How do the sanctity of life and quality of life principles, and the ethical theories, apply to voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia?
Component 02 Applied ethics (euthanasia): the sanctity of life and quality of life principles, voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia, and the application of natural law and situation ethics to end-of-life decisions.
An OCR A-Level Religious Studies Component 02 guide to euthanasia. Covers the sanctity of life and quality of life principles, voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia, the active/passive distinction, and how natural law, situation ethics and utilitarianism apply to end-of-life decisions, with the AO2 evaluation the exam rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR Component 02 requires you to apply the normative theories to euthanasia, one of its two named issues of medical and applied ethics. The debate turns on two rival principles, the sanctity of life and the quality of life, and on the types of euthanasia (voluntary and non-voluntary, active and passive). You must show how natural law, situation ethics and utilitarianism handle end-of-life decisions. The exam rewards explaining the principles and types precisely and then evaluating the strongest case on each side.
The answer
Sanctity of life and quality of life
Types of euthanasia
Natural law on euthanasia
Situation ethics and utilitarianism on euthanasia
Examples in context
Try this
Q1. "Situation ethics is the most useful approach to euthanasia." Discuss. [40 marks]
- What the marker wants. An AO2 essay weighing situation ethics (agape, person-centred, flexible) against natural law (sanctity, double effect) and utilitarianism (welfare, slippery slope), judging which best handles end-of-life decisions. AO1 out of 25, AO2 out of 15.
Q2. Assess whether there is a real moral difference between active and passive euthanasia. [40 marks]
- Cue. Natural law and double effect treat withdrawing treatment differently from killing, but critics argue the outcome and intention can be the same. Weigh the act-omission and intention distinctions and judge.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H573/02 2019 (style)20 marksAssess the usefulness of natural law in dealing with issues surrounding euthanasia. (The full OCR tariff for this essay is 40 marks; the worked answer below is scaled to a 20-mark exemplar.)Show worked answer →
A 40-mark Component 02 essay on the six-level scheme (AO1 out of 25, AO2 out of 15). Applying the theory earns AO1; the higher levels reward judging its usefulness here.
Explain (AO1). Natural law's primary precept to preserve life makes direct euthanasia wrong, since it intentionally destroys an innocent life and offends the sanctity of life. Double effect, though, permits high-dose pain relief that foreseeably shortens life, because death is foreseen, not intended.
Evaluate (AO2). Strengths: a clear, principled defence of life that resists a "slippery slope". Weaknesses: it can prolong unbearable suffering, overrides patient autonomy, and rests on a religious sanctity-of-life premise that a secular or quality-of-life view rejects; double effect's intention line looks artificial.
Judge. A top answer decides whether natural law's protection of life outweighs its costs in suffering and autonomy, and defends the verdict.
OCR H573/02 2022 (style)20 marksCritically assess the view that the sanctity of life should always outweigh the quality of life. (The full OCR tariff for this essay is 40 marks; the worked answer below is scaled to a 20-mark exemplar.)Show worked answer →
A levels-of-response essay testing AO1 understanding of the two principles and AO2 evaluation of their conflict.
Explain. The sanctity of life holds that human life is intrinsically and equally sacred (made in God's image, a gift from God), so it must never be intentionally taken. The quality of life view holds that what matters is whether a life is worth living (autonomy, freedom from suffering, dignity), which can justify euthanasia.
Evaluate. Sanctity gives equal protection and resists abuse but can demand suffering with no purpose; quality respects autonomy and compassion but raises the question of who judges a life not worth living, and risks devaluing the disabled.
Judge. A high-level answer weighs whether sanctity should be absolute or yield to quality and autonomy, and reaches a justified conclusion.
Related dot points
- Component 02 Natural law: Aquinas's four tiers of law, the primary and secondary precepts, real and apparent goods, and the doctrine of double effect, with strengths and weaknesses as an ethical theory.
An OCR A-Level Religious Studies Component 02 guide to natural law. Covers Aquinas's four tiers of law, the five primary precepts and the secondary precepts derived from them, real and apparent goods, and the doctrine of double effect, with the strengths and weaknesses and the AO2 evaluation the exam rewards.
- Component 02 Situation ethics: Fletcher's agape, the four working principles (pragmatism, relativism, positivism, personalism) and the six fundamental principles, with strengths and weaknesses as an ethical theory.
An OCR A-Level Religious Studies Component 02 guide to situation ethics. Covers Fletcher's principle of agape, the four working principles (pragmatism, relativism, positivism, personalism) and the six fundamental principles, with the strengths, weaknesses and AO2 evaluation the exam rewards.
- Component 02 Utilitarianism: Bentham's hedonic calculus, Mill's higher and lower pleasures and harm principle, and the contrast between act and rule utilitarianism, with strengths and weaknesses.
An OCR A-Level Religious Studies Component 02 guide to utilitarianism. Covers Bentham's principle of utility and hedonic calculus, Mill's qualitative distinction between higher and lower pleasures, the contrast between act and rule utilitarianism, and the strengths and weaknesses (calculation, the tyranny of the majority, justice) the exam asks you to evaluate.
- Component 02 Applied ethics (sexual ethics): premarital and extramarital sex and homosexuality, the application of natural law, situation ethics, Kantian ethics and utilitarianism, and the influence of developments in religious belief.
An OCR A-Level Religious Studies Component 02 guide to sexual ethics. Covers premarital and extramarital sex and homosexuality, how natural law, situation ethics, Kantian ethics and utilitarianism apply, and the influence of developments in religious belief, with the AO2 evaluation the exam rewards.
- Component 02 Applied ethics (business ethics): corporate social responsibility, globalisation and whistleblowing, Friedman's shareholder view, and the application of Kantian ethics and utilitarianism to business.
An OCR A-Level Religious Studies Component 02 guide to business ethics. Covers corporate social responsibility, globalisation and whistleblowing, Friedman's view that the social responsibility of business is to increase profits, the stakeholder alternative, and how Kantian ethics and utilitarianism apply to business, with the AO2 evaluation the exam rewards.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level Religious Studies (H573) specification — OCR (2016)
- BBC Ethics Guide: Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide — BBC (2014)