Catholic Church's Teachings on Euthanasia: A Double-Edged Sword

No stance or opinion has ever been universally backed, and euthanasia is a complicated issue with many facets. The consequences of the Catholic Church’s teachings regarding euthanasia are many and have both their positive and negative effects. A negative effect is friction caused between Catholics who support euthanasia and are put between a rock and a hard place when faced with a decision that must be made. While it is positive that the Catholic stance on euthanasia provides a third perspective that may aid the decision maker, should the person making the decision choose to use euthanasia, living with the consequences could be made more difficult with the knowledge of the Catholic Church’s condemnation of the practice. Another positive

It brings to mind an image of a callous individual who terminates the life of the dying merely because they cannot be ‘bothered’ any longer. This image festers in the mind and both ignores and cheapens those who are aware of the pain and indecision that takes place. A further weakness in the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding euthanasia is dealing in absolutes. In an age where people are incredibly aware that the world is not cast in black and white but rather various shades of grey, the Catholic Church is using terms such as ‘an injustice that can never be excused, even if it is requested’ or ‘kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear’ which alienates many people. The latter phrase was used to describe what true compassion should not be, yet did not address if euthanasia was chosen by the suffering person in question. The former statement is damning and brings to mind being shunned, cursed and hated when they in fact are likely the most affected by the death. It was only after speaking to a Religious Education teacher that I was informed the Church would continue to support and show compassion towards those who have made the decisions, but this is

Its teachings will affect political figures and other members of society, both laypeople and people in positions of power, and factor into decisions that they make. There will be more bills and court cases in the future attempting to legalise euthanasia, and some of those voting will be affected by the Catholic teachings. I believe the implications of the Catholic Church’s response are good in the sense that they have spread awareness of euthanasia and consider it to be a moral issue that bears discussion. It has helped broaden the minds of those who have studied the topic and made for impassioned yet reasoned discussions between students, broadening their minds to a higher level of thinking. This report has given me insight as to why the Church opposes euthanasia with such fervour, and therein allows me to respect the amount of time, effort and thought that has been spent interpreting what is believed to be God’s will and to etch out beliefs to follow, aiming to be more like Christ Jesus, who said “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full” (John