The Morality of Euthanasia

The Pro-Life Council, as the name suggests, takes a negative view of euthanasia. No doubt there are many in this group who are religious but the arguments presented against euthanasia are not religious in nature. One of the first arguments that the Council makes is basically to say that there is always an alternative to death. It argues that medication is available to manage the pain of even the worst of diseases. (Brian Johnston,
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) If the physician cannot stop the pain, then one should find another doctor. This argument does not sufficiently address the question of quality of life however. For instance, if one is in so much pain that even breathing hurts, and the medication required to stop this pain puts the patient into a vegetative state, then there is really not much point in keeping the patient alive.

One of the strongest arguments of the Pro-Life Council is that if a euthanasia law was passed, the aged, infirm and handicapped members of our society would be pressured into suicide, for economic reasons. This particular argument uses the distrust that the ordinary man feels for authority figures in order to convince the listener that this is a real possibility. The example of the State of Oregon puts paid to that particular scare tactic. In Oregon it is legal for a physician to aid a suicide. This system has been in place for several years, and none of the dire predictions of Pro-Life groups have come to pass. Nevertheless, the Pro-Life Council is strongly against Euthanasia.

The position of the Catholic Church is very clear on the subject of euthanasia. The Church teaches that human life is sacrosanct, and to take it is a sin. Self defense is an exception to this rule. Suicide has always been a sin in the eyes of the Catholic Church, as was assisting someone commit suicide. There is no exception in this rule for doctors. However there are a few circumstances in which passive euthanasia is considered to be acceptable. If a patient is going to die, and painkillers will ease their passing but cut a few days off their life, the Church teaches that the painkillers can be given. (Yacc Labs,
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) When possible however, the patient should be conscious up until the end, so that they can make their peace with their family and their God. The Church also accepts that sometimes aggressive medical treatment to prolong the life of someone who is going to die, is too painful and expensive, and that the patient should be allowed to die. On the whole though, the Church is very much against euthanasia.

There are many different views on the ethical acceptability of euthanasia. Some groups, such as the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of Scotland, believe that euthanasia is ethically wrong because it robs people of their freedom of choice. Other groups, such as the Pro-Life Council, argue that euthanasia will inevitably lead to society killing off members that it finds less acceptable, and also that some people who wish to be euthanized are not competent to make that type of decision. The Catholic Church, with a few small exceptions, is wholly against euthanasia, as it is basically suicide and/or murder, which is a sin. There are many ethical arguments both for and against euthanasia, so in the end it comes down to which arguments a person chooses to believe, as there is no concrete “moral right” in regards to euthanasia.