Euthanasia (key things)

Question 1

What is sanctity of life?

Answer 1

A belief in the value and sacredness of life which is shared by many religious believers.

Question 2

What are the two bible quotes to support a belief in the sanctity of life?

Answer 2

• ‘So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them’. This divine image gives human life its value.
• ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away’. This shows it is for God to decide the moment of birth and the moment of death; it cannot be a human decision as our lives are not our own but God’s.

Question 3

What is the quality of life principle? (2)

Answer 3

• The quality of life principle takes the view that whether life is valuable depends on whether it is worth living.
• To be valuable, certain characteristics are needed, e.g. happiness, autonomy or freedom from pain.

Question 4

What are Peter Singer’s five quality of life commandments?

Answer 4

1) We should recognise that the worth of human life varies.
2) We should take responsibility for the consequences of our decisions to save or end life.
3) We should respect a person’s desire to live or die.
4) We should only bring children into the world if they are wanted.
5) We should not discriminate on the basis of species.