Euthanasia as seen by Law, Morality and Religion

The terms meaning the killing of human beings, for their own good or that of others, have changed out of all recognition since the ancient Greeks coined the term "eu thanatos" meaning "a good death." Euthanasia, which is generally defined as the purposeful killing of a person for their benefit, provokes a number of moral, legal and religious questions. The questions and the contradictory arguments that arise largely depend on the types of euthanasia: active and passive. Ambiguous difference between active and passive euthanasia requires analytical consideration. The conventional doctrine is that there is such an important moral and religious difference between the two that, although the latter is sometimes permissible, the former is always forbidden. The overall purpose of this paper is to have an in depth look into the religious norms, legal regulations and moral principles concerning the issue of euthanasia and in the example of euthanasia find the one that suits society, the one that does not leave aside the people that are vulnerable to any kind of changes and the one that eliminates opportunities for abuse of power by officials, religious leaders and doctors. [...]

Texte du rabat

Essay from the year 2010 in the subject Law - Philosophy, History and Sociology of Law, grade: 80, University of Westminster (Commercial Law), course: Level 4, language: English, abstract: The terms meaning the killing of human beings, for their own good or that of others, have changed out of all recognition since the ancient Greeks coined the term "eu thanatos" meaning "a good death." Euthanasia, which is generally defined as the purposeful killing of a person for their benefit, provokes a number of moral, legal and religious questions. The questions and the contradictory arguments that arise largely depend on the types of euthanasia: active and passive. Ambiguous difference between active and passive euthanasia requires analytical consideration. The conventional doctrine is that there is such an important moral and religious difference between the two that, although the latter is sometimes permissible, the former is always forbidden. The overall purpose of this paper is to have an in depth look into the religious norms, legal regulations and moral principles concerning the issue of euthanasia and in the example of euthanasia find the one that suits society, the one that does not leave aside the people that are vulnerable to any kind of changes and the one that eliminates opportunities for abuse of power by officials, religious leaders and doctors. [...]