Reflect on the analysis of the sin of suicide and thus euthanasia from the topic readings
. Do you agree? Why or why not? Refer to the lecture and topic readings in your response.
The Christian view of suicide and euthanasia is one and the same, with both being morally wrong. Suicide and euthanasia are both viewed as contradictions of our nature as creatures and as an unwillingness to accept life as it is given to us by the creator, God. Reflect on the analysis of the sin of suicide and thus euthanasia from the topic readings
Humans are the characters in a story written by God, so humans are the created and God is the creator, according to Bioethics: a Primer for Christians. Suicide is frequently the result of depression or other emotional illnesses. Suicide is not a rational undertaking in such cases, and a person in such a state is not regarded as a responsible agent. Finally, the Christian perspective is to minimize suffering by providing the best possible care (Meilaender,2013).
How can it be said that suicide in a depressed or otherwise emotionally ill person cannot be held responsible for their actions? How can it be proven who is emotionally sick and who is not?
I am having a hard time understanding how CPR and life-saving measures are ok, yet suicide or physician-assisted suicide is not. In either scenario, humans are, in fact, attempting to be the creator vs. the created, the author vs. the character. Performing life-saving measures and suicide are both examples of an unwillingness to accept what God, the creator, has given us. If it is morally wrong for us, characters, to end the story, isn’t it also morally wrong to try and continue the story when God, the creator, and author, says it should end?
If I agree with CPR and life-saving, might that mean I agree with suicide or euthanasia as well? I’m not sure of this answer. I’m not sure I would ever know this answer.
Resources
Grand Canyon University(2019).PHI-413V Topic Overview: Death, Dying, and Grief
Meilaender, G. (2013). Bioethics: a primer for Christians (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B.
Eerdmans Pub. Co.
. Do you agree? Why or why not? Refer to the lecture and topic readings in your response. I have always been taught to believe that suicide is a sin and that it is a sin you cannot ask forgiveness for after committing it. Therefore, the teaching, as I understood it, about suicide is that it is an unpardonable sin.We have been commanded not to kill (Exodus 20:13).Euthanasia is putting someone to death by restricting or hindering treatment when a person has an incurable disease (Wells, Frey, & Cataldo, 2013).I concur with the authors of the aforementioned article that assisted suicide and euthanasia require medical professionals to reconsider how they interpret the intent of medical treatments (Wells, Frey, & Cataldo, 2013). I also believe that nonmaleficence and the preservation of life are the essence of medicine and that pain and suffering can be managed without killing or assisting in killing (Wells, Frey, & Cataldo, 2013). Due to the inaccuracies of end-of-life medical prognoses and the fact that dying patients are frequently depressed, it is asserted that physician-assisted suicide [PAS] could endanger vulnerable populations such as the elderly, disabled, poor, and other minorities (Sullivan & Taylor, 2013). Furthermore, it is asserted that these lives may be viewed as a burden by society, which may lead to the normalization of medical killing, and that patients may view themselves as a burden and be forced to accept PAS (Sullivan & Taylor, 2013).
Could we live with ourselves if we thought we were coercing someone into accepting assistance to die? I absolutely could not. Could we live with helping them to be comfortable until their time for death? I strive to do this with every patient I care for.
References
Exodus 20:13. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Sullivan, D., & Taylor, R.. (2018). THE ETHICAL LANDSCAPE OF ASSISTED SUICIDE: A BALANCED ANALYSIS. Ethics & Medicine, 34(1), 49. Retrieved
from
Wells, K., Frey, R., & Cataldo, L. (2013). Euthanasia. In Gale (Ed.), The Gale encyclopedia of nursing and allied health (3rd ed.). Gale. Credo
