Pope Francis Arguments Against Euthanasia

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Euthanasia is the triumph of selfishness.- Pope Francis. The scientific definition of the procedure is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. The topic of euthanasia is controversial and is often a point of argument, sometimes dividing religious beliefs. The Catholic Church often is part of the argument as the followers are admit on the opinion of God, that of which being against the matter. This opinion has evolved throughout many years of the Catholic religion, with many followers debating the benefits of the procedure. Many in the situation believe that it is the most right and just way of passing. Although many Catholics firmly believe in God having the right to take …show more content…
Pope John Paul II discusses several factors that contribute to the distribution of Euthanasia in his encyclical letter of the ‘Gospel of Life’, revealing that humans are reluctant to accept suffering so they have the temptation to erase the suffering by “hastening the moment of death”. In addition, the Church urges people to preserve their life, but if under the means of torture, danger and anguish, such ‘evil’ actions of assisted dying is permissible. Christianity also believes that palliative care should be encouraged as it promotes human dignity. According to Chochinov, patients who feel like their life has no worth or purpose will feel burdensome to others, so good palliative care is central to the wellbeing of the patient. Amongst the religion of Australia, 68% of Catholics and Protestants are in favour of euthanasia, and around 20% are against it. Despite this disparity, the Catholic Church clearly states that if involved in a religious affiliation, one should consider euthanasia as “morally

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