"An acceptance of the practice of voluntary euthanasia is incompatible with the Christian belief in the sanctity of life but not with the attitudes of some ethical philosophers or some medical practitioners." Discuss.

AS Religious Studies Coursework Essay. "An acceptance of the practice of voluntary euthanasia is incompatible with the Christian belief in the sanctity of life but not with the attitudes of some ethical philosophers or some medical practitioners." Discuss. Euthanasia is defined as: the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (Merriam-Webster online dictionary). www.Euthanasia.com describes each of the types of euthanasia in the following terms. Non-voluntary: When the person who is killed made no request and gave no consent. Euthanasia: the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. (The key word here is "intentional". If death is not intended, it is not an act of euthanasia) Voluntary euthanasia: When the person who is killed has requested to be killed, this may also come in the form of a living will. This is a will, which, in great detain, outlines possible circumstances and outcomes a patient may wish their doctors or carers abide by. Involuntary euthanasia: When the person who is killed made an expressed wish to the contrary. Assisted suicide: Someone provides an individual with the information, guidance, and means to take his or her own life with the intention that they will be used

  • Word count: 1187
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"Euthanasia can be right in some circumstances".

"Euthanasia can be right in some circumstances" By Andrew Scuoler Many people believe euthanasia to be acceptable while others absolutely condemn it. There are moral implications and religious beliefs surrounding the issue that influence peoples' opinions. Is euthanasia a sign of the times, or is it just unethical? This essay will into account all points of view and will decide whether, in some circumstances, euthanasia is right. People in favour of euthanasia argue that people have the right to decide whether they die or not. They believe that if they are allowed to smoke, drink excessive amounts of alcohol and do other harmful things they should be able to decide when to die if the suffering becomes unbearable. Many people would say that it is immoral to prolong a person's pain when there is no hope. Not carrying out euthanasia can be agonising for the patient and incredibly upsetting for friends and family to watch their loved one die a slow and painful death. In some cases relatives are so upset that they cannot visit the patient. Lots of people support euthanasia because they feel it saves a lot pain, grief and anguish. There are a large number of people with incurable diseases who know that their condition will extend to the loss of their bodily functions. It is understandable that someone would want to die before they have to bathed and taken to the toilet

  • Word count: 1026
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Everyone has the right to an easy death. Discuss.

Everyone has the right to an easy death. Discuss. The word 'Euthanasia' is derived from Greek and literally means painless, happy death or good death. Today though the meaning has travelled far. It now can mean several things, such as mercy killing, which is the killing of people such as the elderly or mentally ill just because they are judged as not needed any more as they can not contribute to society or assisting in the killing of someone else. The main meaning is that euthanasia is the intentional killing by act or exception of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. As well as meaning several things there are several types of euthanasia. * Voluntary euthanasia: When the person who is killed has requested to be killed. * Non-voluntary: When the person who is killed made no request and gave no consent. * Involuntary euthanasia: When the person who is killed made an expressed wish to the opposite. * Assisted suicide: Someone provides an individual with the information, guidance, and means to take their own life with the intention that they will be used for this purpose. * Euthanasia By Action: Intentionally causing a person's death by performing an action such as by giving a lethal injection. * Euthanasia By Omission: Intentionally causing death by not providing necessary and ordinary (usual and customary) care or food and water. * Physician

  • Word count: 1650
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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What is meant by euthanasia?

Banu Thuraisingam 1D 1/11/2004 Euthanasia Euthanasia is the act of killing someone painlessly generally if the person is terminally ill. Thus if you want to die you can request it and it would be done. Many people who tried to kill themselves are stopped by others. Most of them go to counseling and lead better lives. If they had been euthanized or assisted to die they would have never had that chance. A study proves that 886 people that are rescued from attempted suicides found that five years later a mere 3.84 percent went on to kill themselves. Therefore what kind of world would this be if voluntary euthanasia was legalized? There are two sides to this issue pro-life and pro-choice. The main organizations which are pro-life are mostly due to religious reasons. No where in any religious text does it approve of killing. Almost all religions with a supreme God have a command in their holy books saying that one should not kill. In the bible it says "Thou shalt not kill." This rules out any type of killing, euthanasia included. Some might say that God would not like to see his people in agony but is this really the case? Killing yourself would mean that you are being selfish as you are thinking about the pain you are going through. A number of religions believe that pain is part of life's circle. Some Christians believe that since Jesus Christ's suffered on the cross, we

  • Word count: 1096
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Discussing Euthanasia, more commonly known as mercy killing.

Euthanasia Euthanasia, more commonly known as 'mercy killing', is a contentious issue that is debated more and more these days. The Oxford English Dictionary defines euthanasia as `a gentle and easy death: bringing about of this, especially in the case of an incurable and painful disease`. Euthanasia would usually be the injection of a lethal dose of medication administered by a doctor. In this essay I intend to explore the various arguments surrounding euthanasia and I will put forward my reasons for claiming that euthanasia is morally unacceptable. One of the more common arguments in support of euthanasia is that it stops the pain of the terminally ill sufferer once and for all, so called 'mercy killing'. Some people argue that if a patient were in a lot of pain and distress it would be better to give them an `easy` and humane death. While this may be acceptable for a sick and dying dog, I ask you, is it really an acceptable way to treat a human? On the other hand there are often others, especially in the Hospice movement who maintain that if given the right treatment sufferers do not need to endure pain. They also argue that with the proper care and attention terminally ill patients can be helped to `die with dignity`. In this country there are over 150 hospices that care for people with conditions such as cancer and AIDS. Teams of nurses, highly skilled in pain

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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What is Meant By The Term Euthanasia?

