- How do you define the term sanctity of life?
Like Closer says in Sanctity of Life, it would be difficult to actually define what sanctity of life is, but yes, in a broader sense, I would define sanctity of life as something that is precious, but not something beyond man’s control. This may sound hypothetical, but I am a firm believer that while certain religious beliefs point to sanctity of life as God given, it would be difficult for me to accept this fact, for; it is living things that give birth and the rise of a new life, and what happens to that life is also monitored and controlled by those beings. A woman who delivers a baby for the first time in her life is ecstatic, knowing that it was she who had the power to create a new life of her own blood and flesh. The next few years is completely sacrificed for the baby’s upbringing. For her, the baby is the ultimate, and so becomes her sanctity of life. Yes, sanctity is a religious concept, as declared by Clouser; it does not mean that sanctity has to be God-given.
Today, cloning of animals has become common. This cannot be termed as God-given, as the cloned animals are very much alive and behave just like any other animal of its kind. People kill one another, and courts send people to the gallows. If sanctity of life was God-given, do people have the right to kill others on some grounds, or do judges have the right to take the lives of others because of their deeds? Therefore, I would say that sanctity of life is something that should be held close to one’s heart and acted upon in a very knowledgeable way. Sanctity of life would be to guard one’s life from any misdemeanor. In Hinduism, when a baby is born, people gather around the mother and child and say the baby is God-given and so too does the Bible. However, what happens to that same baby when it grows up? Do the same people say that that man is God-given? No, they don’t, because that man could be a thief, a murderer, or just a common man. Therefore, sanctity of life is a controlled state and something that all must practice with care.
- How do you relate your definition of sanctity of life to your definitions of the terms euthanasia and abortion?
People diagnosed with a terminally ill disease should have the right to choose their fate in order to keep their dignity. Euthanasia is not accepted a majority of countries and there have been instances where people were shifted to countries that allowed euthanasia. It would be illogical if a person who is clinically dead and goes through unknown hardship to be kept alive because they have sanctity of life. Euthanasia should definitely be acceptable in modern society as it relieves the affected; both the patient and their caretakers, from prolonged misery. According to me, euthanasia is a gift for those who are forced to undergo pain and unending suffering for reasons not their own. It cannot be construed as intentional killing, but as a honor to relieve the struggle that the affected undergoes. Euthanasia can be made voluntary where the affected person asks to be put to eternal sleep. If the religious beliefs of sanctity of life are practiced in real life, how is that doctors abort fetuses to save the life of mothers? Shouldn’t this be construed as murder if the fetus is claimed to be gift of God? Why should there be a separate rule for people of circumstantial basis? Therefore, standing by my stance, I say that whatever action takes place in a living being is self-made.
- Clouser works hard at defining terms; do you find this approach to writing an essay useful? Why or why not?
There is reason to believe what Clouser says as this stimulates thinking. Therefore, I strongly believe that it does help in writing an essay. Every time one sits down to understanding a topic or a term, he/she is made to work that much harder to understand the term or topic in question, and this actually stimulates us to think out of our hat and come with some unexpected reasoning or thoughts that once translated onto paper, makes the work look much more enticing or knowledgeable. It allows the writer to experiment and think-out-of–hat, which makes writing exciting; which otherwise would become lackadaisical and monotonous. Therefore, I fully subscribe to Clouser’s approach to writing.
