The Roman Catholic Church is opposed to Euthanasia. The Pope said ‘Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God’. Some arguments for this view that were put forward are that only God has the right to decide when a person will die. In any case, people are not like animals. They cannot simply be ‘put to sleep’. A sick person may not be able to make a rational decision and so euthanasia can be wrong. People are also created in the image and likeness of God and life is a gift to be treasured. In the Ten Commandments, it says ‘Do not commit murder’ and therefore putting someone to sleep to bring to an end to their suffering is killing someone. Jesus always cared for the sick. He never suggested or even hinted at euthanasia as an opinion.
The Voluntary Euthanasia Society (now called ‘EXIT’) has argued that everyone should have the opportunity to die on their own terms. They believe that everyone should be able to turn to ‘…the mercy of a painless death.’ ‘EXIT’ believes this Christian view because if they take this way out they are sparing friends and relatives from the unnecessary anguish of seeing them suffer. The second great commandment is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. If a Christian loves someone who is pain, then they would have the responsibility of ending their suffering.
The responsibilities we have towards others are complicated. There are disparity views that Christians have. All Christians have some form of responsibility towards other human beings as each person is created in the image and likeness of God but how they choose to act upon that is another matter. Life is sacred and a gift from God, we must treasure it. However, on the other hand, some women who are pregnant may want an abortion because her life is in danger. Many of those in favour of abortion argue that the foetus is not human; it is simply a collection of cells. Other Christians say it goes against the commandment and all Christian ideals.
Q2) ‘abortion and euthanasia. Explain the different ways Christians might respond.
Christians respond in different ways and although all Christians hold life to be sacred they have different ideas. This essay will discuss and analyse why a Roman Catholic would be most likely wouldn’t have an abortion, or may agree with euthanasia.
A Roman Catholic woman most likely wouldn’t have an abortion because she would believe it is murder and abortion breaks the commandment ‘Do not kill’ The Roman Catholic Church believes that life begins at the moment of conception and everyone has a right to life. The occupant of the womb is always described as a child, not a foetus. This is explained in ‘You shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb’.
Pope John Paul the second ‘I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is gravely immoral’. Abortion of the handicapped is an insult to people who are handicapped. Pope John VI in 1968 said ‘Human life is sacred’. This Pope is also against abortion. Every child is precious and unique from God. Abortion has been considered to be murder since the first centuries of the Church, and nothing permits it to be considered otherwise. The Bible’s command is to ‘love one another’ and to have compassion for the weak. Therefore a Roman Catholic woman would do as the commandment says.
Anglicans and Methodists believe that life does not begin until the baby has a chance of surviving independently of its mother. These Christians believe that an abortion is evil but permit under certain circumstances. The organisation ‘Christians for Free Choice’ believe that it should be left to the woman’s own conscience, conscience is seen as a guide from God as what decision to make. Jesus said ‘love your neighbour’, which could also be seen as acceptable as some Christians may not be obliged to have an abortion in the same way as a Roman Catholic woman. Pro-choice Christians leave it to individuals to decide whether abortion is right or wrong for them. They feel it is impossible to make rules that apply in all situations, and that individuals are best placed to make difficult moral decisions. The view of the Protestant Churches is that abortion is generally undesirable, but that it may be acceptable in some circumstances. This may influence the woman’s decision to have an abortion. She may believe a woman has rights over her own body and has the right to have the abortion. Some Christians in favour of abortion accept that the foetus is not human. It is simply a growth in a woman’s body. It is expensive to look after handicapped children.
Some Christians support euthanasia because a person has reached a point where his or her life is no longer worth living. Euthanasia itself isn’t mentioned in the bible. Although the golden rule says ‘Do on to others what you would have them do to you’. . ‘EXIT’ has argued that everyone should have the opportunity to die under their own terms. People can die with dignity without suffering by using drugs, which the Hospice Movement specialises in.