What is Meant By The Term Euthanasia? To many people the term 'Euthanasia' is a technical name for mercy killing or assisted suicide. In other words it is see as a way of putting people out of their misery that is a far more serious issue than putting your pet to sleep but holds the same principle. In fact the term 'Euthanasia' comes from the Greek words eu which means well and thantos which means death. When the two words are combined Euthanasia can be defined as a 'good death'. The Oxford Dictionary defines 'Euthanasia' as "The bringing about of a gentle and easy death in the case of incurable and painful disease." Euthanasia is, therefore, when death is purposely chosen and not when a person is killed in, for example, a car accident or has died due to medical treatment failing to work. Euthanasia can either be voluntary, involuntary or non-voluntary. Voluntary Euthanasia is when a dying person (or their legal representative) makes a request for them to die. For example, a person may have lung cancer and have been placed on a respirator and then he or she may request their breathing tube to be removed. Members of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, which was founded to campaign for people to have the right to have an 'easy death', carry with them cards that say that "they do not wish to be resuscitated or have their lives artificially prolonged if this would lead to their

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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What is Euthanasia.

Euthanasia The term "euthanasia" comes from the two Greek words Eu and Thanatos and means and easy gentle death. This is were the patient requests the physician to en their life, this is called voluntary euthanasia. There is also involuntary euthanasia this is were, say the patient is in a coma and cannot make the request for themselves so the doctors decide to make the decision for them. This is a kind of murder. Euthanasia can involve emotive discussion. There are certainly points for and against that disserved careful consideration. It is my intention through the course of this essay to look at these arguments and see if we can reach a conclusion. There are a lot of points for and against euthanasia here are a few: If the victim is terminally ill with the prospect of painful death, they may want to end the suffering before it really begins. I feel that if it is what the person really wants then it is what you should give them. It is their choice and I think that we should give them. It is their choice and I think we should respect that. If a dog were sick you would end the suffering for that poor dog. You wouldn't let it suffer any more than it had to. Then why let a human being go through all the suffering. Baring in mind that this is what the person really wants. Reasons for involuntary euthanasia: When someone has been a coma for 6 years and during those 6 years

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Religious Studies - Euthanasia

Religious Studies - Euthanasia "Everyone has the right to die with dignity." Some people might argue that "Everyone has the right to die with dignity." They might argue this because it is your choice whether you want to die or not. Each human has their own rights to decide when they want to die and how to die. If one is terminally ill, one may want euthanasia which literally means 'a good and easy death'. There are however many types of euthanasia that one may chose from. Active euthanasia is when one tells the doctor one wants euthanasia and the doctor will give something to kill one e.g. a lethal amount of painkillers. Passive euthanasia is when the doctor does nothing to help one live, hence, killing one. Voluntary euthanasia is when one knows one has a disease and cannot be cured; therefore one asks the doctor for euthanasia. Non-voluntary euthanasia, however, is the opposite of voluntary euthanasia. Non-voluntary euthanasia is when one's life is ended without their consent. Living will, the final type of euthanasia is when one writes in their will, if one is very ill, one gives instructions about speeding one's death up. Another argument they might have is that euthanasia is only helping the patients in pain. Some patients want to die rather than to suffer and endure lots of pain. The patient should never be in excruciating pain. The doctor should be able to stop this

  • Word count: 1095
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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The belief regarding the sanctity of life means that our lives are very precious and of immense significance. I am going to research two religions Islam and Judaism and examine what their views are on the facts of euthanasia.

Preface Euthanasia is the process of ending human life by artificial means. It is to change the uncertainty of the time of the natural death which depends upon so many seen and unseen, known and unknown factors into the certainty of the time of death by known and calculated means. Euthanasia is illegal in Britain but allowed in the Netherlands under certain circumstances. There are many types of euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia - when the ill person chooses to ask to die but is incapable of committing suicide without any help. This is often called 'assisted suicide' Involuntary euthanasia - when other people (doctors) decide that it would be best if a person's life ends because he or she is not able to make such decision for themselves. Active euthanasia - when action is taken to bring a life to an end; for example a lethal dose of drugs being administered. Passive euthanasia - when action is taken to bring life to an end by stopping providing treatment so death will be the result. Euthanasia is a complicated issue as there are so many medical treatments available to keep people alive. If somebody is badly injured and loses the ability to think and feel and there is no chance of recovering they can still be kept alive for a long time. If a baby is born with abnormalities it can be artificially kept alive. Euthanasia is not just about killing the concerned person, there

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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The rights and wrongs of euthanasia.

Euthanasia In my essay I will look at the rights and wrongs of euthanasia and look at it from the points of two different major religious groups. The first religion I will look at is Christianity. Christians believe that euthanasia is wrong because each persons suffering is caused because God believes that person has done something wrong and deserves to be punished. The second religion I will look are humanists. Humanists believe euthanasia is ok because no human being should have to suffer. Euthanasia, which literally means "good death," may be defined as "a mode or act of inducing or permitting death painlessly as a relief from suffering." It is an effort to make possible a "gentle and easy death" for those afflicted with an incurable disease or injury in its terminal stages. It is beneficent euthanasia if, and only if, it results in a painless and quick death, and if the act as a whole is beneficial to the recipient. Humanists say "To require that a person be kept alive against his will and to deny his pleas for merciful release after the dignity, beauty, promise, and meaning of life have vanished, when he can only linger on in stages of agony or decay, is cruel and barbarous. The imposition of unnecessary suffering is an evil that should be avoided by civilized society. We believe that our first commitment as human beings is to preserve, fulfill, and enhance life for

  • Word count: 873
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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