Essay: Exploring Scripture and Jesus on Euthanasia: Catholic View



Katherine McCormick

Morality Code 7

Mr. Thompson

27 November 2018

Euthanasia in Scripture  

    Throughout the numerous centuries, scripture and Jesus have been a guiding light for those dealing with tough ethical scenarios. One major ethical dilemma that has risen over the years is euthanasia. From the beginning of church teachings, there is a long standing view on the practice of euthanasia. Church teachers often point to specific excerpts in the Bible to explain and reason the church's stance on euthanasia. These teachings can be found throughout both the Old and New Testaments, most notably in the Ten Commandments and the various virtues that Jesus expressed during His life. The Church's stance on euthanasia stems from the Bible teachings about the solemnity and sacredness of every human life. Their argument on euthanasia is sometimes compared to their stance on abortion, considering how both have to deal with the dignity of every human life. The Catholic Church stands firm in its position that Euthanasia is morally wrong and never an ethical answer through teachings in scripture and the virtues Jesus practiced throughout his earthly life.

    Euthanasia, or physician assisted suicide, is the practice of ending one's life due to a painful terminal illness. In the United States, 43 states have laws in place that make it an illegal practice while only seven states have legalized it in the recent years. However, in the seven states were it is a legal practice, there are strict rules in place to ensure that this practice will not be abused. Some of these rules are; a proven residency, less than 6 months to live, and multiple written notes from a doctor confirming the illness and its progression. Those who choose to go down this path and fight to legally end their life are faced with a hard battle, which parallels to a case study about Mr. Perry and his Pacemaker.

Euthanasia falls into four different categories; involuntary, and voluntary, passive and active. In this specific case study, Mr. Perry opted to pursue passive euthanasia. Through passive euthanasia the individual battling the terminal illness chooses to withhold from his/her life-sustaining treatments in order to cause death. In this case study that took place 2008, Mr. Perry, was 100% dependable on his Pacemaker and was also facing numerous other health problems. It got to the point where he was tired of living with pain and burden daily and wanted to rid himself of these feelings. At this point Mr. Perry had begun talks with his doctors about turning off his Pacemaker to intentionally end his life, raising multiple ethical questions. In scenarios such as this one, many people would look to the Catholic Church on its stance about the issue and seek council. The church's stance on this issue is rooted in the scripture of the New and Old Testaments and the ideals that Jesus portrayed.

When the church has to go about giving its followers guidance on an issue, such as euthanasia, they would first look to Jesus and determine his values and virtues that would best pertain to the issue at hand. Throughout his time preaching, Jesus constantly spread a message of unconditional love from God to us and from us to one another. He also stands firm by the Ten Commandments, in which one directly states that murder is wrong. Jesus also chose to live out his life in service to the people around him and euthanasia is a selfish act done for oneself without to much thought of how it will affect others. In some aspects, euthanasia is the easy way out to avoid suffering and scripture has taught that Jesus also suffered in His earthly life and it should be a source of comfort knowing that He also suffered. In trying to live out the same virtues that Jesus possessed, one would look to Him and find comfort and strength in their hardships. The various virtues that Jesus emanated throughout his life are referenced in the Gospels and New Testament, and the church also points to the Old Testament for other readings regarding euthanasia.

 One scripture passage that church leaders would point to is in the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus directly instructing his disciples, “And Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not kill…” (Matthew 19:18 [New Revised Standard Version Bible]). This is an excellent reading that many religious scholars point to because it is a direct message from Jesus. The passage is interpreted by many church leaders to affirm their stance on euthanasia. Due to the fact that Jesus directly told his people not to kill, it in turn is also a direct message to His followers to preserve and promote life. Jesus held this virtue throughout His life, and because Catholics are supposed to live with Jesus as their guide, this would be a key example to explain why the church holds the stance that it does on euthanasia. Another passage that is also referenced is in the Old Testament, “Be not wicked to excess, and be not foolish. Why should you die before your time?” (Ecclesiastes 7:17 [New Revised Standard Version Bible]). This other passage from scripture also contributes to the Catholic Church standing on Euthanasia. It recognizes not dying before one's times which acknowledges God's power as being above everything. God is the one who decides when people live and die and by carrying out euthanasia it directly goes against God and His divine power. God also has a plan for every person on Earth and ending our lives before it is our time, would prevent the steps of His plan. All people were created to have some task or purpose as they live out their life and it is not anyone’s place to decide for God when a life should end or continue. This scripture passage also brings in wickedness and foolishness as another aspect to the issue of dying before one's time, and thus makes it even more enherighly clear that causing human death is in fact one of the more evil things a person can commit. In an effort to live how Jesus lived, all people must remember the importance and sacredness of all human life, which leads to the major problems that they church has with euthanasia.

The largest problem that the Catholic Church has against euthanasia is how it disrespects the dignity and sanctity of all human life. Euthanasia is viewed as a direct offense against God’s creation and because Catholics believe all people are created in God’s image and likeness, thus making it is also a direct act against God. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus instructs His people to care for all of God’s people especially the poor and sick, “And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me”” (Matthew 25:40 [New Revised Standard Version]). Jesus is directly telling all people to care for everything living around them, and He also demonstrated this in His life. Not only is He telling His people to care for all things, but is also saying that everything they do for the lowest of people they do for Him. He would never hesitate to help even the poorest of people, including those who are sick and dying. If one is trying to emanate Jesus and live a life how He did, one would also be against Euthanasia because it does not respect all of God’s creation.  

Through the use of scripture teachings and the virtues that Jesus possessed, the Catholic Church forms its stance on euthanasia. By taking a deeper look at the values and virtues that Jesus held, it is easy to see why the church is against euthanasia. Jesus lived a life preaching about the care for all people and selflessly suffered so all people could find eternal life one day. When people choose to end their life through the means of euthanasia, they are going against the main principles that Jesus lived his life on. In order to convey this stance, the church points to various scripture readings in order to proclaim their views on the topic. It is important and necessary that the church holds such a strong position on this issue. The church is a prominent moral guide in the world today, which is why so many look to them for guidance. In addition to using scripture, they also point to Jesus to help prove their point because He is such a moral exemplar that many people can rally behind and look up to for guidance on issues such as euthanasia. By using these two key sources, the church is able to further explain its stance on euthanasia and be a guide for those struggling with this issue.

Works Cited

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    Nordqvist, Christian. "Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: What Are They and What Do They Mean?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 12 Dec. 2017. Web. 28 Nov. 2018.

    Tiegreen, Tim. "Good Death, or Assisted Suicide?" Practical Bioethics. 30 June 2017. Web. 28 Nov. 2018.