Arguments against euthanasia: One of the most important arguments against euthanasia is that we never know if the person will recover or not, “miracles” do happen (e.g. people do wake up from long term comas). Hospices exist, and what these do is make sure that the patients are not in pain and don’t feel lonely. This is done by offering support and company. So if the main argument for euthanasia is that they don’t want to suffer, why not go to a hospice instead of being euthanized? There is also the worry that by giving doctors the right to practice euthanasia we are giving them the right to murder. Some people would argue that some lives are not worth living. For example, if a person is disabled in some way, is there life less worth living, as someone who is not? Does a Downs Syndrome child have the same quality of life as a child who hasn’t? Those who are parents of Downs Syndrome children would say how loving these children are and how giving they are.
Cicely Saunders believed that on the last days of your life wonderful things could happen, things that would have been missed by the families and the person herself if euthanasia had been carried. A doctor quoted in the internet said: “Just because an injection is clean and silent, does not make it morally inferior to a bullet.” This is a very valid point, just because we are not used to seeing an injection as an object you can kill with, doesn’t mean that it isn’t as morally wrong as any other weapon. Also if euthanasia was legal families that wanted money could put pressure on their relative to be euthanized.
These are the main arguments for and against euthanasia, they are not necessarily related to Christianity but they are the points that people would use to argue their views on euthanasia.
I personally disagree with euthanasia and I think it can never be justified. I think it is against all moral beliefs and the loss of human dignity. It is an act of being selfish and a coward. Nowadays there are drugs that would relieve most of the pain, and even if you still have to go through some pain it is better than ending your life to avoid it. People that believe they are a burden to their families should ask to be put into a hospice where they could be looked after and kept company. I agree with the doctor I quoted earlier on, I think that just because an injection is clean and silent it doesn’t have to be less wrong than a bullet or a knife. Also, it is allowed in some cases, to disconnect the life supporting machines or withhold medication so that your life would end in a morally acceptable way and, at the same time, shorten the pain. I understand that people might feel unwanted by their families and society and feel like a burden. But does that mean that if anyone ever feels unwanted they can just end their life? I think it is an ungrateful way of taking life; God gives it to us and as soon as something goes slightly wrong we shouldn’t throw it away. Life only comes once.