Purdue University Physician Assisted Death Discussion

write minimum 1300 words based on the instructions

Note: Its not a research type of paper, but an argument. Super clear Thesis. 3 main arguments. Focus should mostly be on personhood, quality vs quantity of.

Many states have now passed laws allowing those who are terminally ill to end their lives by taking medication prescribed by their doctor. In our book, we defined this as physician assisted death, or PAD. Most laws in the US focus on allowing PAD only for the terminally ill, or those with less than 6 months to live. But, what if a patient is experiencing unbearable suffering but is not terminal? What if a patient is suffering from Alzheimer’s but not terminal? For more see this story: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/10/… Should patients be allowed access to PAD when they experience an essential loss of their personhood? (the question is: should access to PAD be expanded beyond what is currently considered, particularly for “loss of personhood”). If you choose this paper topic, you should not simply give an argument for or against euthanasia, although you may certainly use ideas discussed about euthanasia. Instead, you should also explore the idea of personhood and think about the quality vs quantity of

Essay Plans: The plan should include the following items:

• Title •

3 Thesis: This must be a prescriptive claim. For example: I think we should not put children in solitary confinement. Your thesis should be SUPER clear.

• 2-3 Main Arguments: Each main argument should be centered around a class concept or idea (for example Kantian ethics or the idea of an open future). You will explain what this idea is and why it is important. You will then apply it to your argument and explain how it is related to your thesis. If you need additional facts, you can add them to support your theoretical concept/idea.

• 1-2 Objections: Here, you will imagine how someone might object. Try to think of a theoretical idea/concept that opposes one of your main point. For example, the principles of autonomy and paternalism oppose each other. If you use autonomy as a main argument, you could draw on paternalism here. Or, think about how utilitarianism might initially suggest one course of action, but how a deeper look at utilitarianism looking at long term consequences might suggest an opposing course of action. Use articles that contradict one another—for example, Gay-Williams opposes James Rachel’s ideas about euthanasia. Use the concepts/ ideas in different ways to make your own arguments!

Mechanics ? Essay Plans should be about 500 words. Plans over 650 words will lose points. ? The paper should be about 1,200-2,000 words (3-5 double spaced pages). If the paper is over 2,500 words I will deduct points. ? Put the word count at the top of your essay plan and paper.

Very Important ? Make sure each section of your paper is centered around a philosophical idea/concept. This is NOT a research project or paper based on just facts. It is a chance for you to think about the IDEAS/CONCEPTS we have already learned, explain them and apply them to different, real life situations. You must focus your paper on engaging with course materials (not on ‘outside’ research). If you do not do this sufficiently, you will receive, at most, a D on this paper. This should be an argumentative paper. Facts are important, but those are the basis (data points) for your argument. In ethics, the main question is “what should we do?” ? Regardless of the topic chosen, explain what you are talking about clearly, as if the reader is NOT familiar with the topic. Imagine you are writing to a friend or a parent who is interested in your topic, but HAS NOT TAKEN THIS CLASS. This means you will have to explain everything! ? Narrow down your topic. There are many things you could say; don’t say them all. Pick a clear and narrow thesis, and 2-3 points to support that thesis. Focus on identifying the best arguments for and against (rather than as many as you can). ? Make sure you consider 1-2 or so objections to your view and respond to them.

. Philosophical concepts. Your paper must be organized around philosophical concepts and ideas. Make sure you clearly explain and apply all philosophical concept/ideas you are using in your own words. ‘Explaining’ means describing the moral concept in general in enough detail that someone who has never heard of the concept would be able to understand how it is being used. Explaining the concept before applying it demonstrates that you fully understand the concepts being used and discussed in the essay. ‘Applying’ means explicitly showing how the concept being discussed fits into the specific issue that you are discussing. For example, if you are using the idea of utilitarianism, you would explicitly show whose pleasure is being included and how that pleasure is being maximized and do a sort of utilitarian calculus.

4. Clarity and Organization. Your paper should be very clear and well organized. Each paragraph should be clearly centered around one and only one idea. It’s a good idea to state this idea clearly in the beginning (or at the end) of your paragraph and then organize your paragraph in such a way that it provides support for this idea. Use headings for each section of your paper, just like you do in the essay plan. This really helps! 5. Polishing. You should check your spelling and grammar before handing in your paper. You should also read your paper aloud. This seems like a silly idea but reading your paper slowly and loudly will help you identify awkward and unclear sentences. You can also give your paper to a friend to read and ask him/her for detailed and honest.