As the director of Public Prosecutions said:
“We believe this case has tremendous importance not just for the Prettys themselves but for a small but significant number of people who, though in dire circumstances and fully able to take a rational decision to end their lives are prevented from doing so legally by their physical disability.”
What does the Bible teach about euthanasia?
If we have a look at the Bible and its teachings we realise that there are no documents dealing directly with euthanasia. However in the Old Testament and in the New Testament there are many readings that talk about the sanctity and value of life.
In the Old Testament this is seen in:
Genesis 1:26-27: “God said “Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves” This teaches us that God created us in his image and this makes our lives as sacred.
Genesis 2:4-3:21: “Yahweh God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and take care of it”. God has given us life to use it wisely and do his will which is taking care of the Earth. That is why we shouldn’t take life away as it would be like rejecting God’s gift.
Exodus 20:13: “You shall not kill”. It is one of the Ten Commandments. It doesn’t only apply to killing someone else because it doesn’t just say, you shall not kill someone else, it just says “you shall not kill” which applies to killing anyone someone as well as yourself. So it is wrong to take away anyone’s life including your own. God prohibits any sort of murder.
Job 10:8-12: “your hands have shaped me and created me, now you change your mind and destroy me! Having made me, remember as though of clay, now you mean to turn me back into dust! Did you not pour me out like milk, and then let me thicken like curds, clothe me with skin and flesh, and weave me of bone and sinew? In your love you gave me life, and in your care watched over my every breath.” God gives us life, takes care of us and watches over us. In the same way as he gives life he takes is away, it is part of life. But it is him who chooses when we die.
Psalm 139:13: “you created my inmost self, knit me together in my mother’s womb”. God is the creator of life, he creates humans form their mother’s womb.
Therefore we should take it and use it sensibly. We should feel privileged and benefit from it.
Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I knew you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” This is reading is telling us that God knows us even before we are born and gives us life for a purpose. We should therefore do God’s will and not take it away.
In the New Testament this is seen in:
Luke 12:6-7: “Can you not buy five sparrows from two pennies? And yet you are not forgotten in God’s sight. Why every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than five sparrows.”
We are very valuable in God’s eyes. Every one of us is especial and God loves us so we shouldn’t kill each other or our selves because that would be hurting God.
I Corinthians 3:16-17: “Do you realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you? If anyone should destroy that temple of God, god will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy; and you are that temple.” God lives in each of us, we are God’s house. So when we take life away we destroy God’s temple.
Mathew 7:12: “Treat others as you would like them to treat you” This is the Golden rule of all moral ethics. Think about what you are doing and think if you would like it to be done to you if you were in that situation (this mainly applies to non-voluntary euthanasia).
John 10:10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” We should take profit of what we are given and live life to the full, using all the abilities that we are given by God.
Explain how Christians may respond to the question of euthanasia.
Christians are generally against euthanasia. It goes against Jesus’ teachings about the sacredness of life. However Christian churches respond to euthanasia in
The Roman Catholic Church
Catholics regard human life as sacred and believe that no one may get rid of it. It is considered a gift of God: “…believers see in life something greater, namely, a gift of God’s love, which they are called upon to preserve and make fruitful.”(Sacred congregation for the doctrine of the Faith, May5, 1980).Catholics would agree that if God gave us life as a sign of love and as a gift, we shouldn’t take it away because it would be like rejecting God. So following this, it is equally wrong to take someone’s life away as it is to take your own life, both cases are considered as murder and it is wrong.
In a case of terminal illness what a person needs, besides medical care is love, (from humans and from God) with which a human person should be surrounded by all those close to him/her (i.e. parents, children, friends, nurses.) The golden rule “treat others as you would like them to treat you” (Mathew 7:12) could be applied to this. Everyone would like to be loved and taken care of during the last moments of our lives, so we should do the same to the people that are suffering. That is what hospices are for.
The Hospice Movement.
The modern hospice movement was started by a British, Christian doctor Cicely Saunders in the late 1940s. She spent more than ten years trying to open St. Christopher’s hospice in London, in 1967 as a teaching and research facility dedicated to the physical, emotional and spiritual care of the dying. Hospice spread across the U.S. and other countries and with it the painkilling medicine. In the hospices, people are helped to die with dignity and no suffering. As Cicely Saunders said: “The greatest fear of the dying and their families is the fear of pain.” The aim of the hospices is to get rid of the fear of pain and loneliness which is what drives people to ask to be euthanased. The pain killers are administrated in small doses but continuously so the patient is never in pain. There are volunteers that make sure that the patient has company and doesn’t feel lonely. As the patient gets used to the drugs the dose has to be increased. Cicely Saunders believed that euthanasia was wrong because she thought that people could achieve lots of things at the end of their lives, things that otherwise their families would have missed of euthanasia had been carried.
The fact that these hospices exist can make lots of people be against euthanasia, no matter what religion they are, if the hospice movement didn’t exist it would be more understandable that people wanted to be euthanased. But these hospices make sure that people die with pride, not in pain and feeling that they are loved. This is one of the arguments that Christians may use against euthanasia. If the reason to be euthanased is suffering and pride, the hospices solve both problems.
According to Christian teachings, suffering, especially suffering before the last moment of life, has a special meaning for God. It is a sharing of Christ’s passion and union with his sacrifice which he did in obedience to his father’s will. Therefore some Christians prefer to moderate the use of painkillers, in order to share Christ’s suffering when he was crucified (Mathew 27:34).
