Religion and Medical Ethics Flashcards

Question

Definition of euthanasia

Answer 1

'A good death' – from the Greek 'eu' meaning good, and 'thanatos' meaning death

Answer 2

'Assisted suicide': Someone chooses to end their life but needs help to commit suicide

Answer 3

Other people decide it is best if someone’s life ends, because s/he can not make that decision. E.g. they have been in a coma for a very long time

Answer 4

Taking someone's life against their wishes. E.g. Hitler euthanised people with mental illness

Answer 5

Action is taken to bring a life to an end, e.g. a lethal dose of drugs is given

Answer 6

Decision is made to stop giving treatment, even though death will result. This happens often in hospitals. Many do not accept this as euthanasia, because all you're doing is letting nature take its course

Answer 7

1. Can quickly and humanely end a patient’s suffering, allowing them to die with dignity. 2. Can help to shorten the grief and suffering of the patient’s loved ones. 3. Everyone has the right to decide how they should die. 4. Most people would have their pets put down if they were suffering – this would be regarded as kindness. Why can't the same kindness be given to humans?

Answer 8

1. A dying patient may not be able to make a rational decision. 2. 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. 3. Many people recover after being “written off” by doctors. 4. Hippocratic Oath: doctors must try to preserve life. If euthanasia was legalised, the relationship of trust between doctors and patients can be destroyed

Answer 9

1. God is love. Christianity is love and compassion. 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. 2. Humans were given dominion over all living things by God (Genesis 1:28), i.e. we can choose for ourselves. Jesus came so that people could have life “in all its fullness” John 10:10: this means quality of life. If someone has no quality of life, then euthanasia could be good. 3. God gave humans free will. We should be allowed to use free will to decide when our lives end. 4. 'Do to others as you would have them do to you.' How would you want to be treated?

Answer 10

1. 'Thou shalt not kill.'- it is wrong to take away God’s sacred gift of human life. 2. 'God made man in his own image' Genesis 1:27 – human life is a sacred gift from God. 3. 'God gives and God takes away' Job 1:21 4. 'Don’t you know that you are the temple of God?' 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 5. Killing a life opposes God’s love for that person

Answer 11

Totally against euthanasia. Any act which deliberately brings about death is the same as murder.Does accept using pain killing drugs which are meant to relieve pain, but may shorten someone’s life. 'Ordinary' treatments, e.g. feeding a patient must always continue, but 'Extraordinary' treatments such as a complicated operation that is unlikely to succeed need not be given

Answer 12

Sanctity of Life is very important, but doctors should not have to keep people alive for the sake of it, regardless of the quality of life. Making the old and the ill feel wanted and valuable is more important. Church should do all it can to make the elderly feel important members of society

Answer 13

The Baptist Church is generally against euthanasia. All human life is sacred and worth preserving. Euthanasia is similar to abortion, and raises the same issues – whether people have the right to take away human life. Baptists agree that when a person is brain dead and experts agree there is no chance of recovery, then it is acceptable to stop treatment and allow the patient to die naturally. Baptists do not agree with actions that make death come more quickly, e.g. a lethal dose of drugs

Answer 14

In the past, the Church taught that suicide was a serious sin; suicides were not allowed a Christian funeral, or buried in holy ground. Survivors were severely punished. They believed it showed a deliberate rejection of God’s gift of life. Today, the Church has changed. Much more is known about depression, stress, grief and other causes of suicide. Instead of condemning victims, the Church tries to understand, and support the relatives. Most Christians believe it is wrong to commit suicide, but understand why people try it. The right response to suicide is to be loving and forgiving. People should be helped, not condemned

Answer 15

1. God chooses when we are born and when we die, not us. 2. Pain, loneliness or depression might be for a reason: Christians believe that by suffering they become closer to God, and share in the suffering of Christ. They believe God sometimes allows suffering so we can learn. Suicide is a refusal to learn the things that God is trying to teach. 3. Suicide is selfish: it causes much pain to those left behind. They may blame themselves. It is harder to get over the death of a suicide, than someone killed in an accident. 4. 'You shall not kill'- suicide is murder of yourself. 4. Don’t you know that you are the temple of God? 1 Corinthians 3:16. Christians have a responsibility to look after and respect their bodies, because God lives in them

Answer 16

1. Animal testing has helped to develop vaccines against diseases like rabies, polio, measles, mumps, rubella and TB 2. Scientists claim there are no differences in lab animals and humans that cannot be factored into tests 3. Human life has greater intrinsic value than animal life 4. Legislation protects all lab animals from cruelty or mistreatment 5. Few animals feel any pain as they are killed before they have the chance to suffer

Answer 17

1. Animal experiments can be misleading. An animal's response to a drug can be different to a human's 2. Successful alternatives include test tube studies on human tissue cultures, statistics and computer models 3. The stress that animals endure in labs can affect experiments, making the results meaningless 4. Animals have as much right to life as human beings 5. Deaths through research are absolutely unnecessary and are morally no different from murder

Answer 18

1. Humans have a unique status because of their relationship with God 2. Mankind was 'made in God's image' unlike other animal species 3. God put mankind in charge of animals to 'rule over them' 4. Humans have souls, non-human animals don't

Answer 19

1. All animals are made by God and are intrinsically valuable 2. Many experiments are performed for curiosity's sake, or cosmetic purposes 3. Not all Christians agree that animals lack a soul 4. 'A man is worth many sparrows, but not one sparrow can die unnoticed in God's World' Matthew 10:29-31

Answer 20

'The fact that animals may be used in scientific procedures for the benefit of people shows that we believe that human beings have more value than animals. But the fact that we minimise the pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm that animals may have to undergo shows that we regard them as having intrinsic value'

Answer 21

'Most Baptists would be sympathetic to the use of animals in medical research, but less enthusiastic about their use in cosmetic products'

Answer 22

'It should be horrifying that millions of animals are killed every year in laboratory experiments, but most of them have been bred for the purpose and the outcome of the experimentation is valuable advance in both human and veterinary medicine'

Answer 23

'The most controversial area of animal exploitation for Quakers is that of medical experimentation. There are many Quaker doctors and some medical researchers who hold Home Office licences to experiment on live animals The latter would justify their actions by citing the beneficial results which they feel can be achieved for humans and animals through the knowledge gained'

Religion and Medical Ethics Flashcards

(47 cards)