Ethical Issues Surrounding Euthanasia

According to Ward & Hoelzl (2008), society must work towards recognizing as the new visibility of religion in the field of education. By doing so will require one to investigate religion and belief systems in a learning environment which fosters understanding from a variety of perspectives. Recently, the topic of euthanasia has been discussed in the media and caused much controversy as opponents make the argument is it assisted- suicide, which should be morally wrong, while some proponents in the medical field see it as a way to end one’s suffering before they lose the ability to care for themselves or cause their families to suffer.

Importance

The topic of euthanasia has many complicated elements and moral perspectives surrounding it. By definition,

Taking the example of euthanasia, students would be encouraged to discuss a variety of perspectives about individuals who have recently experienced this issue firsthand. For example, the case of Christy O’Donnell, touches on political and religious lines, as she was a Christian and Republican in addition to a lawyer, who had campaigned for a right-to-die law in California after she was diagnosed with cancer. Her diagnosis was grim, causing her to suffer slowly, losing her ability to speak and experience frequent seizures as her stage IV lung cancer would continue to spread, causing pain to her brain, spine, rib, and liver. As a single mother, she fought for her right to die, as she wanted to spare her daughter the grief of watching her suffer. through months of pain after her stage IV, lung cancer spread to her brain, spine, rib, and liver. Unfortunately, she never lived to see the state of California enact the law (Brother: Right-to-die,

2), such tensions regarding the issue that cross moral and religious boundaries are not in common. In fact, they should be expected as in the last fifty years, as the visibility of religions has greatly increased, with “the range of current problems and human rights abuses continuing to remain complex. However, despite such complexities, such controversial issues can still be discussed in a neutral yet safe educational environment. For example, respectful learning discussion of this topic would include individuals stating their beliefs about this practice and why such as religion or other beliefs. However, any statements promoting disrespectful, insensitive, or hateful comments. Additionally, each student must report and summarize their peers’ beliefs, writing both positive comments and possible reasons why they may not agree. The characteristics of such discussions can in no way include a student telling another individual that their perspective is wrong or unintelligible. Additionally, in the event speakers are brought into the classroom to discuss the practice of euthanasia such as individuals with terminal illnesses or extended family members of a person suffering from a terminal illness or recently passed from one, students will be prohibited from making any negative or insensitive comments. Questions may only be asked regarding why the individual opposes or is an advocate for a particular