Should Euthanasia be Legalised, Discuss.

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Amit Wangoo                                                                                                                                       13/02/2013

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“Euthanasia should be legalised”

The word Euthanasia stems from the Greek, phrase ‘euthanatos’, which in turn means a gentle and easy death. In the modern world, Euthanasia refers to when a person choses to have their life ended, usually due to the fact that they are suffering or are terminally ill from for example cancer or motor neurone disease. It is in some ways the humane way of ending someone’s life. Euthanasia is only legal in three countries, they are Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, however Euthanasia is debated widely by many countries into whether it should be legalised or not. Euthanasia is illegal in Britain. To kill another person deliberately is murder or manslaughter, even if the other person asks you to kill them and anyone doing so could potentially face 14 years in prison. In the countries that it is legal there are two types of Euthanasia; voluntary and involuntary. I will now be talking about a Christian response on the issue and any alternative arguments.

Voluntary euthanasia is when the person concerned asks them to aid and assist them to die. The person may persuade another person to help them end their life, or in some cases write a living will which explains their wishes to someone if they were in such a situation that they were unable to communicate to them. They also may refuse to have the needed medical treatment to keep them alive.                                                                                                                         Involuntary euthanasia is effectively the opposite of voluntary euthanasia. Involuntary euthanasia comes into play when a certain individual is no longer able to make a decision. An example of this would be in a coma or if the person in question is too young (a very young baby). This decision to allow the ending of the person’s life is therefore taken by relatives or medical experts. There is also the case were the person may want to live but his or her life is ended anyway. This usually is classed as murder but not always in rare circumstances.

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The Catholic Church and The Church of England teach that euthanasia is morally wrong and should remain illegal. They along with many other Christians say and believe in the sixth commandment, ‘You shall not murder’, Exodus 20:13. Catholics apply this belief to everybody however old or ill they happen to be and that all life is valuable. The late Pope John Paul II said that people should always choose life over death in any circumstance. ‘Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit’, I Corinthians 6:19. These few denominations along with many others are against the law that make ...

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