In the Netherlands euthanasia became acceptable in 1984 and in 2000 the Dutch parliament caste formally legalized the practice. Doctors were told it was to be under strict rules. This made the Netherlands the first country to legalize euthanasia. In some cases it is hard to determine whether euthanasia or murder has caused the death. Death is a complicated subject. You might think it is simple to determine whether someone is dead but there have been many queries about being brain dead. Some people argue that once you are brain dead your are dead. People argue that there is no way to define when the brain is dead. People believe if the organs are still functioning. Then you are not actually dead, even if the brain is dead.
Most Christians are against the idea of euthanasia. It doesn’t state exactly that you should or shouldn’t go ahead with euthanasia. This is why Christians have to work out what God thinks is right from what is written in the bible and Jesus teaching. Christians are free to follow their own consciences. Despite their belief that god has the power to heal any disease many Christians choose to support assisted suicide.
There are many passages that Christians could link with the topic euthanasia. It isn't just in front of them; they have to search for themselves through the Old Testament and New Testament. Most of the passages are down to interpretation, the way they interpret what has been said and done. It depends on how you interpret the bible verse/passage. Some verses could be interpreted for both sides of the argument.
Here are some bible verses I think have something to do with euthanasia and whether it's right or whether it's wrong.
The bible verse 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself', I feel this quote could be used for both sides of the argument. It means to me treat people as you want to be treated. Maybe listening to what the person who is ill feels about euthanasia. Being given their own choice, listen to their views.
The verses 'Do not commit murder', 'He sets the time for birth and death', and 'Why die before you have to', in my point of view these mean euthanasia is wrong because euthanasia is counted as murder in gods eyes.
If you went to church the Church you are part of would try and help you make the decision whether euthanasia is right or wrong. Some churches believe that it is the right of the person to decide. The church that you are in will influence your Christian thinking. Also historical traditions of the church are often accepted as a bible interpretation, such as what saints have done when faced with problems. Here is an example of a saint who had views on euthanasia 'St Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century saint. He believed that 'Life is a gift from god and should only be taken by him', this shows that he didn’t believe in euthanasia or mercy killing. St Thomas Aquinas said ' Everyone is the steward of a gift of life, not the owner', 'Ending the life you have been given is a sin because it shows a lack of faith in god, who will not give you more than you can cope with. And may be testing you and building character into your life through suffering. He thought it was god's place to give and take the life of a person, when he thought was right. Some churches will use this example to show what someone else feels. Different types of Christians interpret bible verses in different ways.
There are many different types of Christianity; many of the different churches have different views on subjects like euthanasia. Here are some of the different Christian churches and communities: Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Evangelical, United Reformed Baptist, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Eastern Orthodox and Episcopal. Some of these churches have very similar views on euthanasia and some have different views.
Here are two examples of different churches beliefs.
Roman Catholics are totally against euthanasia, they teach their community that any act to do with killing a person for their own benefit is classed the same as murder. They have a rulebook 'Declaration on Euthanasia' (Jura et Bonna) it was issued by the sacred congregation of the doctrine of the faith in 1980. This is what it teaches; everyone was created by god, and was offered eternal life in heaven. It teaches that killing an innocent person is wrong, whatever stage of life they are at. The book teaches if they do carry out euthanasia, it would get in the way of god's love for that person. Roman Catholics agree with giving a patient drugs to ease the pain who is suffering drugs, they might also shorten their life, and this is counted as acceptable. The Roman Catholic churches teaches there believers that ordinary treatment like feeding the patient, washing the patient must be carried on as normal. They feel that 'extraordinary' treatments like a dangerous operation that hasn’t got a great chance of succeeding don't have to be carried through. They teach that the sick and dying need special care and shouldn’t face the problem alone.
In the United kingdom Baptist Churches teach that euthanasia and abortion have the same type of issues. The main issue is 'whether people have the right to choose to take away a human life'. Most Baptists believe that euthanasia and other issues such as this are wrong this is because they believe that life is special and sacred and therefore it is worth saving. Baptists don’t believe in giving a person a lethal amount of drugs so death will take its place quicker. They do make an acceptation, when a person is 'brain dead'; this is when the person cannot make any contact with anyone. Medical experts agree that there is absolutely no chance no chance of recovery, it is then acceptable for the treatment to be stopped, death is caused.
