Not Permiting Euthanasia the Mercy Killing

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Euthanasia is an issue that has been in the center of many heated debates for several years. It is prohibited in all fifty states of the United States under homicide laws and in England with a fourteen year imprisonment, but it is legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands (“Euthanasia and Physician”). Euthanasia comes from the ancient Greek word euthanatos, which means easy death. Today, the definition of euthanasia is the direct killing of a person with a disabi¬lity or terminal illness to relieve them of their sufferings. Very often people will call euthanasia mercy killing mainly because the method is to put a person out of their pain (“Euthanasia”). Euthanasia can be done by either taking actions or not providing what is necessary to keep a person alive and is either carried out through recommendations, a person’s request, family or society burdens, or the scarcity of medical resources (“Euthanasia and Physician”). Because a precious human life is not a burden, we should not interfere with God’s business in life and death, and since the practice of euthanasia can lead to abuse, euthanasia should not be allowed.
God created humans on earth with reasons and purposes in mind; therefore they are not to be seen as burdens. Instead, humans should be viewed as important beings with precious lives because God gave us the privilege to life as a gift of His love. We are to preserve and make it fruitful since it is the fundamental base of all goods. Life is also the crucial source and condition of human activity and society, so without human life the world would be completely unbalanced (John Paul II). This means that all humans are to be valued despite their age, sex, race, religion, social status, or potential in the ...

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...nning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being" (CCC par. 2277) and “Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible” (CCC par. 2276).
In conclusion, euthanasia should not be allowed. It defies the worth of human lives with excuses such as medical resource shortages or unaffordable treatments when humans are supposed to be valued, disregarding physical appearance and internal health. Likewise, the method of euthanasia disturbs God’s business in life and death and the preparations He has created for us. It can lead to abuse too, which can violate the practice and turn a person’s merciful death into an intended death. For these reasons, once more, euthanasia should not be allowed.

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