TY - JOUR
T1 - Cryonics, euthanasia, and the doctrine of double effect
AU - Andrade, Gabriel
AU - Redondo, Maria Campo
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge Ajman University for providing financial support for the article processing charge.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - In 1989, Thomas Donaldson requested the California courts to allow physicians to hasten his death. Donaldson had been diagnosed with brain cancer, and he desired to die in order to cryonically preserve his brain, so as to stop its further deterioration. This case elicits an important question: is this a case of euthanasia? In this article, we examine the traditional criteria of death, and contrast it with the information-theoretic criterion. If this criterion is accepted, we posit that Donaldson’s case would have been cryocide, but not euthanasia. We then examine if cryocide is an ethically feasible alternative to euthanasia. To do so, we rely on the ethical doctrine of double effect.
AB - In 1989, Thomas Donaldson requested the California courts to allow physicians to hasten his death. Donaldson had been diagnosed with brain cancer, and he desired to die in order to cryonically preserve his brain, so as to stop its further deterioration. This case elicits an important question: is this a case of euthanasia? In this article, we examine the traditional criteria of death, and contrast it with the information-theoretic criterion. If this criterion is accepted, we posit that Donaldson’s case would have been cryocide, but not euthanasia. We then examine if cryocide is an ethically feasible alternative to euthanasia. To do so, we rely on the ethical doctrine of double effect.
KW - Cryonics
KW - Death
KW - Double effect
KW - Euthanasia
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U2 - 10.1186/s13010-023-00137-5
DO - 10.1186/s13010-023-00137-5
M3 - Review article
C2 - 37381023
AN - SCOPUS:85163606441
SN - 1747-5341
VL - 18
JO - Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine
JF - Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine
IS - 1
M1 - 7
ER -