The distinction between kill and help to die is argued by analogy with the distinction between rape and make love to. The difference is the consent ofthe receiver of the act, therefore kill is the wrong wordfor an act ofactive voluntary euthanasia. The argument that doctors must not be allowed by law to perform active voluntary euthanasia because this would recognise an infringement ofthe sanctity of life (the red light principle) is countered by comparing such doctors with the drivers ofemergency vehicles, who are allowed to drive through red lights. The deliberate killing of one private citizen by another is deeply disapproved of in our society, the action defined as a crime and its perpetrator severely punished. In any discussion of the circumstances of such an act the pronouncement Thou shalt not kill is confidently expected to be unanswerable, and the confidence is usually justified.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 03:45:43 +0000
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