Episode 189: Euthanasia Advocacy and the Ethical and Legal Questions it Raises (February 26, 2021)

The Open Door discusses euthanasia advocacy and the ethical and legal questions it raises. Richard Stith is our special and returning guest. He is a Senior Research Professor of Law at Valparaiso University. Prof. Stith serves on the board of the Consistent Life Network, an organization that combats abortion, euthanasia, war, the death penalty, racism, and poverty. 1. Some argue that there should be a right to assisted suicide and euthanasia. What would be the basis of such a right?2. You have suggested that a kind of "constructionist dehumanization" is a factor contributing to the current push for assisted suicide and euthanasia. Could you please explain this dynamic?3. What dangers come with this kind of advocacy?4. How does our understanding of suffering help shape our policy on assisted suicide and euthanasia?5. Again, what dangers come into play here?6. Personal autonomy is at the core of contemporary society. Is our demand for choice, seemingly for its own sake, another major factor in the push for assisted suicide and euthanasia?7. If so, what dangers come with this demand?8. Why are disability groups skeptical about the drive for assisted suicide and euthanasia?9. Are there new pressures that the elderly and sick and disabled face with the coming of legal assisted suicide and euthanasia?10. What legal strategies are open to us in challenging demands for euthanasia and assisted suicide?