The Case Of Frank Van Den Bleeken - 1672 Words

In the case of Frank Van Den Bleeken, a male described as an irrepressible rapist asked to undergo physician assisted suicide in order to end his life. Since Van Den Bleeken was continuing his psychologically unbearable sentence in Belgium, physician assisted suicide was an impending option as it had been made legal in the country back in 2002 (Krugel, 2016). Through ethical analysis, Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill would reach an agreement in which Van Den Bleeken should be restricted his right to physician assisted suicide. The three philosophers had various epistemological thought processes and ethical theories applied in determining what was moral. Whether it was the individual’s duty to stay in jail, the best option†¦show more content†¦Immanuel Kant stressed the idea that humans are not mentally capacitated to choose to take their own lives, as they are â€Å"finite rational being† (Gregor, 1998, p.513). Humans require the help and supp ort of others in order to make judicious, life changing decisions. While physician assisted suicide often involves screening by psychologists and therapists to assure the individual is â€Å"qualified†, it is inevitably the patient’s choice. But the choice to undergo physician assisted suicide would be to end suffering and therefore promote happiness. Except, Kantian Ethics does not have a particular end goal, such as happiness. Kantian Ethics promotes one’s duty, and Frank’s duty would be to accept his punishment and live his life in jail. Another highly acknowledgeable focus of Kantian Ethics includes two imperatives: hypothetical and categorical. As unconditional, vital instructions, categorical imperatives aim to guide individual to follow their duties. Kant would emphasize the importance of the second formulation within the categorical imperative stating how people are not to be used as a means in and of themselves but also as an ends (O’Neil, 1993). In the instance of Van Den Bleeken, the physician would provide the necessary materials and environment for a painless death, but would only be the means to Frank’s end. Kant would agree that all physician assisted suicide is therefore not following moral law, because the physicians are considered moralShow MoreRelatedThe Case Of Frank Van Den Bleeken1471 Words   |  6 Pages#1 In the case of Frank Van Den Bleeken, a male described as an irrepressible rapist asked to undergo physician assisted suicide in order to end his life. Since Van Den Bleeken was living his psychologically unbearable sentence in Belgium, physician assisted suicide was an impending option, as it had been made legal in the country back in 2002 (Krugel, 2016). Through ethical analysis, Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill’s would reach an agreement in which Van Den Bleeken should beRead MoreThe Ethics Of An Physician Assisted Suicide2729 Words   |  11 Pagesfact of if this is wrong or right to do. The purpose of physician assisted suicide, as well as how humans manipulated this phenomenon, and the controversy of this topic, amongst other prevalent information will be discussed. There will be some court cases that will be mentioned to prove when it should be used and when it should not be used. I will attempt to provide my position to this topic, although it may b e hard to do so. Laws in which PAS can be done will be mentioned as well as other alternatives