Meaning of Death, Positive Living Newsletter

5 Reasons Why Christians and Muslims Reject Euthanasia

Timothy T. F. Yu, B.Sc.
University of Toronto Scarborough

*This is an excerpt from a longer article titled Making an exit: Secular, Christian, and Islamic perspectives on euthanasia

Palliative care patients often face many challenges when making end-of-life decisions. This is especially true for people of faith, such as Christians and Muslims, who need to consider the spiritual consequences of such decisions.

The Government of Canada formally legalized Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in the years following the 2015 Canadian Supreme Court ruling in Carter v. Canada. MAID includes voluntary active euthanasia (VAE), defined as “clinician-administered medical assistance in dying” (Government of Canada, 2024). Given that VAE is now legal, palliative patients, including those that identify as Christian or Muslim, can now consider this option when making end of life decisions. For Christians and Muslims, VAE is not merely discouraged, it is forbidden. Here are 5 major reasons why VAE contradicts the fundamental teachings of their respective faiths:

1. Voluntary Active Euthanasia is Against the Sanctity of Life

This stems from the commandment Thou Shalt Not Kill for Christians; and the principle of No Harm, No Harassment for Muslims. Human life has inherent value because it is a gift from God.

2. Voluntary Active Euthanasia Ignores the Relational Dimension of Humans

Humans have a fundamental need for relationships. People who advocate for VAE may be ignoring the wishes of loved one who will be most impacted by such autonomous end-of-life decisions. As a result, end-of-life discussions between healthcare professionals and patients should also involve loved ones.

3. Voluntary Active Euthanasia Ignores the Spiritual Dimension of Humans

Good spiritual care allows individuals to find meaning in life and experience wellbeing despite their suffering (Wong, 2004; Wong & Yu, 2021). Therefore, by introducing VAE, it prevents the healthcare system and workers from recognizing the real needs of dying individuals, which is not the termination of life, but rather compassionate psychological, spiritual, and palliative care (Cherry, 2018, p. 3; Fitzgerald, 2019, p. 107). Only by providing such care can one truly respect the dignity of the dying individual.

4. Voluntary Active Euthanasia Leads to Worse Problems

Firstly, as Cherry (2018, p. 3) noted, this may lead to the discrimination of individuals in certain groups, such as the elderly and the terminally ill. In his view, by only offering euthanasia to these people, not only does the medical system isolates them from the rest of the population, but also suggests that their life is not worth living. Discrimination of vulnerable people goes against the respect of human dignity. Secondly, more troubling than just discrimination is if euthanasia became the norm. As Callahan (1992, p. 54) noted, this would equate to the legitimization of killing. The entire practice of medicine would be turned upside down if the definition of healing included intentional killing, a shift that has been called “Hippocratic anxiety” (Cherry, 2018, p. 4). Pratt (2017, p. 5) clearly lays out this slippery slope argument:

“Physicians – and society at large – could become accustomed to the idea that euthanasia is a cheap and convenient solution to suffering. This convenient solution might be seen as a preferable alternative to treatments which require greater resources or are more expensive.”

Thus, intentional killing, whether it is called murder or euthanasia, needs to be prohibited because one cannot clearly distinguish the two. As Sachedina (2009) noted, from an Islamic perspective, “there is no immunity in Islamic law for the physician who unilaterally and actively decides to assist a patient to die.” (p. 169)

5. Voluntary Active Euthanasia Rejects That Suffering Can be Beneficial

Although medicine is tasked with reducing suffering whenever possible, both Christianity and Islam also recognize the benefits of suffering, especially suffering that cannot be avoided. End-of-life suffering may be a blessing in disguise from a benevolent God because it provides new opportunities for both the patient and caregiver to live their faith at a deeper level. For Christians and Muslims, suffering helps develop virtues such as perseverance, patience, trust, faith, hope, and love, and grow closer to God. Furthermore, suffering is part of God’s larger plan to care for the faithful. Having faith means believing that God knows best. As a result, similar to Frankl’s (1946/1985) self- transcendence, patients can find meaning in their suffering because it may be for a higher purpose, and allows them to discover some value in their continued existence. For caregivers, end-of-life suffering is an opportunity to bear witness, inspired by the patient’s perseverance and courage in the face of terrible suffering. VAE ends any possibility that the patient will develop virtues, become closer to his or her God, or find meaning in their suffering. For Christians and Muslims, VAE is the ultimate turning away from God.

