Religious Education - Respect for life: Euthanasia

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Religious Education – Respect for life: Euthanasia

Euthanasia is a controversial issue in today’s society. It is defined as the intentional ending of a life with the purpose of relieving pain or suffering. Many people believe that it is within a human’s right to die a peaceful, dignified death with assistance. While others believe that euthanasia is an immoral act and that legalising the deliberate killing of humans will undermine the legal system in the UK. Currently in the UK, it is illegal for a doctor or another person to deliberately do something that causes the patient to die – e.g. an injection. This is known as active euthanasia, and the person could face murder or manslaughter charges. However, letting a patient die by switching off a life support machine does happen in hospitals in the UK. This is known as passive euthanasia and is not illegal.

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        The Voluntary Euthanasia Society campaigns for the legalisation of euthanasia in the UK. The organisation campaigns to make it legal for a competent adult, who is suffering from a severe or terminal illness, to be allowed to request medical help to die at their own request. The organisation supports the ‘right to choose’, and believes that we as individuals should be able to decide when and how to die. It believes that euthanasia is humane as it prevents a dying person from losing their dignity through suffering and it can also be a relief to families who experience anguish ...

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