what's a christian/nonchristian 's view on euthanasia?

Question

state your religion and your opinion. thank you.

what if the person is concious and wants to not suffer anymore?

what if the person is unconcious and the hospital bills are skyrocketing?

btw, im an atheist and if i was in a coma, i wouldnt want to be hooked up on a machine to extend my life....

Answer 1

Christian here.
I feel the same way.
Why would God want me to suffer,Why?I ask why.
I never understood why some people are so against it.I believe every person has a right to say when his life ends based on disease and suffering.
Have you ever seen Star Trek tng?
They had this one episode where once people reached a certain age,(i believe) they headed off to euthanasia.
They didn't want their loved ones to go through the agony of watching them suffer.
This is extreme,but what if you had cancer,and only had 6 months to live?
What is wrong with letting the person die before the cancer sets in and you suffer.
Think of it this way,your on a plane.The hijackers are gonna crash it in,say 3:00 min.Wouldn't you rather die in the struggle rather than suffer in the air?
Of course,people can take advantage of this,if they wanted to inherit your money.
There has to be safe guards set up to prevent this from happening.
To be honest,I am really caught somewhere in the middle.
On the one hand,Christianity says,you go when god takes you.
On the other hand,why would god want his loved ones to suffer?
For myself,I cannot truly answer that, until I am faced with that situation.
As for society,I believe everyone should have that right available.
BTW, I'm a paraplegic,and I may face the possibilty of being admitted to a nursing home when I reach that time.
I pray that Jesus takes me,so I don't have to go down that road.
In the chance,that happens,I would want euthanasia avaible to me.
I was in a N.H. for 2 weeks,(insurance ran out in kessler) so they put me in one.
No need to tell you how I feel about.
I have my own apt. now.
An afterthought, we allow abortions,but euthanasia is forbidden.
God Bless

Answer 2

very very difficult subject. I know of many cases of elderly or hospitalised people who want to end their life, just cannot take the pain any more. I think they should have the right to decide this BUT who would help them, i.e. administer the injection or witness their request. On the other side, many elderly people don't want to be a burden on their children, some of whom may want to claim their inheritance quickly. How can you differentiate between the emotional pressure and blackmail that a greedy child may make and the elderly person's own wish to end their life? It's the thin end of a wedge. Euthanasia for volunteers first, then how do you decide whether that person really DID want to take their own life or was persuaded to? Then it comes down to, if it is OK to kill an old person with no future, can you kill a newborn disabled child with no future of quality? Where do you draw the line? I am in favour of voluntary euthanasia, to end pain and suffering BUT we must make sure that the person has full knowledge of what they are doing and has not been unduly influenced by others, that the decision is their choice alone.

Answer 3

I am a Christian (Seventh-Day Adventist) and I believe that euthanasia is just as much murder as abortion is. They both take advantage of people who cannot speak for themselves. When you say, "Oh, this person is unconscious and they're costing us money", so what? Are you putting a price on that person's life? Do you know 100% that they will be unconscious forever? No, you don't know that. Even people in comas come out of them at some point. Who are you to make that decision for someone else? How would you like for someone to decide that you needed to die to clear a bed, even though you were conscious and wanted to live? By the way, bedclearing is alive and well in the Netherlands, and don't think for a second that it doesn't happen here in the good ol' US of A.
Poor Terri Shiavo was murdered in cold blood. She was conscious and interactive, and somebody stopped feeding her so that she died a horrible, painful death by starvation and dehydration for a couple of weeks. Her face and tongue swelled up grotesquely. I wouldn't wish that on my DOG! The worst thing she had was brain damage, but so what! I am a special education teacher, and I teach kids with brain damage all the time to help them lead active, productive lives. There is nothing "wrong" with them. They are human beings!
All this "euthanasia" business originated mostly in this century out of the ill-begotten "evolution" theory (social Darwinism). They believed in "survival of the fittest", which led to things like Hitler exterminating Jews, the formation of Planned Parenthood and abortion, and euthanizing the "imperfect" people in society.

Answer 4

I'm an atheist. I think that there would be nothing wrong with 'pulling the plug' on someone who had no chance of having a reasonably normal life. I feel that there is a huge difference between forcing someone to go through a living hell of a life and in the opposite extreme snuffing a perfectly normal person. There are shades of grey here, but when a person has made up their mind not to live, why can't that person just be allowed to go graciously. No state rules here, of course and no 'thin end of the wedge deals. For example, I don't think that we should kill your, say, Uncle Joe with altzhiemer's, just because someone thought there was some kind of precedent. Every case would have to be examined on it's own merit.

Answer 5

I'm agnostic meaning that I don't see any evidence of a god but that doesn't mean there isn't one but if there is one it's probably not the Christian god unless he's playing some cruel joke on us. Pain at old age is not natural. In the wild they would be eaten by wolves. In the hospital they are plugged into a machine that forces them to live. If you can't live then it's time to go. Don't hold onto life until you've completely drained yourself of it and all your strength. It will just make the end worse. In any case, euthanasia should not be illegal. Choosing ones death is the ultimate expression of free will.

Answer 6

Christian: It really depends on the situation. I don't think it's black and white. I don't want my body to suffer. I think taking someone off life support is okay, if it's what they would want. I don't think it's okay to euthanise and old person just so nursing homes have more room. I think everyone should be required to fill out a form when they get married or have children detailing what they want. It's a personal decision, not one a government can decide.

Answer 7

Christian... I don't support euthanasia, but I believe in giving the most powerful drugs to ease the pain of those who are suffering. If my mom were in chronic pain due to a disease that would eventually claim her life, and she was the type of person (she really isn't) who just wanted "out of life"... what a tough situation. But I still wouldn't support euthanasia.

Answer 8

Catholic

I wrote a report on this in high school. It is a very touchy subject. I don't believe that anyone should suffer needlessly, but I personally couldn't hook someone up to a machine filled with poison and hand them a button to push. It's their right though if that is what they choose to do.

Answer 9

Christian: I think that if you wanna die, you should have the balls to do it yourself, not get someone else to do it for you. Why not go to war or do something a little adventurous?
If it starts, then where does it stop. It is mainly dominant in evolutionary thinking where we must allow and assist the weak to die. I don't agree with evolution, and so i don't agree with euthanasia. That's my main concern. I figure they can do that themselves.

Answer 10

Wiccan. Personally, I think it's up to the person involved but it should only be allowed in circumstances where the person knows they're going to die and there's no human way to help them.