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Christians Arguments Against Euthanasia

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Euthanasia Euthanasia is a topic that is difficult to discuss because of the many different beliefs and arguments for and against it. Passive and active euthanasia are examined in this section and for the most part the following is the consensus for all forms of Judaism, no matter how soon death is expected or how ill a person is still considered to be a human being meaning that killing someone even if that person is ill and in pain or even facing just hours before death, it is still considered a murder in all respects. According to Rabbi David Bleich, Orthodox Jews are a radical opponent of euthanasia and are advocates of absolute sanctity when it comes to life. Representatives of the conservative Jewish community, Rabbi Dorff and Reisner, believe that there is a clear distinction that should be made between euthanasia and the withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment such …show more content…

Even though the removal of life-sustaining treatment is seen as the “more” acceptable treatment, whereas the act of conscious “killing” is considered to be strictly forbidden. Taking these traditional Jewish sources into consideration, Conservative Rabbis Dorff and Reisner concluded that euthanasia is forbidden under Jewish law, but under certain rare circumstances and considerations it may be permitted, by Jewish law to “kill” by removing life-sustaining treatments such as respiratory machinery and other forms of life support. There is a counter argument from the Conservative movement that should be noted, Rabbi Sherwin, who identifies as an advocate for euthanasia. Rabbi Sherwin focuses on the story of the martyrdom, where it can be concluded that there are exceptions to the preservation of life. One of these exceptions being, killing in self-defense as well as other forms of homicide like “pulling the plug”. Reform Judaism on the other hand holds the belief that there is a moral difference between taking action to hasten a person’s death completely withdrawing treatment so

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