moral and religious issues raised by euthanasia
In this essay I am going to examine and consider critically the moral and religious issues raised by euthanasia. To do this I will put forward three main denominations views and opinions views on the topic of euthanasia these are Salvation Army, Church of England, Quakers and Roman Catholic. Euthanasia is defined as dying well, as people with terminally ill diseases want to die with dignity not with pain and suffering. Euthanasia can also be known as mercy killing as no matter how much the person wants your help and how good your intention is, they are still being killed. The key word that must be associated with euthanasia is intentional as if death is not intentional it is not an act of euthanasia. The types of euthanasia are voluntary euthanasia, which is when the person who is killed has requested to be killed, involuntary euthanasia where the person who is killed made an expressed wish to the contrary, and non-voluntary euthanasia which is where the person made no request for euthanasia and gave no consent. There is also euthanasia by action where an action is made thus killing the person for example a lethal injection is given and euthanasia by omission which is where death is intentionally caused by not giving the appropriate care and or food needs. ... The Salvation Army believes that euthanasia “Threatens to debase the function of doctors and impairs the confidence of their patients” In most circumstances this might happen, as patients might not trust their doctors as they might think if they have got some chance of pulling through the doctors will not do everything in their power to help them. ... " A Christian doctor Cicely Saunders was extremely opposed to euthanasia so she started The Hospice Movement where she and others cared for the terminally ill and made them as comfortable as possible until they died she said “I have seen people achieve so much in the ending of their life time that their families would have missed [were euthanasia practiced]” In some circumstances the above quote can deemed correct. ... The Salvation Army neither agree nor disagree with euthanasia they use Situation Ethics to justify their reasoning. ... The Church of England is also opposed to euthanasia they believe again, life is a gift from God and should be nourished and prevented. ... “If we live, we live for the lord; and if we die we die for the lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the lord” The above quote can be used by many of the denominations as it summarizes how they feel toward euthanasia and how many are opposed to it. ... The Church of England feels it is their duty to care for and protect the vulnerable, particularly those who hasten or try to hasten their own death through euthanasia.