The concept of the sanctity of life

• The concept of the sanctity of life is central to Christian thinking about many ethical issues
• For most Christians, this refers only to human life, and gives it intrinsic value. This means that the life of a severely disabled newborn baby has the same value for God and should be shown the same respect by other people as that of a Nobel prizewinner or a world record-breaking athlete
• Intrinsic value:

  means that something has value for its own sake
• Sanctity of life:

  refers to the belief that life is holy and infinitely precious
• It is based on Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:7:

  • The first of these states that humans are created in the image of God
  • The second states that when God breathed the breath (nephesh) of life into him, the man became a living being (nephesh chayya); nephesh is often translated as 'soul'
• In Christianity, the Sanctity of Life principle takes two forms: the strong principle and the weak

  • According to the strong Sanctity go Life principle, all humans have an absolute right to life that must never be taken away, e.g. by abortion or euthanasia
  • According to the weak form of the principle, all human life is indeed sacred, but it is not absolutely so.
• According to the weak sanctity of life principle, all human life is indeed sacred, but it is not absolutely so:

  • In exceptional circumstances, potentially life-saving or preserving treatment may be omitted or withdrawn
  • The weak form of the principle is often combined with the Quality of Life principle, which takes into account a person's capacity for self-fulfilment and dignity of life, etc.
• Quality of life:

  refers to the capacity for self-fulfilment and the possession of dignity in life