Here are the Christian views on euthanasia
For
- We have been given authority over living things by god.
- God doesn’t want to see us suffering; he wants us to have a good quality of life. If someone had no quality of life some Christians believe euthanasia might be acceptable.
- God loves us, stopping people from suffering is a loving thing to do. People might feel they love god more if they stop the sufferer from suffering.
- God has given human beings free will. We could interpret this as being able to end our own lives.
Against
- There could be a purpose to suffering; something good could come out of it. E.g. a family could get closer together.
- Life is special, it shouldn’t be destroyed, euthanasia must be wrong.
- The Holy Spirit lives in Christians; Euthanasia destroys god's temple (the body), from Corinthians 3.16-17.
- It is more gracious to care for the dying than to speed up their death.
There are alternatives to having euthanasia; there are organizations, which help the terminally ill, the dying and there family and friends with coping. Many Christians support the work of the hospice movement. A Hospice such as St Giles is a non-profit organization. The organization is devoted to the needs of the ill people they are helping. The organization helps the dying person; their family and friends get through the traumatic experience. The hospice doesn’t speed up the process of death or slow it down. They care for the persons needs by making the last months of the persons life as comfortable as possible. Many of the patients are cared for in there own home or loved ones home. This is usually the best environment for the patient to die in because it is safe and familiar to them. During and after the person has passed away the family and friends are supported as the experience is very traumatic, the family and friends are prepared for the death and told how to cope with it. In the hospice there is a well-trained team to deal with the patients- physicians, nurses, counselors, clergy, volunteers and aides. The Hospice service is available 24 hours a day, every day. Here are the services that are available through the hospice organization; regular nursing, physician services, social services, speech therapy, counseling, drugs and medicine supply and short term inpatient care (go into hospital for short times), continuous care in periods of crisis (constant care in emergency's), home health aides (given a chairlift, bath commode if needed help at home) and respite assistance by volunteers (if the career is tired because of looking after the patient, the patient will have another career for a short period of time and get their original career back after their break). There is a hospice helpline where you can find extra information about the hospice.
In 1981 Dame Cecily Saunders became a caregiver, she spent many years helping the suffering terminally ill patients. She listened and gave advice to her patients as they expressed their physical and mental pain. She combined a program of combining the different types of care for the dying and came up with a Hospice. This Hospice movement has spread across the world and continues to grow in numbers.
Part C
Many people have different views on whether the act of euthanasia is right. People will always have their own views on situations like this.
Euthanasia can never be justified'. I am going to determine what I feel about the act of euthanasia. I am a Christian, and at the moment I don't believe in the act of euthanasia. I believe this because I think euthanasia is an act of murder because it isn't a natural death. I feel if euthanasia became legal it would devalue life, eventually the rules and regulations of the country would slip, people would find it to easy to give up on their life and ask for euthanasia treatments when they might not be needed.
Here are some reasons why I think euthanasia is wrong
- There are a lot of drugs and painkillers that will help patients die with self-respect.
- A patient might not be able to make a proper decision for him or herself, or change their mind and be unable to tell the doctors.
- People do recover after being told that they can have euthanasia by a doctor (written off).
- There are many old people who feel they are causing a nuance so that is why they have euthanasia, really they want to live on but put others before themselves.
- Life is a gift and only god should take it away when he feels it is right.
The treatment Euthanasia devalues life and could lead to worse ideas. Such as being aloud to kill anyone you want.
I am not sure what I would do if I were opposed with that situation. I don’t believe anyone could decide before it actually happened to him or her. I would think carefully about the feeling of the people in my life at that time. I wouldn’t hold a grudge against anyone who thought differently. Everyone should be able to make a decision for them self. If euthanasia became legal in this country I would hope that the rules for keeping euthanasia to a minimum would be put into place. I can see why people think euthanasia is right. Some people believe it would cause less pain to the patient and patients family, help make the grievance time shorter and it let's people die with dignity this is a large part in some peoples lives, people like to be control of their body. When you are seriously ill your body deteriates. So I feel that euthanasia shouldn't be allowed.
