Overlooking the Merits of the Individual Case (IN: Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility, edited by D E Wueste)

Some opponents of the legalization of voluntary euthanasia concede that there are some cases of euthanasia which, when considered solely on their merits, would be morally justified. They oppose legalization even in cases like these, however, because of the inevitability of mistakes & abuse. I argue that 2 kinds of evil are possible: the needless killing of curable patients without their true consent, & the pointless prolonging of the suffering of incurable terminal patients. I then argue that it is impossible to say in the abstract which of these types of evil is worse. I also discuss persistent vegetative states & the famous ‘Cruzan’ case in critical detail.