Further Readings

For more on Christian and Muslim perspectives on VAE, please consult the following resources:

  • Brockopp, J. E. (2002). The “good death” in Islamic theology and law. In J. E. Brockopp (Ed.), Islamic ethics of life: Abortion, war, and euthanasia (pp. 177–193). University of South Carolina Press.
  • Callahan, D. (1992). When self-determination runs amok. Hastings Center Report, 22(2), 52-55.
  • Catholic Church. (1995). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Image book.
  • Cherry, M. J. (2017). The scandal of secular bioethics: What happens when the culture acts as if there is no God? Christian Bioethics, 23(2), 85–99. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cbx006
  • Cherry, M. J. (2018). Physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia: How not to die as a Christian. Christian Bioethics, 24, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cbx021
  • Choudry, M., Latif, A., & Warburton, K. G. (2018). An overview of the spiritual importances of end-of-life care among the five major faiths of the United Kingdom. Clinical Medicine (London, England), 18(1), 23–31. https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmedicine.18-1-23
  • Daar, A. S., & al Khitamy, A. B. (2001). Bioethics for clinicians: 21. Islamic bioethics. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne, 164(1), 60–63.
  • Fitzgerald, J. J. (2019). A considerably common morality: Catholic ethics and secular principlism in dialogue. Christian Bioethics, 25(1), 86–127. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cby016
  • Ghuddah, A. S. A. (2016). Governing principles of Islamic ethics in medicine. In M. Ghaly (Ed.), Islamic perspectives on the principles of biomedical ethics: Intercultural dialogue in bioethics book 1 (pp. 263—291). World Scientific Publishing Europe Ltd./Imperial College Press.
  • Lozano, A. J. (2004). Principles of bioethics for Christian physicians: Autonomy and respect. The Linacre Quarterly, 71(2), 104–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/20508549.2004.11877708
  • Mattson, I. (2002, July 17). Dignity and patient care: An Islamic perspective. Ziyara: Muslim Spiritual Care. https://ziyara.org/resources/dignity-and-patient-care-an-islamic-perspective/
  • Michel, T. S. J. (2010). God’s justice in relation to natural disasters. In I. M. Abu Rabi (Ed.), Theodicy and justice in modern Islamic thought: The case of Said Nursi ( 219–226). Routledge.
  • New International Version (NIV) Bible. (2011). New International Version (NIV) Bible Online. (Original work published 1978)
  • Pratt, E. (2017). The legalization of physician-assisted suicide. Aporia, 27(1), 1–10. https://aporia.byu.edu/pdfs/pratt-legalization_physician_assisted_suicide.pdf
  • Qur’an. (S. H. Nasr, Ed.). (2015). HarperOne.
  • Rouzati N. (2018). Evil and human suffering in Islamic thought—Towards a mystical theodicy. Religions, 9(2), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9020047
  • Sachedina, A. (2009). Islamic biomedical ethics: Principles and application. Oxford University Press.
  • Tayeb, M. A., Al-Zamel, E., Fareed, M. M., Abouellail, H. A. (2010). A “good death”: Perspectives of Muslim patients and health care providers. Annals of Saudi Medicine, 30(3), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.4103/0256-4947.62836.

References

Cherry, M. J. (2018). Physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia: How not to die as a Christian. Christian Bioethics, 24, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cbx021

Fitzgerald, J. J. (2019). A considerably common morality: Catholic ethics and secular principlism in dialogue. Christian Bioethics, 25(1), 86–127. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cby016

Frankl, V. E. (1985). Man’s search for meaning. Washington Square Press. (Originally published in 1946)

Government of Canada. (2024, March 1). Medical assistance in dying: Overview. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/medical-assistance-dying.html

Pratt, E. (2017). The legalization of physician-assisted suicide. Aporia, 27(1), 1–10. https://aporia.byu.edu/pdfs/pratt-legalization_physician_assisted_suicide.pdf

Sachedina, A. (2009). Islamic biomedical ethics: Principles and application. Oxford University Press.

Wong, P. T. P. (2004). Compassionate and spiritual care: A vision of positive holistic medicine. International Network on Personal Meaning. https://www.meaning.ca/archives/archive/pdfs/wong-spiritual-care.pdf

Wong, P. T. P., & Yu, T. T. F. (2021). Existential suffering in palliative care: An existential positive psychology perspective. Medicina, 57(9), 924. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57090924