EUTHANASIAMERCY KILLING
DEFINITION
termination of the life of a person suffering from a painful and incurable medical condition
From the Greek words:
eu(good/well)
thanatos(death)
= GOOD DEATH
+
ACTIVEDEFINITION | Kinds
Voluntary Euthanasia
when the patient is directly killed at his own request.
Non Voluntary
Euthanasia
when the patient cannot give consent, somebody else makes the decision
for them.
Assisted Suicide
where the doctor actively assists or provides the means for the patient to kill himself.
PASSIVE
WITHDRAWAL OF TREATMENT
- the doctor withholds life- sustaining treatment.
DEFINITION | Kinds
the patient dies because the medical professionals either don't do something necessary to keep the patient alive, or they stop doing something that is keeping the patient alive.
HISTORY5th Century B.C.-1st Century B.C. - Ancient Greeks and Romans Tend to Support Euthanasia
12th Century-15th Century - Christian Views on Euthanasia Reinforce Hippocratic Oath
13th Century - During Middle Ages Christians and Jews Tend to Oppose Euthanasia
HISTORYMay 1995 | Australia
- Rights of the Terminally Ill (ROTI)
November 2000 | Netherlands
- legalized by legislative decreeNovember 1994 | Oregon
- Death with Dignity Act
ADVANTAGESCHOICE
Choice is a fundamental principle for liberal democracies and free market systems
QUALITY OF LIFEThe pain and suffering a person feels during a disease can be incomprehensible to a person who has not gone through it
It is often difficult for patients to overcome the emotional pain of losing their independence
ADVANTAGES
Shortage of hospital space
The energy of doctors and hospital beds could be used for people whose lives could be saved instead of continuing the life of those who want to die
It is a burden to keep people alive past the point they can contribute to society
ECONOMIC COSTS AND HUMAN RESOURCES
DISADVANTAGESхPROFESSIONAL
Unduly compromise the role of health care workers
Violate the Hippocratic oath: "I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan" (though it has fallen out of use)
DISADVANTAGES
хMORAL AND THEOLOGICALEuthanasia is viewed as murder, and voluntary euthanasia as suicide
A violation of the sanctity of human life
That humans should not be the ones to make the choice to end life
DISADVANTAGESхNECESSITY
Where there is life, there is hope: for a cure, remission, or even answer to prayer
The correct action is to attempt to bring about a cure or engage in palliative care
DISADVANTAGESхFEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTATION
To be voluntary, a patient must be mentally competent to make the decision
Competence can be difficult to determine or even define
DISADVANTAGES
хWISHES OF FAMILYFamily members often desire to spend as much time with their loved ones as possible before they die
Their wishes ought to be considered
DISADVANTAGESхCONSENT UNDER PRESSURE
Once euthanasia becomes an acceptable health procedure, it will be subject to economic considerations
Hospital and insurance personnel will have an economic incentive to advise or pressure people toward euthanasia consent
IN THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Life comes from God, to take it is murder
As such He has the sole right to dispose of it - Ac 17:25,28
Human life is sacred because we are made in His image – Gen 9:5-6
Suicide, in general, is an act of murder which is immoral - Exo 20:13
Our bodies belong to God, not us
This is especially true of Christians - 1Co 6:19-20
We no longer live for ourselves, but for God - Ro 14:7-8; 2Co 5:15
We might prefer death, but the Lord may have a different plan - Php 1:21-24
IN THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Men of God chose to endure pain rather than end life prematurely
Job
Who suffered not for sin - Job 2:7-10
Who longed for death, but would not kill himself – Job 6:8-9
Jeremiah
Who suffered with those who had sinned - Lam 3:38-41
Who could have fled to Babylon, but chose not to - Jer 40:4
Jesus
Who suffered for all who sinned - 1Pe 3:18
Who endured the cross - He 12:2
IN THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
“It is God who remains the sovereign master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully
and preserve it for His honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners of the life
God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of."
CONCLUSIONEuthanasia, even when one is suffering, can be viewed as…
An act of ingratitude toward God who gives us both life and suffering for our good
A violation of our duty to serve God all the days of our lives
A misguided effort to escape an aspect of life that God intends for us to experience
A selfish act that hurts those closest to us, depriving them of our example and influence
CONCLUSION“Arguments for or against euthanasia that are based upon moral or religious beliefs, which can change over time. Some practices that were considered barbaric before are now acceptable. One of the issues regarding euthanasia is weighing society's obligations to provide an easier access to death against society's obligations to provide the means for lessening pain and suffering.”
Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice
aforethought.
DEFINITION
Killing becomes murder when (and only when) it is not properly justified, and the justifications are clear
DEFINITIONKILLING & MURDER
accident
self-defense
preventing someone from committing violent felony
protecting an innocent
JUSTIFICATIONFOR HOMICIDE
FACTORS
Motive
Intent
Justification
First Degree or Capital Murder
Second Degree Murder
Felony Murder
DEGREES
Roughly 1 in 15,000 people is murdered in the Philippines each year
Homicide rates vary predictably from culture to culture
In the United States the rates of killing are much higher than in many industrialized nations, exceeding those in Canada, many western European nations, and Japan. In many other countries, including Venezuela, Colombia, and South Africa
The homicide rates in industrialized nations are much lower than in many non-industrialized cultures.
CASES
Pathology theories of murder propose that people commit murder when their thinking is abnormal. The causes of cognitive malfunctions vary, as do the forms of abnormal cognition they produce.
PATHOLOGICAL THEORIES
Sixth Commandment says "thou shalt not kill."
"You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13, NKJV throughout)
IN THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Woe to that society that fails to punish evildoers with a punishment that fits the crime . Woe to that nation that fails to defend itself and its borders against terrorist groups and tyrannical nations who are bent upon destroying the very fabric of our society. (Romans 13:1-5)
IN THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
CONCLUSION Murder involves killing unlawfully with premeditated malice. It involves
a deliberate, planned, pre-mediated attack against a fellow human being for the purpose of taking his life for reasons that are purely sinful. As a country under God, it would be our rightful obligation to take a few ideas to heart so that we may truly show the world how a real country under God presents itself, and how it comes about its daily problems such as homicide, and the death penalty. A human life is something to be cherished. No one has the right to tell someone else who is guilty, and who deserves to die. Human life is precious and to be highly valued, for man is made in the image of God. We live in a society which gives little respect to human life, as demonstrated by rampant abortion rate and the frightful and widespread allowance of euthanasia, etc. While the taking of a human life is never to be taken lightly, nevertheless the consistent teaching of the Scripture is that there are times when the taking of human life is justified.
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