1. Euthanasia
Part II
Ethics Dr. Jason M. Chang

2. Active vs. Passive Euthanasia
American Medical Association’s (AMA) policy
“The intentional termination of the life of one human being by another – mercy killing – is contrary to that for which the medical profession stands and is contrary to the policy of the American Medical Association […] The cessation of employment of extraordinary means to prolong the life of the body when there is irrefutable evidence that biological death is immanent is the decision of the patient and/or immediate family.” (AMA, Opinions of Judicial Council, 1973)

3. Active vs. Passive Euthanasia
“The State has reaffirmed the line between ‘killing’ and ‘letting die’ ”
-U.S. Supreme Court, Vacco v. Quill

4. The Difference Thesis
There is a moral difference between killing and letting die: it is morally worse to kill than to let die.

5. James Rachels, “Active and Passive Euthanasia”
Objective of article:
To refute the Difference Thesis
To argue that there is moral difference between active and passive euthanasia

6. James Rachels, “Active and Passive Euthanasia”
Point #1: Active vs. Passive Euthanasia
Patient with throat cancer
Rachels’s point
Active euthanasia is sometimes preferable to passive euthanasia

7. James Rachels, “Active and Passive Euthanasia”
Point #2: No moral difference between killing and letting die
Smith and Jones example
Rachels’s point
Difference Thesis is false

8. Winston Nesbitt, “Is Killing No Worse Than Letting Die?”
Objective of article:
To refute the examples presented by Rachels that presume to show that the Difference Thesis is false

9. Winston Nesbitt, “Is Killing No Worse Than Letting Die?”
Revisiting Rachel’s Example:
Nesbitt concedes that we both Smith and Jones equally reprehensible
Nesbitt asks, “What are the grounds for judging Smith and Jones as reprehensible”

10. Grounds for judging Smith
He killed his nephew for personal gain
Grounds for judging Jones
He was prepared to kill his nephew, and would have done so if necessary
Images from:

11. Winston Nesbitt, “Is Killing No Worse Than Letting Die?”
Nesbitt’s revised example – Jones slips and hits his head
In revised example, Jones is just as reprehensible as Smith
What makes each equally morally reprehensible is that each was fully prepared to kill for motives of personal gain – NOT because killing and letting die are morally equivalent.

12. Winston Nesbitt, “Is Killing No Worse Than Letting Die?”
Nesbitt’s second revised example – Jones draws the line at killing

13. Bibliography
Lewis Vaughn. “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide”, in Contemporary Moral Arguments, 2nd edition, Oxford, (2013),
“Is Euthanasia Wrong III”. Retrieved from: <