Euthanasia an Euphemism for suicide

Euthanasia an Euphemism for suicide

  • Submitted By: castrola
  • Date Submitted: 11/27/2014 12:02 PM
  • Category: Religion
  • Words: 1926
  • Page: 8


Euthanasia a Euphemism for Suicide
Assisted suicide as well as Euthanasia can be traced all the way back to the 17th century. It was supposedly commonly known among the Anglo Americans. In 1647 legislators of the providence plantations stated that, “self murder”, was acknowledged as, “the most unnatural” (Glucksberg). Euthanasia meaning “good death”, is also known as “mercy killing”. “Mercy” meaning to relieve someone of their suffering. By legalizing Euthanasia, the act of intentionally killing innocent humans is entrusted to all. The government is then authorizing a right entrusted to nobody but God. The Church itself has varying opinions opposing the thoughts held by society concerning “mercy killing”. In the eyes of the Church it is considered “morally unacceptable” to perform any act “putting an end to the lives of [humans]” (CCC 2277). Although, society and the Church obtain counter views regarding the different types of euthanasia and assisted suicide, the Church remains consistent in its teachings.
There are numerous kinds of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. Some types are; direct euthanasia, voluntary euthanasia, non voluntary euthanasia, and involuntary euthanasia. But what do all of these terms stand for? Direct euthanasia is the means of intentionally killing a patient, which can be performed by commission or omission. Euthanasia by commission is the act of physically killing the patient, most commonly achieved by injecting the patient with a lethal dosage. On the other hand, euthanasia by omission is the act of not performing required treatment and willingly letting the patient die. When a patient asks to be killed it is referred to as voluntary euthanasia; non-voluntary euthanasia is when the patient has not yet specified wether they would or would not like to be killed. Lastly, if a patient is killed against their will this term is known as involuntary euthanasia. It is understood by majority of people that by either killing someone...

Similar Essays