Catholic Views On Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia has been a controversial topic since the ancient Greek physicians. The word euthanasia has been used since the history of medicine. The Greek physicians or Hippocrates took an oath that they would never give their patients anything even if they requested it. The Hippocratic Oath has been used since 2,300 years ago until today (Harrigan). In the seventeenth century, American common law has punished people who have committed mercy killing. Then in the Enlightenment, writers “assaulted the church’s authority” of the teachings of euthanasia (“Historical Timeline”). A author from the Historical timeline said that if someone “condemned suicide as a wrong” and injures people and the community, then it “violates God’s authority over life.” The author says that someone killed a person or was asked to, then it violates God’s authority to give life to that person.

law. the catholic church does not accept that people have a right to die. Euthanasia and

As euthanasia has become a prevalent topic in our society, many opinions have formed regarding the morality of it and whether it goes against Christian beliefs. Two opposing points of view, both written by Christians, explore this topic. John Shelby Spong argues in his article “Euthanasia Does Not Violate Christian Beliefs” that Christians need to reevaluate their view on assisted suicide and that it should be an individual choice. Chris Armstrong argues against euthanasia in the article “Christianity Condemns Voluntary Euthanasia” and contends that as Christians, we should never support the taking of life. While both authors agree that passive euthanasia

" God made man in his own image, male and female he created them." Gen

The Catholic Church has addressed the issue of euthanasia, and is strongly against the practice. This is evident in the teachings of the church, and through the Catechisms of the Catholic Church. They define euthanasia as, “an act or omission which, of itself or by

Again, in the words of Girsh; “It should be as much of a crime to make someone live who with justification does not wish to continue as it is to take life without consent” (Girsh). In response to this argument, and perhaps the best reason for Catholics to support the church, is the fact that physician assisted suicide is a slippery slope to legalized murder — that the intent to kill is of utmost importance in the matter, and the moral repercussions of killing someone are irreversible (Harriss). In other words, physician assisted suicide inevitably leads to a culture of death. This claim is supported by the current state of healthcare in the Netherlands, where “Studies show that hospice-style palliative care 'is virtually unknown’” (Smith). Additionally, as a final note, it may be important to note that one of the problem with physician assisted suicide for Catholics is one of control; people want to end their own lives to be in control, but in reality, that control is supposed to be left to

Physician-Assisted Suicide is legal in only two places, Oregon and the Netherlands. Sadly, our home state is known for this. The moral argument of PAS still goes on today, but what is the Catholic Church’s view on all of this? The Catholic Church is completely against PAS and euthanasia, and a number of other related things which will be covered in the following paper.

In 1995, Pope John Paul II said, “Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person (“Euthanasia”).” The quote defines the Christian general point of view on euthanasia. It is due to the Christian belief that God

Moreover, euthanasia is restricted by the church. This is another important point that we should consider, especially for religious people. According to “Death and Dignity” it is emphasized that “Life is a gift from God and it is only God who can take it back”. Christian’s point of view considers euthanasia as a crime against church, religion and God. Christians consider this as an immoral act. When considering the religious factor as well, we can conclude that no one has the right to take control over our lives, especially when we are unconscious.

The world is a place full of black and white along with so much gray. Many people who have heated debates usually have them on topics related to ethical dilemmas that range from abortion to politics to religion. No one ever agrees on everything all of the time which can leave a lot of issues unresolved or ignored. Most of the time a person and their worldview determines what they consider is an ethical choice. This paper will cover the ethical dilemma of euthanasia and how the Christian Worldview impacts that choice in comparison to other views.

Euthanasia has always been a common topic especially a debatable one talking about allowing patients who are suffering from any incurable disease or condition or even in an irreversible coma to choose to end their live on their own terms painlessly. The following will discuss a specific case and analyzed using the Christian worldview. Since the moral debate of euthanasia is such a topic of controversy, potential solutions towards the issue, and how such solutions can be compared to the core beliefs and the values within the Christian worldview.

I believe that Euthanasia should be accepted in the Catholic church, the church says that God made us in his image and he has the right

The acceptance of assisted suicide is a religious decision which research proves does interfere with the decision people decide about euthanasia. “The majority of the articles identified support the hypothesis that nurses’ attitudes towards euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are influenced by religion and worldviews.”( Gielen, 315) However, there is a misconception that everyone who is of a certain faith believe exactly what the church wants them to think. According to the article “Religion And Nurses’ Attitudes To Euthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide”, Non-believers, Jewish, and Asian countries religious views are in favor of Euthanasia; However, Christians, catholics, and roman catholic were strongly against it.

Euthanasia is a controversial issue. Many different opinions have been formed. From doctors and nurses to family members dealing with loved ones in the hospital, all of them have different ideas for the way they wish to die. However, there are many different issues affecting the legislation and beliefs of legalizing euthanasia. Taking the following aspects into mind, many may get a different understanding as to why legalization of euthanasia is necessary. Some of these include: misunderstanding of what euthanasia really is, doctors and nurses code of ethics, legal cases and laws, religious and personal beliefs, and economics in end-of-life care.

Euthanasia is the practice of ending an individual's life in order to relieve them from an incurable disease or unbearable suffering. The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek word for "good death" and originally referred to as “intentional killing” ( Patelarou, Vardavas, Fioraki, Alegakis, Dafermou, & Ntzilepi, 2009). Euthanasia is a controversial topic which has raised a great deal of debate globally. Although euthanasia has received great exposure in the professional media, there are some sticky points that lack clarity and need to be addressed. Euthanasia is a divisive topic, and different interpretations of its meaning, depend on whether the person supports it or not. While a few societies have accepted euthanasia, there are