The Pope Pius XII answered to a group of doctors who had asked if the use of narcotics even though they shorten life was allowed by religion by saying: “If no other means exist, and if, in given circumstances this does not prevent the carrying out of other moral and religious duties: Yes.”
Although most Catholics are against euthanasia they agree that the use of narcotics is right even though it is known that they shorten life dramatically, because the intention of the narcotics is to relieve the pain but by doing this you might end be ending the person’s life. This is called the doctrine of double effect which means that you do something with a purpose that is right but this might have a secondary effect that might be wrong.
The Church of England encourages people to think through issues by themselves but they believe the same as Catholics, they believe in the sacredness of life and that euthanasia is wrong but they also agree with the doctrine of Double Effect. “The administration of morphine is intended to relieve pain. The consequent shortening of life is foreseen but unintended”
The House of bishops of the Church of England submitted a joint statement with the Roman Catholic Bishops of England and Wales. “Those who become vulnerable through illness or disability deserve special care and protection. Adherence to this principle provides a fundamental test as to what constitutes a civilised society.” This is saying that we should take care of the vulnerable; it is part of the basis of a civilised society. This should be what people believe will happen when hey are terminally ill. We live in a self centred society that disregards the people the people in need of love and help. Therefore before thinking of legalising euthanasia they should start showing more compassion and love and maybe euthanasia wouldn’t be an issue.
The Salvation Army also opposes the practice of euthanasia; they believe euthanasia, “…threatens to debase the function of doctors and impairs the confidence of their patients.”
Methodists also argue against euthanasia by claiming that: “The argument for euthanasia will be answered if better methods for caring for the dying are developed” This refers to the hospice movement, they think that what people need is love from the people around us and from God. They also think that medication is needed to help ease the pain.
The Quakers believe: “Instead of rules, we offer a process of working out the decision that s right for each person, in her or his circumstances”. This means that there are times when Quakers might think euthanasia is right.
Can euthanasia ever be justified?
After doing a closer study the different aspects of abortion I am able to face the more practical side of the problem. “Can euthanasia ever be justified?” It is a question that requires a lot of thinking about the position of the person that wants to be euthanased. To get a conclusion you have to balance the pros and cons of the argument:
Arguments in favour of euthanasia: Those who believe that euthanasia should be legal would argue that everyone should have the right to chose how and when they want to die. The whole campaign about legalising euthanasia is to have the right to chose which makes sense as we are in a free country. We are allowed to “abuse” our bodies (through alcohol and cigarettes) .Why not allow people to chose when they die? So if someone is terminally ill why not allow them to die? Most people would say that the reason why they want to be euthanased is because they don’t want to be a burden (emotionally and financially) to their families and society. It should be realised that not everyone dies well. At least 5% of terminal pain cannot be controlled by drugs. It would prevent patients from suffering needlessly. Passive euthanasia is sometimes allowed and it is not any better than active euthanasia. The government has nothing to say on you religion so has no right to determine your faith or even if you have any faith at all and the main arguments against euthanasia are based in religion. So the state’s intervention is only justified when the argument goes beyond religion.
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 euthanased? There is also the worry that by giving doctors the right to practice euthanasia we are giving them the right t 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 Downes Syndrome child have the same quality of life as a child who is not? Those who are parents of Downes Syndrome children would say how much love 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 it 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 euthanased.
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 selfishness and cowardice. 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 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 in the end your life could also be ended in a morally acceptable way that would at the same time shorten the pain. I understand that people might feel unwanted by their families and society but 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. I agree that we can’t make people have faith in something that they don’t believe in, that
by: Gabriela Lezama Leguizamon
Contents:
What is meant by euthanasia?.......................................page 1 - 3
Bible teachings on euthanasia…………………………...page 3 - 4
How do Christians respond to euthanasia?…………….page 4 - 6
Can euthanasia ever be justified?..................................page 6 - 8
Bibliography
- Bible
- Class notes
- Oral history of Dame Cicely Saunders, 1993
- Cicely Saunders, living with dying: a guide to palliative care.
-
Sacred congregation for the Doctrine of the faith, May 5th, 1980.
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
- Euthanasia, issues for the nineties. Series editor: Craig Donnellan
- Contemporary moral issues by Joe Jenkins.
- A right to die by Richard Walker.
- Life for the dying by Antonia Tully.
Websites
and some people would say that by not legalising euthanasia you are resticting their rights as most of the arguments against it are based on religious beliefs. How can you have respect towards anyone if you don’t even respect your life enough to make it last as long as possible even of the last moments of it are not as good as you would have liked it to be. I also disagree with the argument saying that euthanasia allows you to die with dignity. It is true that in some cases people are dependent on nurses and family at the end of their lives but this is not losing your dignity, I believe that ending your own life because of the fear of pain is losing your dignity as a human person. Most of these arguments are not from a Christian point of view but as a Catholic my main reasons for being against euthanasia are that I believe that life is sacred and God gives us life as a gift and we should take profit for as long as possible. I also think that we are “God’s temple” and if we bring ourselves to death we are destroying God.
To conclude my essay I can only say that I completely disagree with euthanasia because I think that it is very un-necessary and before even thinking of legalising it we should make sure that we have done everything that we can to relieve the pain and give physical, spiritual and emotional support to the people that are dying
