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John Hardwig Is There A Duty To Die

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In his essay "Is There a Duty to Die?" philosopher John Hardwig argues that in certain circumstances, individuals have a duty to die for the benefit of others. Specifically, he argues that in cases where a person's continued existence places significant burdens on their loved ones, they should consider euthanasia as a means of fulfilling this duty. However, I believe that this argument is deeply flawed and that there is no moral duty to die. One of the key problems with Hardwig's argument is that it places an undue burden on individuals to sacrifice their own lives for the benefit of others. While it is certainly true that caring for a terminally ill loved one can be difficult and emotionally taxing, it is not fair to expect that person to …show more content…

It implies that certain individuals have more value than others, and that some people's lives are expendable in order to benefit others. This devalues human life and undermines the fundamental principle that every individual has inherent worth and dignity. Hardwig's argument implies that a person's worth is contingent upon their ability to be a burden or not, which is a deeply disturbing view. Moreover, it is difficult to imagine a scenario where the duty to die would not be exploitable. Who gets to decide whether a person's continued existence constitutes a burden on their loved ones? Is it the family members themselves, or should an external authority be responsible for making this determination? The potential for abuse and coercion is significant, as some family members may feel pressure to convince their loved ones to end their lives in order to avoid the financial and emotional burden of caring for them. Finally, Hardwig's argument overlooks the fact that euthanasia is a complex and deeply controversial issue. There are many ethical and practical concerns that must be taken into account when considering whether to end a person's life, including questions of autonomy, dignity, and pain management. Simply asserting that some individuals have a duty to die is not enough to address these complex issues, and it fails to take into account the potential for unintended

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