However some Roman Catholics believe that only God has the right to decide when a person will die. There is nothing in the Bible which states that a person must be kept alive at any cost. Although St Paul said ‘you are not your own,’ and if we die, we die to the Lord. Christians may believe that suffering is a way of strengthening faith. The parable of the sheep and the goats warns that God will judge people on how they have helped those in need. They believe that mankind is ‘made in the image and likeness of God’.
The Christians in Holland are now in a situation where euthanasia is legal. Roman Catholics have different views on whether it is right or wrong to let a person suffer. Some believe that everyone has the right to decide when and how to die. While others believe people are created in the image and likeness and God. A Roman Catholic would be expected to say that it goes against the commandment ‘Do not murder’. The Church of Scotland also supports this view.
Q3) ‘What Christians believe about life is up to them. They should not make others accept their position.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view.
There are different view points that ‘what Christians believe about life is up to them’. This essay will discuss the different viewpoints by debating the issue that is controversial for Christians.
When Christians state that life has sanctity, they are saying that life is special to God. Each person is special to God. Each person is a separate, living human being with many rights, especially the right to life. Christians believes about life are their choice but they may say that all human beings are created as individuals. Every individual is unique, and unlike any other. Human beings have a special place in God’s eyes and in God’s creation. Christians believe God and the Church to have authority and would therefore, listen. We have a moral obligation or duty to educate others about the sanctity of life. It is a moral duty to respect a person’s right to life as when you make the decision to have an abortion. Those who agree with abortion argue that it’s removing an unwanted part of woman’s body. It is a woman’s right to do with her body what she wants. Nobody else has the right to tell her what to do with her body.
However, in the bible it says ‘do not kill’. Therefore Some Christians disagree that life is up to them. It is a traditional Christian belief that abortion is wrong. An early Christian document, the Didache, written about the time of the New Testament, says ‘You shall not kill the foetus in its mother’s womb’. This has been the traditional Christian teaching since that time. The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is wrong. They said ‘Life must be protected’. It would be morally wrong if people could have their lives taken away against their will. The embryo is a human being. Jesus cared for children such as Jairus’ daughter and Christians should care for people, not destroy them.
Euthanasia is agreed by some Christians as the right thing to do because everyone has the right to die when they want. Some say that active euthanasia is putting someone to sleep lovingly. Euthanasia can be an act of love. Love cannot be illegal. People have been given free will by God and they should be able to use it to end their own lives.
People who disagree with active euthanasia say not everybody is in an equal position to think rationally for themselves. Only God can judge. Every person is sacred. It is wrong to destroy something God like. Christians believe that God gives life and only God gives life and they are accountable to God. God is the giver of life and therefore only God can end it. ‘You are not your own,’ St Paul declared. ‘If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die; we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord’.
Each person is a separate, living human being with many rights, especially the right to life. Christian beliefs about God are that all human beings are created as individuals. Every individual is unique, and unlike any other individual in the world. Human beings have a special place in God’s eyes and in his creation.
Passive euthanasia can be seen as wrong and not up to doctors to decide what will happen to the person. Christians may say that the Doctors could make an incorrect judgement. Human beings did not create life itself; therefore they don’t have the right to take it away. This is saying that it is not up to a Christian of what they believe is right. We were responsible for our own lives and therefore, should we have the last say to when we die?
On the debate discussed above, it has been weighed up the different views of to whether it is a Christian’s duty. God wants people to have quality life. If someone has no quality of life, euthanasia might be tolerable. God is love. Stopping agony is a loving thing to do. So euthanasia could bring more glory to God than keeping a suffering person alive. People have been given the freedom ought to be able to use this freedom to end their own lives. However – The person deciding to end their life should not be influenced by anyone, apart from themselves. It is their singular choice, and not someone else’s. In a sense, abortion may be seen as acceptable because the person may be too young to have the child and may not have the facilities to bring them up. However, the Christian Churches would say that it is going against God’s will and we are all created in the ‘image and likeness of God’. I agree that what Christians believe about life is up to them because although abortion and euthanasia are seen as murdering by some groups, every person has a right to decide what to do with his or her lives. Everyone is an individual and should be allowed to make their own choices.
