EUTHANASIA AND RELIGION

By

Mel Allgood

Euthanasia is the inducement of a gentle and easy death.  It is considered to be a form of suicide.  Yet the procedure requires the assistance of a third party, due to the potential incapacity of the individual requesting this procedure be carried out.  The case could then be turned into one of homicide.  As a result of this, it is incredibly difficult to find an individual who is willing to aid in the conduct of euthanasia, as they could face prosecution in a criminal court on the charge of murder.

Patients who request euthanasia are often motivated by terminal illness.  They appreciate that further medical treatments are unable to cure, or deacelerate, the illness.  They also wish to preserve their dignity and conclude their painful suffering. Another example where a patient may want to opt for euthanasia, is when health authorities suggest they go into a hospice especially designed to cope with their illness.  A wish to maintain their independence, along with the desire not to continue to be a burden on other family members, then becomes the motivation.

Perspectives on the ethical issues are vastly variable on this topic, across the social spectrum.  An argument against the practice of euthanasia, commonly starts with religion.  The sixth commandment in the Christian Bible states, ‘Thou shalt not kill’.  This implies that the act would be committed with violence; a criminal act, where the victim believes that they have a life worth living and would prefer not to be killed.  There would have been no comforting way to induce death at the time when the Bible was written.  Euthanasia however, is mercy killing.  A death where the recipient believes their life is not worth living and they want an end to their suffering.  Thanks to modern medicines, the end of suffering can be carried out in a humane way.  Therefore to directly associate this commandment to euthanasia is misleading and the text should rather read, ‘Thou shalt not help to die’.

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A majority of the religious opposition to euthanasia comes from the Roman Catholic church.  The Vatican’s 1980 declaration on euthanasia states, ‘suffering has a special place in God’s saving plan’.  The Pope also reiterated that Catholics “must obey or risk losing eternal salvation”.  Dr Edmund Pellegrino is a devout Catholic and an authority on medical ethics.  He was quoted as claiming he, “could never carry out a mercy killing because of his religion”.  Yet when reminded that it was often Catholics who approved of war. Dr Pellegrino replied, “that he was a lifelong pacifist”.  There appears to be a ...

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