THE CASE OF TRACY LATIMER
Moral Issue Question
Mercy Killing Is it justifiable for the father to
kill his own daughter just to end
his daughter’s suffering on
cerebral palsy?
Is it right for them to assume
that killing the disabled daughter
is what’s best for everyone?
Relieve Oneself of Any Burden Is it right for the mother to feel
relieved seeing her daughter
dead?
Lack of Impartiality Did the jury and the judge
My Stand
I believe that what the father did
to his daughter is unjustifiable. It
is simply because he took the life
of his very own daughter and no
excuse can justify his actions.
Even though he might claim that
it is for the sake of his daughter
in order to relieve her from
suffering any further, killing her
is not the only option. There are
still many ways to help her live
as normally as possible which
avoids choosing the option of
mercy killing. Moreover, it is not
right for them to assume that
mercy killing is what’s best for
her and for the family because
they made a decision that
greatly harmed the daughter
who is also part of the family.
I don’t think that it is right for
the mother to feel relieved
seeing her daughter dead.
Despite the difficult situation
that they are in, it is not right to
even think of killing a loved one
most especially a child who
doesn’t have the capability to
fight for herself. As parents,
they should always be ready to
take the responsibility of helping
their children grow and live as
happily as they can. Killing the
daughter just to relieve oneself
from the burden of taking care
of her is simply horrible.
I believe that the conviction of
 observe judicial impartiality?
Is it proper for the jury and the
judge to let the father avoid the
mandatory 10-year sentence just
because they do not want to
treat him harshly?
second-degree murder for the
father is unjust. It is because I
think that the jury and the judge
were not being impartial with
regards to their judgment. They
do not want to give a cruel
punishment to the father
because they believe that what
he did is compassionate
homicide. However, I don’t
believe that the father’s action is
truly for caring reasons. In my
opinion, it is more likely that he
is doing it for himself and not for
his daughter. With this, I agree
with the decision of the Supreme
Court of Canada in imposing the
mandatory sentence because
what the father did is murder.
His reason of relieving the
daughter from misery is
unacceptable because I believe
that Tracy’s life is not only
limited to her disability and
therefore, she should be seen as
a human being with value and
dignity.