The Immortality Machine / An Unwilling Immortal
Inspired by a law review article we’re going over regarding assisted suicide and Double Effect, I came up with this hypo:
Bob is captured by a mad scientist. She hooks him up to an immortality machine in her top secret lair. So long as Bob is connected to this machine, he will live. Bob cannot disconnect himself. The mad scientist’s lair goes undiscovered until 300 years later, when government agents break in and discover Bob, who is very old but still alive. Bob begs them to destroy the machine so that he can die. What is the ethical course of action and why?