Euthanasia: A Calculated Murder

By: Khighm Acuña, Faith Aguilar, Dominique Calañas

             Nobody wants their lives cut short. Although, if suffering and terrible pain suddenly comes into your life – causing misery and weakness, would you resolve to fast death? Would you resolve to Euthanasia? Life should be free of pain, but pain is one of the inevitable things we humans experience. There is some truth to this statement, however, any terminally ill patient should not resolve to Euthanasia for it disobeys the Church’s teachings, degrades human dignity, and leads to the wrong belief about death.

            Some Christians support Euthanasia. They argue that God is love, that Christianity is love and compassion. For example, keeping someone in pain and suffering is not loving, it is evil. Euthanasia can be the most loving action, and the best way of putting agape love into practice. Certainly, one cannot deny that Euthanasia relieves pain on a patient, but clearly this choice that is being put in our path is contrary to one of the Church’s teachings – that it is wrong to take away God’s sacred gift of human life. As the fifth commandment implies, one must not kill. As a matter of fact, on May 5, 1980, The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith stated on the official Declaration on Euthanasia that it is a “violation of the divine law, an offense against the dignity of a human person, a crime against life, and an attack on humanity.” Although mercy killing has the capacity to relieve pain on the patient, resulting to such acts would mean destruction of life for the Church. Although others may say that life is coming to an end when dying, We Christians have a duty and that is to be stewards of life. 

            On the other hand, opposing views claim that mercy killing is "death with dignity" for it is a private matter and everyone has the right to decide how they should die. It can quickly and humanely end a patient’s suffering, allowing them to die with respect for themselves. Also, in the case of the patient’s loved ones, Euthanasia can help shorten the grief and suffering felt by the family, thus having nothing to worry about in the coming days. This may be true, however the patient’s sense of honor would be degraded even more if he/she gives in to Euthanasia for it destroys our very own being, and that includes our worth. A patient may not be able to make a rational decision. For example, a patient may have said they want euthanasia when they were nowhere near death; however, when faced with death they may change their mind but be incapable of telling anyone. “Death with dignity” can no longer be applied in this situation.

         
        It is true that keeping people alive costs a lot of money, which could be used to save other people's lives. Nevertheless, in our time today, there is a vast knowledge of science that can most assuredly offer alternatives that may save the patient. They are called Analgesic and they include morphine, acetaminophen (paracetamol), salicylates and others. They help lessen the pain felt by the patient, not speed up the death. These medicines can be used to save one life along with others.

            A short life may not be all good, but making it shorter would probably cause us to misuse the life and gifts given to us. As far as Euthanasia is concerned in ending pain and suffering, pain and suffering exists all around us. A poor widowed mother suffers as she tries any kind of work just to feed her many children; a teenage girl is in pain and suffering when she is repeatedly molested by her step-father; a middle-aged teacher is suffering as she struggles to battle cancer; a mother is in pain and suffering as she labors her pregnancy. All of these are matters of life and death. Can we just kill them all very quickly to end their pain and suffering? We certainly cannot!