Abstract
David Shaw presents a new argument to support the old claim that there is not a significant moral difference between killing and letting die and, by implication, between active and passive euthanasia. He concludes that doctors should not make a distinction between them. However, whether or not killing and letting die are morally equivalent is not as important a question as he suggests. One can justify legal distinctions on non-moral grounds. One might oppose physician-assisted suicide and active euthanasia when performed by doctors on patients whether or not one is in favour of the legalisation of assisted suicide and active euthanasia.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 306-309 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Medical Ethics |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2010 |
Keywords
- medical ethics
- euthanasia