Euthanasia Essays (922 words) - Euthanasia, Medical Ethics

Euthanasia I am coming from a Christian standpoint on the subject of Euthanasia. Throughout this paper I will be playing little bit of the Devils advocate, so don't get worried. I am totally against Euthanasia or assisted suicide, whatever you may call it. I have done much research on this subject and feel it is not the answer to anything! I will give you the Christian beliefs on it as well as the any other beliefs on it. But when it comes down to it Euthanasia is wrong and illegal both in the law and in the eyes of God. There are two forms of suicide, first there is emotional suicide or irrational self-murder in all of it complexities nd sadness. This is where the person feels his or hers life is too terrible to go on anymore, keep in mind that they are fine both physically and emotionally the majority of the time. Then there is the second kind of suicide, which is "Justifiable Suicide". I put that in quotes because as a Christian we do not believe in suicide and feel that no suicide is justifiable! This kind of suicide is rational and planned self-deliverance from painful and hopeless disease which will shortly end in death. This is by no way acceptable, for one there is no rational way of suicide and there is no justifiable reason to end your or someone else's life. Even if a hopelessly ill person is requesting assistance in dying for the most compassionate reasons, and the helper is acting from the most noble motives, it remains a crime in the Anglo-American world. There are many reasons why Euthanasia should be the right answer. Such as an advanced terminal illness that is causing unbearable suffering to the individual. (This is most common) This may seem like the perfect answer to end someone's life so you don't have to see them suffer anymore but, there is a reason that that person is the way they are and it is because of God and by the will of God he will take them soon enough. Another reason is grave physical handicap which is so restricting that the individual cannot, even after due consideration, counseling, and re-training tolerate such a limited existence. For one God will never give you anything that you cant handle, so if you get a grave handicap don't give up God knows you are strong and will be able to get through that and anything else. The word "Euthanasia" comes from the Greek ?eu, "good", and thanatos, "death". Literally meaning "good death". But the word Euthanasia has acquired a more complex meaning in modern times. It is generally taken nowadays to mean doing something about achieving a good death. A good question that comes up often is how do they do it?! These so-called doctors have been known to use drugs, which is most common. They put their patients under and slowly they stop breathing and pass away. Another way that I found while researching is a plastic bag. If they think they are doing these people a favor by taking them out of there suffering and pain then what are they doing with plastic bags?! They go through that fear for about 5 minutes until they finally suffocate and die. This is a very in-human way to kill a human being I don't care what they want or did. Police, Paramedics and Coroners put a very low priority of investigation of suicide when evidence comes before them that the person was dying anyway, and there is a note from the deceased. Detectives and Coroners officers will walk away from the scene once they are satisfied that the person who committed suicide was terminally ill. Instead of killing yourself there are a lot of other solutions. For instance you could always go into a hospice program and receive not only first-class pain management but comfort care and personal attention. A few hospice leaders claim that their care is so perfect that there is absolutely no reason for anyone to even consider Euthanasia. I have no wish to criticize them, they are wrong to claim perfection. If ones body has been so destroyed by disease that it is not worth living, that is an intensely individual decision which should not be thwarted. Let me ask you this, What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul. Those few words are very powerful. To lose your soul and to give up everything because