The argument that euthenasia is an act of compassion and mercy can also be contradicted. There are many drugs available today that can be used to control pain; "Nearly all pain can be eliminated and - in those rare cases where it can't be eliminated - it can still be reduced significantly if proper treatment is provided" (Reasons for Euthanasia). There is also the contention that is euthanasia was legalized in society it could easily be abused for other purposes. It would be very difficult in some cases to distinguish acts of compassion from murder (Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: The Current Debate). In the final analysis the argument against euthanasia must be a moral one. It simply refers to the view that as human beings we do not have the moral right to decide who lives and who dies. This is a central facet of all ethical and moral systems as well as formal religions. It is a sad fact that in the modern civilized world human life is often not valued and it is this erosion of the fundamental value and worth of human life that should be condemned. Euthanasia is a reflection of this reduction of value. While there are certainly extreme cases of hopeless suffering that may be seen as grounds for euthanasia we must be on guard against the reduction of the value of human life and the too easy application of laws and norms...

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Explain how Utilitarianism might be applied to the issue of euthanasia. Retrieved July 30,2009, from http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/euthanasia/utilitarianism

_and_euthanasia_exam_question.doc

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There are of course many shades of utilitarianism and the above refers to the formal to conventional utilitarian approaches.