The Bioethics of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

The ability to decide when to end a life is simply not a privilege that humans have been given. "Most Catholic and Jewish writers oppose active euthanasia and assisted suicide,"[1] and I completely agree with them. In his book, Introduction to Jewish and Catholic Bioethics, Aaron L. Mackler explores the reasons why, from a religious perspective, euthanasia is an immoral and incorrect system of dealing with human suffering.

First and foremost, human beings are not the creators of life and therefore have no right to end life; "only the Creator of life has the right to take away the life of the innocent."[2] God has complete supremacy over all life and killing, even if out of benign intentions, "[repudiates] divine sovereignty."[3] Mankind does not have the authority, nor the insight required to judge who is to live and who is to be mercifully put out of their misery. Catholic writers, Jean DeBlois and Kevin O'Rourke argue that "human beings simply do not have dominion over the lives of innocent people...[4] As fallible human beings, we cannot assume that our moral judgements will match those of our creator's. Human beings are inherently flawed and imperfect, and are therefore apt to make mistakes; an error in judgement in the decision to end somebody's life is no small oversight, it is the highest and most extensive form of fault. If we cannot even guarantee that our decisions are the correct ones, we should not take it upon ourselves to make such critical and consequential choices. As determined by the Response Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis,

"It is an awesome and awful responsibility we take upon ourselves when we determine to kill a human being, even when our intentions are good and merciful. Such an action is the ultimate arrogance, for it declares that we are masters of...life itself... [which] must be protected against our all-too-human tendency to manipulate, to mutilate, and to destroy."[5]

Additionally, who is to say that a life marked with pain and suffering is so worthless as to warrant its end? Humans are quite capable of having meaningful lives despite tormenting physical ailments. "Jewish and Catholic writers emphasize the value of each human person, regardless of disabilities that may prevent human observers from appreciating this divinely recognized worth."[6] Often, people get so caught up in one's usefulness to society that the lines between utility and intrinsic value begin to blur. We frequently forget that even the incapacitated are not to be undermined by their disabilities, but rather valued in the same way that fully functioning, healthy peoples' lives should be. Dorff argues, speaking about the Jewish tradition, that "the value of life does not depend on the level of one's abilities" but rather that it "derives from the image of God embedded in us, [thus strongly affirming] the divine quality of the life of disabled people."[7] We, as human beings, certainly do not have the justification to proclaim a life as meaningless and terminate it simply because that particular life does not serve a material purpose.

Rather than using euthanasia, we should recognize that "the apparent compassion of mercy killing is false and that there are better and more compassionate ways to respond to the suffering of severely ill and dying patients."[8] Since euthanasia's primary objective is to end pain and "inadequate control of pain [is] a central factor that leads some people to support assisted suicide,"[9] an emphasis should be placed on improving pain relief through medications. Suffering can also be mollified through compassion. McCormick reasons that "assisted suicide is a flight from compassion, not an expression of it. It should be suspect not because it is too hard, but it is too easy."[10] Dorff suggests that "in attending to the sick, we must assure that their physical needs are met and that their ending time in life is as psychologically, emotionally, and religiously meaningful as possible."[11] Therefore, in the very final stages of life, emphasis should be placed not on the impending death, which will come soon enough on its own, but rather on making the individual's last moments of life as enjoyable and valuable as possible.

It is "unrealistic to try to eliminate all suffering from human life."[12] We should realize that "suffering may even lead to valuable contributions in the grand scheme of things"[13] and that "suffering, especially suffering during the last moments of life, [may have] a special place in God's saving plan."[14] We cannot simply extinguish every life that is deemed "unlivable", for human beings simply do not have that ability or that authority. Instead, the suffering and dying must be valued for the lives that they have lived and should be treated with dignity and compassion.

[1] Mackler, Aaron L. Introduction to Jewish and Catholic Bioethics.(Washington D.C. Georgetown University Press. 2003.) p. 65

[2] ibid., p. 66

[3] ibid., p. 66

[4] ibid., p. 67

[5] ibid., p. 68

[6] ibid., p. 67

[7] ibid., p. 67

[8] ibid., p. 69

[9] ibid., p. 69

[10] ibid., p. 69

[11] ibid., p. 69

[12] ibid., p. 69

[13] ibid., p. 69

[14] ibid., p. 69-70

Works Cited

Mackler, Aaron L. Introduction to Jewish and Catholic Bioethics.(Washington D.C. Georgetown University Press. 2003.)