When might VE be a potential option?

1. When might VE be a potential option?

2. Practical reasons Terminally ill – better than waiting for possible long and painful death Deterioration Physical pain Mental /mental loss leading possibly to PVS Quality of life might be going – sportsperson left severely handicapped in wheelchair or bed Burden on family for care Don’t want to give family the responsibility of ending life – give it to doctors

3. Theoreticalreasons Should all have control over life and death. Take pills to ward off pain Your life is yours to choose when to end it. QUALITY of life is what is important Freedoms are only restricted in life when we harm others Taking own life is not harming others, so why not the right? Reasons for choices your own business Acceptable to end life if you want to spare yourself suffering and not burden family

4. When might involuntary euthanasia be an option? PVS with no predicted hope of recovery Possibly result of illness or injury Terminally ill person Suffering greatly unable to communicate wishes to others Person’s life is judged to be of such poor quality it is not worth living Child born with severe mental/ physical deformity which will cause pain/suffering Limited resources for NHS Why use precious resources on someone with no hope instead of where there might be hope of recovery

5. Theoreticalreasons • Society has duty to protect weak and prevent unnecessary suffering • As we have the technology to prevent suffering we should use it • Involuntary euthanasia might be what the person wants but they can’t express it. • Duty to act on their behalf • Society has to make choices about the quality of life • If a child’s life will never be near ‘normal’ do we have a duty to end the child’s life humanely. • Parents must think about the child and not themselves • So sometimes a duty to override parents’ wishes