Title: BBC - Ethics - Euthanasia: Anti-euthanasia arguments
Headings: Anti-euthanasia arguments
Anti-euthanasia arguments
On this page
Overview of anti-euthanasia arguments
Ethical arguments
Practical arguments
Historical arguments
Religious arguments
Against the will of God
The value of suffering
The religious attitude to suffering
The nature of suffering
Dying is good for us
Eastern religions
A non-religious view
The nature of suffering
Sanctity of life
We are valuable for ourselves
We must respect our own value
The slippery slope
Various forms of the slippery slope argument
Devalues some lives
The disabled person's perspective
Opposition to this argument
Patient's best interests
Other people have rights too
Proper palliative care
Making things better for patient, family and friends
Spiritual care
Palliative care and euthanasia
Legalising euthanasia may reduce the availability of palliative care
When palliative care is not enough
Fears about regulation
It gives doctors too much power
Pressure on the vulnerable
The pressure of feeling a burden
Pressure from family and others
Financial pressure

Content: However while the churches acknowledge that some Christians will want to accept some suffering for this reason, most Christians are not so heroic. So there is nothing wrong in trying to relieve someone's suffering. In fact, Christians believe that it is a good to do so, as long as one does not intentionally cause death. Dying is good for us
Some people think that dying is just one of the tests that God sets for human beings, and that the way we react to it shows the sort of person we are, and how deep our faith and trust in God is. Others, while acknowledging that a loving God doesn't set his creations such a horrible test, say that the process of dying is the ultimate opportunity for human beings to develop their souls. When people are dying they may be able, more than at any time in their life, to concentrate on the important things in life, and to set aside the present-day 'consumer culture', and their own ego and desire to control the world. Curtailing the process of dying would deny them this opportunity. Eastern religions
Several Eastern religions believe that we live many lives and the quality of each life is set by the way we lived our previous lives. Those who believe this think that suffering is part of the moral force of the universe, and that by cutting it short a person interferes with their progress towards ultimate liberation. A non-religious view
Some non-religious people also believe that suffering has value.