End of Life Care Flashcards
Describe Catholic Attitudes Towards Palliative Care
-The Catholic Church teaches that palliative care is an appropriate way of relieving pain.
-This is because such care respects the right to reject treatment that is unreasonably burdensome.
-Moreover, the Church teaches that palliative care maintains dignity and some quality as part of the proper processes of care.
-Pope John Paul II highlighted the importance of palliative care when he said, “cure if possible, always take care.”
-This emphasises both medical care and human assistance which underscores the importance of compassionate care, especially in the face of suffering.
Describe the Importance of Preparation For Catholics For Dying Well
-For Catholics, it is important to help those who are facing to death to prepare themselves to die well.
-This may include spending time with family and making peace with those close to them.
-Catholics will also discuss what they’d like their funeral to be like and updating their will to reduce worries about inheritance.
Describe the Importance of Respecting the Value of Life For Catholics For Dying Well
-Catholics also believe respecting the value of life is an important part of dying well.
-This means rejecting euthanasia as Pope John Paull II called it a “grave violation of the law of God,” meaning that it goes against God’s intentions.
-Therefore, Catholics will offer those who are dying palliative care in order to ease the pain and maintain dignity.
Describe the Importance of Rituals For Catholics For Dying Well
-Rituals will also be provided to support both the dying and grieving.
-The dying will be given the sacrament of the anointing of the sick in order to ease time in Purgatory and place them in the grace of God.
-The grieving will hold a funeral rite which holds symbols and images that reflect belief and hope in eternal life.
-Prayers are also said for the one who has died to ease pain in Purgatory. These beliefs are also explored through art and music.
Describe Catholic Beliefs About Euthanasia
-Catholics believe that the deliberate action taken to end a life before its natural death is never permissible so euthanasia is always wrong.
-Job states, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes.” This shows that God has given us life so sacred. Therefore, only He can take a life.
-As a result, this takes precedence over someone’s personal view over whether or not their quality of life is worth continuing to live so euthanasia is wrong.
Explain how Catholics are Influenced by Their Beliefs About Euthanasia
-Catholics will be influenced to provide rituals to the patient in order to support them.
-This will include the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to help during their dying as well as after it.
Describe Pope John Paull II Teachings About Euthanasia
-Pope John Paull II teaches that euthanasia is “a grave violation of the law of God.” This teaching comes from the belief that all human life is sacred or holy.
-Belief in the sanctity of life comes from an understanding that life itself is a gift from God and is therefore precious and should be respected from conception to natural death.
-Deliberate killing, such as euthanasia and assisted suicide, are seen as going against the instruction in the Ten Commandments: ‘Do not murder’.
Explain how Catholics are Influenced by Pope John Paull II Teachings About Euthanasia
-Catholics will be influenced to promote suitable alternatives to euthanasia such as palliative care.
-This is because it is reasonable to seek palliative care to reduce pain and maintain dignity.
Evaluate Catholic Beliefs About Euthanasia
-Catholics provide a convincing argument because if human life is not treated as sacred in all cases as the priority, this means that it becomes possible for the state to decide which human lives are not worth living.
-This could lead to discrimination and pressure to commit suicide or seek assisted suicide as some may feel that they are a burden to society. Hence, euthanasia is always wrong.
Describe Humanist Beliefs About Euthanasia
-Humanists believe that the decision about quality of life and whether or not life is bearable rests with the individual.
-Peter Singer argued “the notion life is sacred is medieval,” meaning life is not special and God-given, so is controlled by the individual.
-As a result, they believe that all humans have autonomy and any decision about prolonging or ending a life should be down to the individual.
-They conclude that legalising assisted dying would mean that individuals would be free to make their own decisions about their end of life care.
Explain how Humanists are Influenced by Belief in Euthanasia
-Humanists will be influenced to campaign for the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
-This is because both of these actions end the suffering of the person which they view as being the most important factor when considering whether to continue living or not.
Evaluate Humanist Beliefs About Euthanasia
-Humanists provide a convincing argument because they believe that humans are no more special than animals.
-Therefore, because animals are euthanised to reduce pain, humans should have the right to this decision too.
Describe Other Christian Beliefs About Euthanasia
-Other Christians believe if a person feels their suffering is so great that it would be almost impossible to live with benefits, then they should be able to end their life.
-However, the belief in the sanctity of life still holds great importance. They look in particular at the teaching, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
-This would mean that if euthanasia were to be the kindest option to ease suffering, then the quality of life should come before the sanctity of life. They would view this as a sign of love which clearly demonstrates compassion.
-However, this should only come as a final resort as the belief that life is sacred still holds an important place alongside the quality of life
Explain how Other Christian are Influenced by Belief in Euthanasia
-Other Christians will be influenced to educate about the importance of compassionate care and pain relief.
-This is because they will want to maintain a high quality of life but still respect the sanctity of life in order to keep euthanasia as a last resort.
Evaluate Other Christian Beliefs About Euthanasia
-Other Christians provide a convincing argument because humans have been given free will so should have the right to do what they want with their body.
-However, St Thomas More argued “God took from us authority not only over the life of another but also over our own life.”
-This shows that although humans have free will, it is only God’s right to take a life as He has taken that authority from us.
