SECTION 4 CHRISTIANITY- TOPIC 1.4.7 EUTHANASIA Flashcards
Different types of Euthanasia.
-assisted suicide
-voluntary euthanasia
-non-voluntary euthanasia.
What are the Christian attitudes to euthanasia?
1 Acceptance of passive euthanasia
2 All euthanasia is wrong
3 Accept limited use of euthanasia
Acceptance of passive euthanasia
-switching off life-support machines is not euthanasia if brain death has already been established by medical experts
-not wrong to allow death to occur by not giving extraordinary treatment
-allow death to occur by not giving extraordinary treatment e.g-painkillers which may shorten their life but improve their quality of life whilst alive
Why do some Christians accept the use of passive euthanasia?
DOCTRINE OF DOUBLE EFFECT-painkillers might shorten the person’s life but the painkillers are given to remove the pain, and that is the intention;hastening the person’s
death is an unintended effect
-extraordinary treatment to the dying as such treatment is likely to affect the dignity of dying and can die w dignity
Why do some NOT Christians accept the use of passive euthanasia?
-regard any form of euthanasia as a form of murder, and murder is forbidden in the Ten Commandments.
-life is created by God and so is sacred to God up to God, not humans, when people die
Euthanasia is to put oneself on a par with God, which is condemned in the Bible
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All euthanasia is wrong
Christians (mainly Evangelical Protestants) believe that any form of euthanasia is wrong and they do not allow the switching off of life-support machines, the refusal of extraordinary treatment or the giving of large
doses of painkillers.
Why do some Christians believe all euthanasia is wrong?
The Book of Job chapter 2 tells Christians to accept suffering as God’s will:
“Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?”
They regard switching off a life-support machine, the refusal of extraordinary treatment and giving a large dose of painkillers as euthanasia. Life is being ended by humans, not God, and this is wrong.-
regard any form of euthanasia as murder, and murder is banned by God in the Ten Commandments
believe in the sanctity of life. Life is created by God and so it is sacred to God. It is up to God, not humans, when people die. Euthanasia is to put oneself on a par with God, which is condemned in the Bible.
Accept limited use of euthanasia
They agree with living wills in which people state what sort of treatment they wish to receive and how they want to die if they have a terminal illness.
Why do some Christians accept limited use of euthanasia?
-Modern medical science means that we can no longer be sure what God’s wishes about someone’s death actually are
-The teaching of Jesus on loving your neighbour and helping people in trouble could be used to justify assisting suicide
-Living wills give people a chance to be in control of what doctors are doing to them, which is a basic human right.
Atheist and Humanist arguments against euthanasia
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Some want euthanasia to remain illegal because:
-There is always likely to be doubt as to whether it is what the person really wants. If there is money involved, relatives might request euthanasia for a rich relative to gain from their will.
-There is also the problem as to whether the disease is terminal. A cure might be found for the disease, or the patient may go into REMISSION.People thought of as being in irreversible comas have recovered after many years.
-People might change their mind about wanting euthanasia, but then it would be too late
What is a major Christian response to the problems to those who are dying?
major Christian response to the problems of the terminally ill has been the hospice movement.Christians believe that instead of euthanasia, the terminally ill should be helped by hospices which aim to relieve and control the pain of the dying.
-where they provide palliative care
