What is Euthanasia?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

R.s Coursework: Euthanasia

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(i) What is Euthanasia?

Euthanasia is the practice of medically-assisting death. It is illegal in most countries.

Euthanasia comes from 2 Greek words:”eu”, meaning good and “thanatos meaning death.

In some ways, euthanasia is related to suicide, because it’s choosing how and when to end a human life.

The difference between euthanasia and suicide is that euthanasia involves more than one person.

Euthanasia is a controversial subject, not only because there are many different moral dilemmas associated with it, but also in what constitutes its definition. At the extreme ends of disagreement, advocates say euthanasia, also known as physician aid in dying, or physician assisted suicide, is a merciful method of death. At the other end are opponents of euthanasia, who may consider this method as a form of murder.

Euthanasia can be conducted in various ways. In order to distinguish certain methods, more specific terminology may be used when discussing euthanasia.

There are four types of euthanasia:

Voluntary- is when someone chooses to ask for the end of his or her own life, but is incapable of committing suicide without help. This is often called “assisted suicide”.

Involuntary- is when other people decide that it would be for the best if someone’s life ends, because he or she is not able to make that decision independently. They might have been in a coma for a very long time, perhaps, or they might be only a few hours old.

Active – is when action is taken to bring life to an end; for example, a lethal dose of drugs might be given. This is against the law.

Passive –is when a decision is made to stop giving further treatment, even though death will be the result. This happens quite often. It is not always easy to say whether some of these circumstances “count” as euthanasia or not.

(ii) What Christian teachings might be used in a discussion about euthanasia?

As a Christian I believe that euthanasia is wrong and immoral and a lot of Christian teachings could be used in a discussion about euthanasia.

Christianity teaches that all life comes from God:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

So God created man in his own image, in ...

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(ii) What Christian teachings might be used in a discussion about euthanasia?

As a Christian I believe that euthanasia is wrong and immoral and a lot of Christian teachings could be used in a discussion about euthanasia.

Christianity teaches that all life comes from God:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

The fact that almighty God created us means that us as humans have no right to take away life (only the creator can) but to cherish and enjoy every bit of it, but for those who are suffering some Christians believe that God is doing this for a reason.

So it would be wrong and against Christian teaching to murder or to commit suicide as it goes against the sixth commandment which states “thou shall not murder” as it is committing a sin and being immoral therefore you would go to hell .

The R.C Church is opposed to euthanasia as it is seen as murder.

Pope John Paul stated that to cause death this way was “a grave violation of the law of God”

The C.O.E Church have similar opinions saying that even though murder is wrong there are very strong arguments that people should be kept alive no matter what. So, could that be playing God by keeping someone alive on life support?

Christians could say that Jesus amended the world through his suffering and death on the cross and when a Christian suffers their pain is joined through Jesus’.

(b)Explain how a Christian might put their beliefs into action.

The Christian church teaches us to definitely be against to euthanasia. It is a process of killing someone basically, where in the bible it says, "Thou shall not kill". Regarding what the Christian perspective is to euthanasia, some Christians may put their beliefs about euthanasia into action by the following. In order to rid the world of euthanasia Christians may ask the law of Euthanasia to change. If this law is to be acknowledged by the MP and all the people high enough then the law of banning euthanasia would flourish throughout the word. Therefore places such as Holland, and Switzerland who approve of euthanasia would follow in this trend, and finally see that it is a sin to kill.

Secondly Christians could lobby parliament.

This would be a good idea to stop euthanasia now and forever.

Christians should also be part of the hospice movement .The word hospice has been in use for a very long time, in the medieval times it meant a place run by the Church where anyone could go for care, whether they were travelers , sick ,elderly or terminally ill but these days hospices are for who need help.

The modern hospice movement began in the 1960s and many have a Christian foundation. Although many of the doctors and nurses who work at the hospices may be Christian the patients can be of any faith or of none. The staffs not only look after the patients, they help them prepare for their deaths and also help the relatives prepare for the loss of their loved ones. The atmosphere at a hospice will be a loving and caring one, where the patients and the relatives are encouraged to talk about death and dying. Hospices are concerned not only with the physical heath of their patients but also with their emotional, psychological and spiritual health.

(C) “Euthanasia is never justified” Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of views. You must refer to Christianity in your answer,

Some people believe Euthanasia is a crime and is therefore not justified. These people believe that the act of Euthanasia is going against God's will, and these people generally follow the bible, which also states this. 1 Corinthians 6:19 claims that our bodies are God's temple, therefore meaning that the ending of a life means the damaging of a part of God. Also, Genesis 1:26-31 says that as God created the human race in his own image

But taking the issue away from church, there are many other reasons why people may believe Euthanasia is unjustified. One man refused treatment for his cancer, and he was literally days away from dying before the reality of the situation hit him and he changed his mind. Doctors were able to treat him and he survived, if it weren't for this he wouldn't be alive today

Some people believe 'Euthanasia is never justified', this is because they feel it is never justified to kill someone. This is because they may feel Euthanasia is the same as murder; Euthanasia is killing someone. One of the Ten Commandments says, "You shall not murder". This is showing that killing someone is completely against the commandments.

“Whose life is it, anyway?' this is a quote by the late Sue Rodriguez, a high-profile, ALS sufferer living in Canada. She was helped to commit suicide by a doctor breaking Canadian laws. Many Christian would disagree as in general they believe that God has a plan for us all and that ending lives is against his plan and therefore wrong under any circumstances.

Islam is also opposed to euthanasia and believes that it can never be justified as the Qur’an states that Allah created life, life is sacred and that everything belongs to Allah.

I believe that euthanasia cannot be justified as as a Roman Catholic I believe that the reasons people use to justify Euthanasia (e.g. Poor quality of life, Burden to society) are the same reasons Hitler and Stalin used to justify their acts of murder. As Catholics we believe the teachings of Colossians 1:24, Where Paul wrote “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body.” This passage basically means that you should rejoice in suffering as Christ did.

Roman Catholics are against Euthanasia. They are so opposed to the idea that the Church even spends lots of money on trying to stop Euthanasia. We believe that no one can permit the killing of an innocent human being. We also believe that no body is permitted to ask for the act of Euthanasia as this is a violation of the divine law, a crime against life and an attack on humanity. We believe in the teachings of bible which is shown in the following statement, which was made by Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, May 5, 1980 ‘According to Christian teaching, however, suffering, especially suffering during the last moments of life, has a special place in God's saving plan; it is in fact a sharing in Christ's passion [sufferings] and a union with the redeeming sacrifice which He offered in obedience to the Father's will’.

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By Adonis Akra