The Ethical Dilemma Of Euthanasia

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Dying with dignity, mercy death, right to die, and assisted suicide are just a few of the common terms, which describe a person’s death by euthanasia. Euthanasia has and always will be a very sensitive and controversial topic. There are two common questions surrounding this dilemma. The first is when is it considered mercy? Is it when a person is facing a terminal illness? The second is when is considered murder? Is it when a person looking for an easy way out of suffering and pain? This paper will examine the ethical dilemma of euthanasia according to the Christian worldview and compare it to other options of resolving the dilemma.
Ethical Dilemma
This case involves a 17-year-old girl (Joni) who fractured her vertebrae in a swimming …show more content…

According to Sharpe (2015), “when truly deep suffering comes into their lives, Christians will often pray to God for healing or rescue” (para. 2). Based on this fundamental belief in the Christian worldview, it is imperative that every human encounter suffering as this brings a person closer in their relationship with God. The Christian worldview holds a belief that God has a purpose for everything that happens in a person’s life, whether it is joy and happiness, pain and suffering, and life and death. This can be seen throughout the Bible such as “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11, New International Version), and in Ecclesiastes 3 “A Time for Everything.” These core Christian beliefs should cause a person to look past the suffering that he or she is facing, and try to see what kind of positives can come from the current suffering that a person is …show more content…

Questions will always be present in an attempt to reason if euthanizing a person is an act of mercy or murder, and what situations fall under murder or mercy. The Christian worldview believes that suffering in life is a necessity much like God suffered for humanity’s sins through his human form of Jesus Christ who was crucified to pay ransom for man’s wrongs. Christian’s also believe that God has a plan for humanity despite the suffering that they must face. Euthanasia should not be used in Joni’s case because she is not facing a terminal illness. The family needs to reach out to local church members and pastors to help form a positive relationship in aid of reversing the negative thoughts. Emphasis on positive role models affected by suffering should be introduced to her such as the cases of Bethany Hamilton and Amy Purdy. There are studies that are progressing science in the direction of one day reversing paralysis through synthetic molecules to promote nerve growth. There is a possibility that if Joni’s wishes to be euthanized are not met, then she may attempt voluntary suicide. There are other beliefs that may not see euthanasia as an intolerable act of murder and sin, such as Atheism as they do not believe in God. To suffer is to be human, to accept suffering as a way to make a person stronger creates a lasting connection with the love and compassion of

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