Abstract
The health care providers come into contact with patients and people from a variety of faiths. This means that they should have the right knowledge of the diversity of religions. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative ethical analysis of George, patient diagnosed with ALS, which is a progressive disease that will cripple his quality of life. Ultimately, he will lose control over his life and become completely dependent on others. The deterioration of motor neurons will make him lose his ability to speak, move, eat, and breathe. George is devastated by the diagnosis and is dreading the end. He cannot think about his life entirely dependent on others and is contemplating euthanasia. The essay provides an ethical analysis from each perspective of the religions, Christianity and Islam. It evaluates as to how each religion interprets George’s suffering and whether he should opt for euthanasia.
Introduction
Different health care providers practice under different conditions and come from different backgrounds and religions. As physicians, they deal with patients of all kinds and diversity of faith. As health care providers, it is essential that they carry a good understanding of the perspective of worldviews or religions towards a certain condition or situation. The case study of George is serious as he is suffering from ALS, and there is no cure for this. ALS is progressive and ultimately will leave George completely dependent on others and a median life expectancy is between three and five years. Eventually, he will need a permanent ventilator to help with breathing. George knows he has little time and will soon be a prisoner in his own body. Thus, it is no surprise to see him considering the possibility of voluntary euthanasia, as he doesn’t want to undergo such torture and lose his dignity or see his family suffer because of him. Euthanasia or mercy killing has been a controversial subject in medicine, ethics and religion. The debate over legalizing euthanasia leads to a multitude of interwoven concepts and different legislative options. There is a sharp divide over the question of euthanasia between its supporters and opponents. Many view euthanasia as a privileged murder (Banović & Turanjanin, 2014). The essay makes a comparative analysis of Christianity and Islam on the subject of suffering and pain among terminally ill patients. Religion helps individuals to make sense of their experiences when confronted with pain and suffering. Many rely on religion to make sense of their traumatic experiences and look at it as a test from God. However, the ability of religion to encourage positive attitude relies on the individual’s perception of his religion and its effectiveness. The discrepancy in attitudes and behavior rely on the level of religiosity and the particular religion. Whether positive or negative, it is seen that religious beliefs do have an effect on a person’s attitude (Pimpinella, 2011). A physician and therapist need to be careful when talking about how suffering is dealt as per their patient’s belief system.Religion interpretation of George’s malady and suffering Death is a reality, and different faiths and religions provide different explanations for death. Religions provide comfort for those who are facing death and helps them preparing for whatever afterlife there is. As for euthanasia, most religions disapprove of it, and some of them forbid it absolutely. Every religion gives its own answers for the “why” to disease and suffering. There are three biblical views on suffering, and those are that it is Divine retribution for sins and secondly, there is no necessary correlation between sin and suffering and lastly that suffering is a part of a Divine plan (Bakon, 2002). Bible says that Jesus suffered as he took on the suffering of humanity. Humans suffer because of different reasons, and they are meant to bring them closer to God’s path which is a difficult one and requires sacrifice. In this way, Christians are expected to suffer due to their alienation from others and act morally (Pimpinella, 2011). According to Islam, trust in Allah is the only way to get free of all the humans sufferings. There is always a purpose behind one suffering and take him or her towards higher goals. Muslims share the same faith, but as they may be from different cultures and locations, those beliefs may differ. Muslim patients often worry that the doctors and therapists are ignorant about their religion and will not respect them (Pimpinella, 2011). Christian or not, in times of distress, one questions God as to why they suffer and if He is aware of their sufferings. Death comes in the form of chronic pain, illness, and disease. Suffering remains a mystery and many believe that sufferings brings them closer to God and according to Bible, during times of suffering, one experiences God at a deep level and come to realize that He
In George’s analysis of his own life, how would each religion think about the value of his life as a person and value of his life with ALS? It is observed that when caring for ill or dying persons, the persons in the health sector carries no significant approval or rejection of euthanasia. An individual-level religious commitment and moral community could play a role in the attitudes. It is seen that the religiosity fact remains a decisive determinant of acceptance and rejection. Muslims are seen to be more restrictive than Catholics in the case of an older patient dying of cancer (Stolz et al., 2015). ALS patients suffer from depression and loneliness plus loss of control over their bodies and lives. Some patients decline life-prolonging measures and think of physician-assisted suicide. These patient’s wish to hasten death, regardless of their religious faith and spiritual beliefs. (Stutzki et al., 2012).However, each religion would value his life as a person and with ALS differently. In the case of George, his religion would see his life as a precious one and not be interfere with. This is God’s way to get closer to him and George should bear with his sufferings, rather than contemplating euthanasia. The Gospels in the Bible talk about numerous miracles performed by Jesus. He should find ways for the teachings of the Bible to fit into his life and times and endure significant suffering for the sake of his beliefs. Christ will never desert him, and there are many different ways how he as a Christian can manage his suffering. He should have faith in God and his love and give into suffering to conquer sin ( Pimpinella, 2011). Islam would