A balanced argument for euthansia?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Against Euthanasia

Christianity teaches that all life comes from God:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Genesis 1:26-28

You can not kill for you are destroying god’s creation, you are killing apart of god, and you are killing god.

It also teaches that life is sacred:

Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 6:19

God created man into his perfect image, we are the children of the Lord. Our lifes are holy and apart of God. Euthanasia is a sinful act against man but against our creator and father.

For this reason it would be wrong and against Christian teaching to commit suicide or to take the life of another person. God gave man ten commandents stating rules that man should obey..The Sixth Commandment is:

You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:13

God asked, told man that no one shall commit murder, ...

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Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 6:19

God created man into his perfect image, we are the children of the Lord. Our lifes are holy and apart of God. Euthanasia is a sinful act against man but against our creator and father.

You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:13

God asked, told man that no one shall commit murder, euthanasia is clearly the killing of someone. This action is going against the will of god, we are simply going against god and mocking him. God made man in his perfect image and we are abusing our creator.

It is clear from the Bible that human beings are not to choose when they die:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

From a non-religious point of view euthanasia is a bad thing, it eliminates the possibly that the person can heal from their problems. There are many examples of patients who refused euthanasia and survive. If we conduct euthanasia at the first sign of pain, we are eliminating the possible chance of recoverery. It is a murder of life that can still live, a live that can be healthy and perfect.

Beneficence of Euthanasia

Euthanasia allows patients death with dignity because continuing to live can inflict more problems, on both the patient having to cope with the pain and indignity of a prolonged death, and the family because it is distressing having to witness the gradual decline of a loved one.

With terminal illness there are two choices: let the disease run its course, or allow the inevitable to death to come sooner. The question is which one is of more benefit to the patient and acts in their best interests? Death is the lesser of two evils with regards to pain and suffering for 2 reasons:

The patient is prevented from dying painfully and slowly by ending it quickly and painfully.
The best interests of the patient are granted when the doctor allows and respects their autonomy

The problem is that there is no definitive point at which it can be said that life becomes too burdensome for an individual. To cope with this society can allow the withdrawal of treatment from individuals when it is deemed futile but this only serves to prolong the agony and may increase the suffering of the patient. The legalisation of euthanasia would allow the introduction of a quick and easy death when all other medical interventions are futile and is deemed to beneficent to the patient. Since one of the main aims of medicine is to relieve suffering, it is surely a medical duty to relieve the suffering of a patient through death

Economical reasons are for euthanasia, life support mavhines are expensive to run. If the siutaion looks completely useless why not end some ones live. The tax-payers have to pay more money to drag someone through unnecessary pain. It will save more money. In the united kingdom there is a shortage of life support machines, euthanasia can remove someone unlikely to recover and gave the chance of recovery to someone else.