The problem of unauthorized termination of life is the source of numerous debates. On the part of religion, this problem has several flaws at once, the most important of which is the commission of a great sin before God, who gives people life. Moreover, the negative consequences of euthanasia are the devaluation of human life, violation of the equality of people before the law, medical duty, and the structure of the doctor-patient relationship. Thus, it can be concluded that the spread of the popularity of euthanasia will lead to a complete loss and restructuring of the system of human values. This paper examines the case study of George, who has fallen ill with a severe illness that will eventually completely deprive him of mobility. Because of the negative emotions that have overtaken and the understanding that the disease is incurable, the man thinks to solve the problem by euthanasia. Hence, using literary sources, a scientific paper analyzes the problem of intentional death and religious considerations.
In the modern world, despite the relatively progressive development of medicine, people are faced with diseases that, unfortunately, do not respond to any treatment. In such cases, the blow that the disease inflicts both physically and mentally can be tough to bear. Because of the fear of losing self-care and dignity, people are thinking about euthanasia or, in other words, voluntary suicide. However, this statement contradicts God’s attempts to restore the Christian religion. Thus, this scientific paper explores a thematic study about a man who has lost hope and is thinking about euthanasia.
The case study, which is the basis of this research paper, presents the reader with the story of a middle-aged man George. He leads an average lifestyle, works, spends time with his family, and devotes time to his own interests. However, one day a man begins to experience muscle weakness and immunity to muscle coordination. Subsequently, he gets injured, and when he goes to the doctor, he gets a far from satisfactory diagnosis. According to the results of further tests, George is diagnosed with such a severe and terrible disease like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This disease is expressed in the disruption of the nerve cells of the brain, which are responsible for the muscles and spinal cord (Westeneng et al., 2018). The most famous representative of a person with this disease is the great scientist Stephen Hawking (Westeneng et al., 2018). Deviation leads to the complete demobilization of a person, but aspects such as smell, touch, sight, hearing, and taste remain.
George was informed that ALS currently has no treatment, and its development can only be suppressed by certain drugs, but scientists have not yet found ways to stop the disease. This news can plunge into deep shock and depression and cause a lot of strong negative emotions and confusion. That is what happened to George, who was terrified of being a wheelchair user and delegating all the responsibilities of fulfilling basic needs to his family members. The idea of becoming dependent and losing control of his own body did not give the man peace of mind, and therefore he began to think about making life easier for his relatives by resorting to such a measure as euthanasia.
The problem of using euthanasia is acute in modern society. In the United States of America, this measure has been legalized in nine regions (Hoehner, 2001). The main argument held by supporters of this intentional termination of life is to get rid of prolonged agony to death thanks to the development of medical technologies (Orr, 2001). Despite this, the spread of this method of death can lead to high medical costs for the families of patients, since due to low legalization rate, euthanasia is a costly service. The opposite is the opinion of Christianity, which denies euthanasia. For this faith, the main emphasis is placed on the fact that the near-death period is characterized by love, compassion and reconciliation, and care, which euthanasia deprives a person of.
The main problem with regard to euthanasia on the part of the Christian religion is the fact of violation of the law of God. Thus, the Christian doctrine emphasizes that God gives a person life and determines when to take it away. Euthanasia implies that patients decide the date of their death themselves, which is equivalent to one of the main sins of religion – suicide. Despite the fact that euthanasia involves the introduction of a particular drug by a medical specialist and not by a patient, it is the patient who is responsible for the decision taken in this case. Sources also emphasize that “Doctors may help their patients to die a dignified death from natural causes, but they should not kill their patients or help them to kill themselves” (Anderson, 2015, p. 1). Thus, in the eyes of religion, this action is also a sin since it can already be considered as intentional murder, that is, the decision to take someone else’s life.
In addition, the scientific literature provides several main reasons not to support euthanasia. One of them is the introduction of risk for the weak and defenseless. Moreover, giving the doctor responsible for taking someone’s life can significantly negatively affect the doctor-patient relationship. In addition, it is also worth emphasizing the violation of relationships within the patient’s family and will violate such fundamental concepts as human dignity and equality before the law (Anderson, 2015). Supporting the Christian point of view, people should not help others to kill themselves but provide the necessary level of care and support to soften and bring calm into the life of the patient.
On the one hand, in the light of the Christian narrative, George’s sufferings can be interpreted, as already mentioned, with an emphasis on the sinfulness of the world. This is due to the fact that euthanasia is considered suicide and cannot be justified by religion. On the other hand, the fear of future loss of control over their lives and loss of dignity significantly affect the patient. When considering the emphasis on the hope of resurrection, then the experiences of a man can be interpreted as a desire for a speedy meeting with the almighty. Therefore, George may feel the unwillingness to be in this world as a burden for his family, and in some ways, the motivation of a man can be understood.
The Christian worldview highlights human life as the most critical value. When turning to religion, a person becomes fully aware of how sinful thoughts about taking his own life are because this is the prerogative of God. Thus, George’s view of the problem of living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may be changed. To facilitate the patient’s thoughts, shifting his thoughts in a more positive direction is necessary. Hence, it is necessary to show how important he is to his family and how priceless the moments spent with them will be until his death.
Further, based on the above, the Christian faith denies the use of euthanasia as it contradicts the central values and considerations of religion. Firstly, the value of a person’s life, which is given to him by the Almighty, is violated (Reese, 2019). Secondly, euthanasia is considered as voluntary suicide, that is, one of the greatest and gravest human sins. Thirdly, the promotion and dissemination of the popularity of this event can destroy the idea that human life is worth living, and people are obliged to support each other’s desire to continue living.
Thus, it can be concluded that there are no options for justifying the procedure of intentional termination of life in the Christian worldview. All those factors that were listed earlier contribute to this argument. Based on my worldview, I can say that I consider euthanasia an easy way to solve problems, which is not a positive aspect. Hence, I believe that life cannot be stopped simply by wishing it since the Almighty has prepared a unique path and purpose for each person. However, I cannot be entirely sure of my opinion since I have never encountered situations like George’s from the case study, and I hope that I will never encounter them. Such a statement is since a person’s behavior in a stressful situation can change dramatically, but I hope that I will be able to preserve dignity and reason to make the right decision.