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Euthanasia: Murder or Mercy?
Euthanasia is the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a deadly illness or an incurable condition. End of life decisions are not going to get easier for anyone. The issue is whether it is considered murder or mercy. Some people see it as a way to free an ill person from their pain, but it is an escape from reality, and is considered murder and immoral to the Catholic Church, through the United States law, and what society believes to be correct. In my opinion, euthanasia is not the way to go to avoid a person’s pain due to illness but to try to cope with the illness and try to make the most of their lives until the day of their death.
According to catholic teachings and beliefs, euthanasia is unacceptable because it means to take control of someone’s life. It is seen as taking the power of God into one’s own hands, or playing the role of God, which is breaking two of the Ten Commandments. The first commandment states, “Thou shall not have other gods,” and the fifth states “thou shall not kill.”
The only one who is to decide when someone dies is the one who gave life to you. The only one who is to decide when we are to go to the next world is God. Euthanasia is seen as a complete control over life and death. We are not the owners of our lives and do not have the power to control life. We have a duty to preserve our life and to use it for positive purposes.
As we can see, euthanasia is illegal in the United States. Some of the cases that have been seen in the media are those of Dr. Kevorkian, and Martha Thiele. Dr. Kevorkian saw the need to help people commit suicide whose lives were lived with pain and suffering due to an illness. In the case of Martha Thiele, she removed her father’s oxygen mask to stop his suffering due to his illness. These cases prove that euthanasia is illegal, mainly by how the people of the United States view this issue.
Euthanasia is considered morally wrong because it is n brutal act. This issue can be compared to abortion. Some people see abortion as murder, but yet it is legal in some states. Abortion and euthanasia both cause death to human life and it is an issue in which the right to live or die is put in the hands of people instead of God.
This topic can also be considered an act of committing suicide. People who try to commit suicide can be considered psychologically ill. People who have tried to commit suicide have been advised to seek psychological help in order to see how they can appreciate life more. It is also viewed as assisted suicide, but then it wouldn’t be suicide, but murder.
Euthanasia is a difficult
subject to evaluate. Many arguments can be made against and for this
issue. For example, many people view euthanasia as a measure of sympathy
for people in pain, illness, and suffering. They believe that
euthanasia helps ill and dying people have a peaceful death instead of
an extended and painful death.
Euthanasia is only an escape
that a person will take to avoid pain and suffering that is cause by an
illness. People in the United States find it morally wrong because it is
illegal and the Catholic Church sees it as a sin.
Euthanasia is not morally
accepted because the simple act of ending a life can get out of hand.
If euthanasia is used to end the life of the ill, then it can soon be anybody
who will become a burden to our lives and to society. There are other
ways that a person can get help for the pain. For example, there
are medications that help sooth the pain and also just plain distraction
like looking for things to do instead of thinking of their death and when
their time will come. Those people who are sick should be helped
to live their lives as normal as possible, not exterminated.