Theravada Buddhists Arguments Against Euthanasia

When discussing euthanasia, it is important to distinguish the various factors of whether it is voluntary and what type of action is taken. Voluntary euthanasia is when the person who is dying can give their consent to expedite their death. When the person who is dying is unable to give their consent due to long-term comas or brain death, it becomes a matter of involuntary euthanasia and therefore, either the family or next-of-kin must decide. From that point, there are two methods of performing euthanasia, passively or actively. Passive approaches involve ending or withdrawing treatment and allowing the person to pass away naturally while active approaches requires medical professionals to take action and end their life, commonly done through lethal injection. Consequently, consent and whether deliberate action is taken to perform euthanasia are key factors that can influence the viewed morality of the practice.
Whether it's of the mind or the body, Theravada Buddhists believe that the cause of suffering is craving and therefore the way to end that suffering is to stop that craving. When dealing with euthanasia, the person’s suffering usually isn’t a result of a craving, but rather their approaching death. The most common situation in which euthanasia is acted out is when treatment will not …show more content…
Karma is based on a person’s actions and how the good or bad they do will influence their rebirth and next life. If the person is terminally ill, but still able to make decisions and actions, then euthanasia could be seen as unethical because the person could still earn positive or negative karma. In the case of brain death or long-term coma, the person is no longer able to act, good or bad, and so they can no longer influence their karma whether they are kept on a form of life support or assisted into the next