Euthanasia, Ethics and Economics

Abstract

Rioclkw lSSN 0269-9702 Volurnc 4 Nurnbn 2 1990 EUTHANASIA, ETHICS AND ECONOMICS HETA HAYRY AND MATT1 HAYRY 1 In reviewing Daniel Callahan's book Setting Limits ' in a recent issueof Bioethics Peter Singer points out an important failure in many recent attempts to tackle the growing financial problems of organized health care.2 There are theorists who in the name of economic necessity put forward views arguing that the elderly or the disabled or the poor can without qualms be denied the benefits of advanced medicine, but who at the same time firmly refuse every attempt towards legalizing medical euthanasia. Yet euthanasia would very probably have some effect at least on the monetary side of the issue, since it would put an end to the waste of many expensive life-prolonging treatments which are performed at present on terminal and suffering patients against their own wishes.Although the pros and cons of euthanasia have been thoroughly discussed in philosophical and legal debates during the 70s and 80s, the financial aspect has not often been brought to the fore by proponents of permissive p~licies.~ This is probably because their opponents have been busy drawing attention to the alleged similarities between the Nazi euthanasia programmes and attempts to defend people's right to die. Therefore in the eyes of the general public any implication of economic considerations has underlined, rather unfairly, the supposed inhumanity of legalizing euthanasia. But there are, in ' D. Callahan, Setting Limits: Medical Goals in an Aginf Society (New York: Simon P. Singer, 'Review essay: Setting Limits', Bioethics 2 (1988): 151-169, pp. As was pointed out to us by one of our referees, an exception to this is M. Tooley, who discusses the cost of maintaining life in his 'Decisions to terminate life and the concept of a person', in J. Ladd (ed.), Ethical ZSSUCS Related to Lye and Death (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979), pp. 72-75. and Schuster, 1987). 167-169.

Roles of Justice in Bioethics

“…Philosophers offered more systematic solutions to the questions of justice in the distribution of scarce medical resources. 65 The appearance of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the 1980s was a novel threat to humanity, but also an opportunity for bioethics. 66 Epidemics had been experienced since time immemorial, but the new academic discipline had emerged during a period when people in affluent countries had lulled themselves into believing that advances in medicine had made pestilences a thing of the past.…”

Those left behind: Euthanasia, suicide and other regarding preferences

“…We are in effect crowding-out the individuals ability to make the choice for themselves with legal impediments. Hayry and Hayry (1990) posed that "when people are capable of making decisions and forming judgments concerning their own life and death, it would be a violation of their moral autonomy not to act according to their considered wishes." This is profoundly summed up by Clark (1993: 73-74), "If I choose to live, it would be appalling if society killed me.…”

“…We are in effect crowding-out the individuals ability to make the choice for themselves with legal impediments. Hayry and Hayry (1990) posed that “when people are capable of making decisions and forming judgments concerning their own life and death, it would be a violation of their moral autonomy not to act according to their considered wishes.” This is profoundly summed up by Clark (1993: 73–74), “If I choose to live, it would be appalling if society killed me. If I choose to die, it is equally appalling if society keeps me alive.” In one of his letters, the famous Roman scholar Seneca once wrote “This is the one reason why we cannot complain of life: it keeps no one against his will” (Seneca, 2015: 161).…”