The Morality of Euthanasia

The morality, or lack thereof, of euthanasia is a heavily debated topic in recent times. This topic is, and always will be extremely important, as it is literally a matter of life and death. Given the very nature of the topic, there can be no resolution regarding it that will please all parties involved. There are many so-called "right-to-death" groups, who obviously believe that euthanasia is morally acceptable, and as an example we will take The Voluntary Euthanasia Society of Scotland. The Pro-Life Council on the other hand, takes a contrasting viewpoint of euthanasia, believing that euthanasia is unacceptable under any circumstances. After examining the views of these two groups, we will critique them from the standpoint of the Catholic Church.

It is important to examine just how important the issue of euthanasia is before debating the topic from an ethical position. If we look at how the issue has been resolved in regards to the laws of the countries of the world, it would appear that the argument has been settled by quite a clear majority. The lawmakers of the world seem to believe that suicide is acceptable (or at least that it cannot be effectively decriminalize). However when it comes to letting doctors assist patients to commit suicide, most countries are against it. Some countries allow it under only very specific circumstances (Intolerable pain and inevitable death) but they are very much in the minority. “Unless a person lives in Colombia, Japan, the Netherlands or the state of Oregon, the only lawful option is to remain alive, sometimes in intractable pain, until their body finally collapses.” (Gerald Larue, euthanasia ) Upon digging a little deeper though, we find that the truth is far different than the laws of countries would have us believe. In Holland, for example, it is technically illegal to for a doctor to euthanize a patient. However three percent of all deaths in Holland are reportedly doctor-assisted. (B. Robinson, religioustolerance ) It is suspected that the real figure is much higher than this. Euthanasia is a major contributor to the death tolls of many other countries as well, so this issue is obviously one of much importance and interest.

There are many groups who believe that every human being should be allowed the choice of whether he or she wishes to continue living. One such group is the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of Scotland. As most of the right-to-die groups use similar (if not identical) arguments, it is reasonable to use one group as a representative for all the groups. This particular group believes that everybody should have ultimate control over their own lives. This Society believes that the choice of whether or not to continue living is an extremely personal one, and that it is wrong for the state, or any religious group, to have the right to force a person to continue living against their will. This is a simple argument and one that is hard to refute without sounding like one is advocating a totalitarian state. What this does not take into account however, is whether the person who wishes to be euthanized is actually competent to make that decision. For instance; a person in the grips of a deep depression might wish to kill himself one day, and be full of the joy of life the next. Such a person may well find themselves grateful that euthanasia is illegal, after they recover from their depression. The group also argues that some people, whose death is inevitable and live in constant pain, should be allowed to die if they so wish. It must be noted though; cases such as this one are very much the minority. “Some groups in the pro-choice faction have described horrendous cases of terminally ill individuals, suffering terribly, in intractable pain, even though such cases are not the norm.” (B. Robinson, religioustolerance). Also, many people who have been told that death is inevitable for them have defied the expectations of medical experts, by living on much longer than they were expected to, or recovering, either partly or fully. The Voluntary Euthanasia Society of Scotland does not properly address these points; either ignoring them or dismissing them out of hand, and believe that euthanasia is ethically acceptable.

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, californiaprolife ) 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, catholic-ew ) 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.