7 - Euthanasia

• Traditional Christians on Euthanasia

  • Life is a gift from God - it is God who gives life and takes it away. Humans do not have the right to end a life
  • Life is sacred, humans are made in the 'image of God', so we should protect life
  • Euthanasia breaks the commandment 'do not kill'
  • Christians prefer the work of hospices in caring for the terminally ill to euthanasia. The focus of a hospice is controlling pain, not trying to cure a paitent
• Liberal Christians on Euthanasia -

  • Quality of life is more important than simply being alive. If a person has no quality of life, euthanasia should be allowed
  • It could be an act of Christian love to end a person's life who is in great suffering
• Islam on Euthanasia (1)-

  • Life is sacred and comes from Allah. Allah decides when you die
  • Allah has a plan for everyone - only he chooses how long each person lives. We should not 'play God' and try to interfere with his plan
  • Euthanasia is a form of suicide and all forms of suicide are wrong in Islam. It is punished in the afterlife
• Islam on Euthanasia (2)-

  • Suffering is a test in order to develop courage and patience. Those who are suffering must be shown care and compassion.
  • Muslims accept that life-support machines can be switched off if a person is in a coma and has no hope of recovery because their life has already ended
• Humanism on Euthanasia -

  • Humanists take a situation ethics approach and follow relative morality
  • Quality of life is more important than sanctity of life if a person is suffering
  • Euthanasia should not only be allowed for terminally ill people but for those who are permanently and incurably suffering.
  • Humanists argue that humans have the right to die with dignity
• Dying in Dignity -

  A group who want euthanasia to be legal. It wants -

  • Choice: The right to to choose where to die, who is present and what treatment they have
  • Access: To have access to expert information on end-of-life options
  • Control: To have control over how they die, pain relief, planning death and able to administer the drugs that kill them