Medical ethics are 'the values and guidelines governing decisions in medical practice' as noted by The

Free Dictionary. By discussing the controversial topic of Euthanasia, I will compare contrasting ethical
principles and theories and the legal issues surrounding this topic. The ethical principles outlined will be
autonomy, non-maleficence, benevolence and utility.

Furthermore, the ethical theories supporting these principles that will also be outlined are;
utilitarianism, deontology, Rawls's theory of justice, natural law ethics, virtue ethics and care ethics
(Schwartz, Peerce and Hendry, 2002). Utilitarianism An ethical theory which falls into the bracket of
Autonomy, meaning; 'the quality or state of being independent, free and self-directing' Merriam-
Webster.om is Utilitarianism which claims that people should act to increase human well-being the
principle of Autonomy relates to this ethical theory because allowing a patient to be autonomous can
sometimes be the answer to maximizing human well-being as; a patient being independent to make
their own decisions in regard to treatment or refusal of treatment takes into account that every
individual patient knows themselves better than anyone and therefore should be able to make the best
decision to maximize their well-being. However, this theory could also relate to the fact that medical
professionals are the most qualified to make any medical decisions concerning a patient in order to
maximize their welfare and this is further highlighted by the ethical principle of Benevolence, which is
the disposition to do good' Merriam-Webster.com. An example of a case where the ethical theory of
Utilitarianism could encounter opposition from legal factors that are involved is with Euthanasia which
is; 'the act or practice of killing someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any more
suffering' Merriam-Webster. Euthanasia, which is sometimes called a mercy killing, is currently illegal in
the United Kingdom due to concerns that people may take advantage of this for example; killing elderly
parents to earn an inheritance, to relieve a person from the responsibility of becoming a carer for a
dependent sick relative, there are also concerns that euthanasia being legalized could award doctors too
much power (Schwartz, Peerce and Hendry, 2002). However the theory of Utilitarianism could be used
to justify euthanasia if the patient's quality of life was extremely poor then the best way to maximise
human welfare may be to end the patients suffering in the form of a merciful and fast death, patients
that may be more inclined towards choosing euthanasia are those with debilitating diseases such as;
Multiple Sclerosis, which is an autoimmune disease that causes nerve damage and affects the central
nervous system negatively (Schwartz, Preece and Hendry, 2002),. Deontology Deontology, also known as
duty-based ethics is 'an approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions
themselves, as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of the consequences of those actions'. This
theory provides every person with a set of moral rules and duties that should be upheld and Holland
also emphasises that some actions should always be implemented and other actions should always be
avoided in deontology claiming that amoral value can be independent of consequences' therefore this
theory carries an aspect of certainty. Mastin mentions that there are two slightly contrasting branches
of Deontology; Kant's version and Ross's version, Kant's version states that certain actions are always
wrong despite how good the consequences of those actions may be whereas Ross's version allows for
modification of some rules to provide a better balance of duties. The ethical principle of autonomy is
limited in Deontology as every person is following the same set of moral rules. However the principle of
Benevolence is followed continually within this theory as a person's intentions have to be good in order
to satisfy the moral outlook of Deontology therefore there is a wouldisposition to do good' Merriam-
Webster.
In relation to Euthanasia, deontology does not support this act as it involves the killing of an innocent
person and this is morally wrong despite the possible positive consequences such as; relieving the pain
and suffering of a severely ill or dying person. Both Kantian Deontology and Rossian Deontology are
against the act of Euthanasia as in Kantian Deontology there are many perfect duties which a person
must follow including 'the duty to keep promises' and as all octors must take the Hippocratic Oath and
promise '...to use treatments for the benefit of the ill in accordance with my ability and my judgment,
but from what is to their harm and injustice I will keep them' they must uphold this promise, within
Rossian Deontology prima facies duty dictates that a person must perform the actions relative to the
greater good therefore treating a patient in a beneficial way in order to increase their quality of life not
to end their life. Rawl's Theory of Justice Rawl's theory explores the idea of justice being equal to
fairness and promotes equality in every form of human life, for example; equal opportunities being
available to all people from all walks of life as reported by Garrett. Virtue Ethics and Care Ethics Mastin
observes that the theory of virtue ethics considers an individual's nature as the fundamental component
of ethical thinking and takes into account a person's moral character, instead of considering
consequences or rules.