 77

Case Study
For Kelly's entire life, snowboarding has been her single passion. She grew up in the hills of Vermont and took every possible chance to hit the slopes. Her talent and dedication were so great that she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team. She competed at two Olympic Games and won several medals. Sadly, while training for her third Olympic trials, she was involved in a devastating snowboarding accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down at the age of 24.
After four years of life as a quadriplegic, Kelly informs her loved ones and her doctors that she would like to end her life. She claims that the suffering of being unable to pursue her passion of snowboarding has been excruciating and that the life she leads is psychologically unbearable.
-Should physical suffering and mental suffering be weighed differently when it comes to justifying active euthanasia? If so, why?