A doctor's main job is to relieve his patient's pain, even if it doesn't help him. People don't want to have to endure pain and misery at the end of their lives. They want to die quickly and painlessly, but this idea goes against what people call the “sanctity of life.” Kant wrote about this concept, saying that he thought it was false because one could not universally want everyone to want to die prematurely if they found themselves in a similar situation. On the other hand, utilitarians would favor euthanasia in cases like this because it promotes the most happiness and relieves pain and suffering. In this case, Jessica would experience no happiness because she would be dead, but her parents would be happier because they would not have to watch their daughter go through days of unimaginable and excruciating pain. Assuming the law allows euthanasia, I believe this would be the case. be morally permissible to euthanize Jessica. However, I think Jessica should have been more involved in the decision than she was. While in the hospital, Jessica had no desire to live and was not interested in interacting with the world. Doctors said his situation was medically desperate and there was nothing else they could do. At this point, she was only expected to live a few more days. Jessica is considered a minor, so the decision is ultimately up to the parents. I think they had her best interests in mind when they made the decision not to resuscitate her if something were to happen. Jessica may be a competent human being, but her rationality is called into question since she was only seven years old. However, because euthanasia was illegal, Jessica's parents had to spend the last 72 hours of their daughter's life watching her writhe in pain...... middle of paper ...... f them because the last moments you spent with them were so traumatic. Jessica's parents wanted their daughter to die painlessly so they could focus only on the good memories. They were unable to do so because of the laws in place, which is why the law should be changed to allow euthanasia in cases like this. Jessica's parents spent the final hours of Jessica's life helplessly watching her die a slow, painful death, something they were ultimately trying to avoid. Works Cited Kamm, FM (1997). A right to choose death? Retrieved from http://blackboard.bu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?Lindsay, R.A., Beauchamp, T.L., & Dick, P. (2006). Accelerated death and regulation of the practice of medicine. In T. Beauchamp, L. Walters, J. Kahn, & A. Mastroianni (Eds.), Contemporary issues in bioethics (p. 435). Thomson Wadsworth.