see George ask his God for strength to bear with the sufferings. After all, Allah has chosen him to endure such sufferings, and there must be a reason behind. He has to keep faith in God and according to Qur'an if one prays with faith, then it helps. If God is cried out to with pure heart, he can decide to help or heal him. When one thinks in those terms, it brings comfort and relief (Littlewood & Dein, 2013). Values and considerations of each religion on euthanasia Both moderate and conservative Christians expect their physician to be respectful of their beliefs, and the same attitude is found in Muslims, who would want their doctor to understand their beliefs. It is often feared that therapists would not follow their religious beliefs and misunderstand them as stated by Pimpinella (2011). Religious institutions oppose human euthanasia strongly. Both Christian and Catholic theologies maintain that killing of another human is a sin, regardless of their physical health. The process of dying should not be tampered with. The Bible says that “it is appointed for men to die once” (NKJV Bible, Hebrews 9:27). Spiritually, the process of dying took place when Jesus was crucified on the Cross. The Bible does not deal with euthanasia specifically but makes it clear that human life is sacred and should be treated with dignity at all times. It would be below human to take the life of other and euthanasia devalues human life. In Islamic countries, euthanasia is prohibited and is seen as non-Islamic. The Muslim countries equalize euthanasia to the murder and is legally punishable as stated by Banović & Turanjanin (2014). According to Islam, sickness and sufferings are a test from God, simply with a hidden plan and something mysterious. The ill and suffering must keep faith in Allah at all times.What options would be morally justified under each religion for George and why? A person is suffering from a debilitating illness such as George with ALS, will obviously endure a very poor quality of life. The ethical question here is if one should keep him forcibly alive and endure the pain and suffering. Clearly, the area needs to be strictly regulated by law. The Gospels in the Bible talk about numerous miracles performed by Jesus (Pimpinella, 2011). From the Christian perspective, George would be counseled to bear with the pain and see it as a test for higher meaning. He would be discouraged for Euthanasia, stating that it is against Jesus and Christianity. He should believe in God and know that He loves him, and his life is important for him. The thought that God and everyone care for him could be comforting and motivating. The suffering of God is certainly important and how it is viewed in Christianity. Having faith in God’s plan will give him the motivation to have faith in his suffering and place himself under His will. As God lives in each one of us, one must choose to suffer, and God will take care of him. When George accepts his suffering, he will feel less turmoil and resistance inside him, and he will get the strength to bear with all the pain. From the perspective of Islam, George should keep faith in God and find good in the pain and suffering. His life is precious, and only Allah has the right to take it away at a destined time. Muslims are similar to Christians in the belief that humans have free will and sometimes the free will can cause suffering because of the wrong desires in places of Allah’s desires. Thus, Allah might punish them for their actions (Pimpinella, 2011). Sufism, a branch of Islam adheres to the central teachings of Islam. In Sufism, humans are vulnerable, and the cause of their suffering is because of their separation from the creator and truth.
Present and defend your own view Deprivation of life calls the attention of lawyers, sociologists and doctors from all over the world. What complicates the matter are the different religions, their perspectives and how they look at sufferings and euthanasia. In Islamic countries, euthanasia is a serious crime and punishable. On the other hand, in some of the Western European countries, deprivation of life under certain medical conditions is not a crime, if there are clearly defined medical procedures and legal rules. Euthanasia is a physician-assisted suicide that is also called mercy killing at times. It is performed on a patient who wants to end his life because of illness or medical conditions that will ultimately end their life. Assisted suicide is illegal in all U.S. states. However, there are three states where it is legal (Wilson, 2011). Anti-euthanasia groups fear that legalizing the act of euthanasia will create a slippery slope and lead to legally covered physician misconduct. The opponents of legalization of euthanasia emphasize the holiness of life at all costs while the supporters believe in ending the suffering of a terminally ill patient. However, the supporters emphasize the strong individual autonomy in the matters of life and death plus the moral obligation of doctors to end the life of the patient. Both supporters and opponents show respect for the patient’s life and his welfare (Banović & Turanjanin, 2014). My opinion is that there is no point making a human suffer irrespective of his religion or age. I support legalized euthanasia to end the pain and sufferings of thousands of living beings. There is no point in keeping a body alive and make the person bear with endless days and nights of sufferings and pain. However, at the same time, there should be strict legal guidelines and clear legalities so that no individual or his religious views are hurt. At the end of the day, the final decision should be given to the patient in great pain with a terminal illness as to how they want to end their pain. There are dangers of Euthanasia as the person may get talked into it or pressured to ask for it. Still, at times, the person is not in his full mental capacity to take the right decision for himself. . At some point, the patient nor his family is able to bear the negative consequences of the disease anymore. Still, the decision for Euthanasia should be taken under absolute sure conditions and in the case of painful and terminal illnesses only. This is a technical argument, and if passive euthanasia is accepted, we should accept the active euthanasia
References
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Wilson, J.W. (2011). Debating Voluntary Human Adult Euthanasia, studentpulse , Retrieved from http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/557/debating-voluntary-human-adult-euthanasia
