Ethical Dilemma Analysis | Case Study

ETHICAL DILEMMA ANALYSIS
STUDENT DETAILS
2020

ETHICAL DILEMMA ANALYSIS 1
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Ethical Dilemma.........................................................................................................................2
Ethical Theories.........................................................................................................................3
Kant Theory of Ethics............................................................................................................3
Virtue Ethics...........................................................................................................................3
Analysis of the ethical theories..................................................................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5

ETHICAL DILEMMA ANALYSIS 2
Introduction
The ethical dilemma is a situation in which the result of the decision-making process
is neither accepted nor rejected. In such cases, the ethical theories are applied which guides
whether the action is to be done or not. The report is focused on analysing an ethical dilemma
in which the prisoner request for physician-assisted suicide; therefore, it is required to be
analysed whether it is ethical or not. Kant theory of ethics and Virtue ethics is being used as
ethical theories to analyse the situation within the case.
Ethical Dilemma
The case is based on the physician-assisted suicide in Belgium, as the nation does not
have any specific law that leads towards death penalty to the prisoner, therefore the law
allows people to undergo physician-assisted suicide in the case when they are not able to bear
the mental or the physical pain. In the case, Bleeken has been in prison from the past thirty
years, and due to the pain, that he was suffering within the prison, he requested the
government to undergo physician-assisted suicide. Therefore, as per the law Bleeken can be
allowed by the government to undergo physician-assisted suicide under certain
circumstances, but the ethical dilemma lies in the situation that whether it is ethical to allow
such procedure.
The ethics suggest that the activities are moral only when it does not result in harm to
individuals within the society, but in the case mentioned, physician-assisted suicide will
result in death of individual, on the other hand, the individual is suffering from unbearable
psychological pain, due to which the individual is living his life in mental as well as physical
pain. Therefore, the ethical dilemma lies within the situation whether it is ethical to allow
such an individual to end his life or not.