Singer Voluntary Euthanasia

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Voluntary Euthanasia : Only for the west ?
Euthanasia is the act of killing an incurably ill person order to relieve him/her from further pain and distress. Its literal meaning is a gentle and easy death. There are three types of euthanasia- voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary. In this essay, I shall focus on the first kind: voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is the euthanasia that is carried out at the request of the patient to be killed when s/he is in a competent state to make the decision (Singer 175). The act of euthanasia is controversial as it involves the killing of an innocent human. Today, the debate divides people into two groups- pro-life group and right to die. The former believes that euthanasia disregards the sanctity …show more content…
Singer has based his arguments with an emphasis on ‘I’, an individual, with no consideration of the others surrounding that individual. His arguments suggest that life has only intrinsic value. Giving an individual full autonomy is a western concept, which makes it necessary to ask if it is adaptable to the non-western societies. In my essay, I analyse how Singer has projected this imperialism and why this framework is …show more content…
He dismisses the first concern by stating voluntary euthanasia is a consensual act and hence if one is fearful of death s/he shall not request or withdraw his/her request. “.....if voluntary euthanasia is not permitted we may, with good cause, be fearful that our deaths will be unnecessarily drawn out and distressing” (186). The second and third arguments are countered by saying that individual may even have the desire to die and can hence also waive his/her right to life. The last argument is turned on its head to convey that respecting autonomous decisions shall make us respect the choice to die as well, than to suffer in

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