The View from the Classroom – Euthanasia – What is euthanasia, and what do you think about it? Students from Key Stages 4 and 5 in schools all around the country give us the view from the classroom.
Curriculum Mapping
TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:
AQA
Component 2: Thematic studies:Theme B: Religion and life:The origins and value of human life -Religious teachings, beliefs and attitudes about euthanasia. Religious teachings, beliefs and attitudes about euthanasia.
Edexcel
Area of Study 1 - Beliefs in action– Religion and Ethics- Matters of Life and Death - Implications of religious teachings about the value and sanctity of life for the issue of euthanasia.
OCR
Religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world:Freedom of expression • Freedom of practice • Equality in society • The value of human life •Self-determination - Potential clashes between religious teachings and scientific development in medical ethics, including: • Abortion
WJEC
PART B -Theme 1: Issues of Life and Death --The origin and value of human life
Eduqas
Component 1 (Route A):Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World: Theme 2: Issues of Life and Death: The origin and value of human life. Theme 3: Life and Death:Death and the afterlife.
Transcript
The View from the Classroom – Euthanasia
Euthanasia is ending your life because you have an illness or a medical condition which you do not want to live with.
Euthanasia means assisted suicide. Um, when times are tough, maybe when the quality of life isn't great.
I know it's used a lot in vets. When an animal is in a lot of pain, or simply just won't live for long, rather than prolonging the pain, they'll just injection and done.
A terminal disease is when you're going to die from it in the end anyways.
Someone who's terminally ill might want euthanasia, because they won't get better, so they see it as, I can't do these things that I would like to do, and it's too much pain to live, so they choose to die instead.
Active euthanasia is where someone has used something to help a certain patient die. So for instance, a lethal injection would be active euthanasia.
In England it's not legal, I know that. Usually most people go to Switzerland.
And then passive is where-
people are allowed to die. So maybe switching off the life support machine, um, when they're suffering or very ill, they're not going to recover.
Voluntary euthanasia is where you know what's going to happen to you and you say that you want this happening.
And non-voluntary euthanasia is where another person made the decision for them, for them to die. So, for instance, a doctor or family member.
I don't really agree with it, because I think that you shouldn't end your life just because of like maybe if you're paralysed then you could still live maybe 40 years.
Quality of life is when you have a good life and you feel like you can do the things you want to do and capable of doing those things.
If the quality of life isn't good, I'd want them to have, um, you know, a nice ending to their life. Instead of being in pain, suffering.
Dying with dignity, is like, they want to go to euthanasia because they want to die before they get to a stage where they're no longer able to do things themselves, and they have to have other people to do it for them. So say, if you couldn't even, like, wash yourself and stuff like that, maybe that's classified as not being dignified.
Some people, they can't walk, some people can't do normal, everyday things that people take for granted.
If you have your family support and it's not, you're not undignified, are you? Because they're just looking out for you and helping you come through, like, your illness.
I think euthanasia should be allowed because it's their life, so they should be able to choose when they die.
I think that you're kind of wasting your life just because you want to end it, because it's too hard. But I think there's a lot of things that, like you could, that could help that, there's like groups that you go to. I think that going to euthanasia is kind of just taking the easy option.
I believe in the sanctity of life.
Sanctity of life is like how some Christians and Muslims believe God gave you that life, and only he has the right to take it away.
I think God gave us life, and we are not the ones that should be taking away our own lives.
In the Quran it says that you shouldn't. Only God has a decision to take a life and I'm not God.
This is where I will say I'm not a true Buddhist because when it comes to my religion, killing is very bad and especially when you kill yourself, that is the worst thing you could possibly do. But personally I believe it is your choice.
I think that people should let God decide when they die. He created us, that means he's gonna decide when he ends our life, because if you've been good all your life, Christians believe that you will go to heaven. Um, but if you decide to commit suicide or get assisted suicide you're gonna go to hell.
Euthanasia shouldn't be allowed, because, I'm a religious man, in the law of God, like you are still taking your own life, so it's classed as murder. So if you was to commit euthanasia, you wouldn't really have much to look forward to, because that's probably the biggest sin.
Well, it's not full out murder because they want to die and they're not living the life that they want to live.
If a cure was found after a person had had euthanasia, it wouldn't be so great because the family would be in more grief. They'd be thinking that the person would still be there with them when they've wasted their life. So that wouldn't be great in my opinion, that would be one of the negatives to euthanasia.
I think euthanasia should be allowed, but it should definitely be be their choice.
It's going to be checked by psychologists and people who know about that. So it's going to go through a series of tests to know if the person is mentally well for that. So it's not going to just be a spur of the moment thing.
If they're not mentally stable, then the choice should be going to their closest family member.
It should be taken with caution because it might just be a split second decision. So I think one day you apply for euthanasia and in a month they ask you again, if you still want to end it, then you should be allowed to have that choice. But of course, multiple doctors should confirm that you are definitely going to die. There's no way around it.
I think that there's other alternatives to euthanasia, like hospices, because they, um, you can go there for like end of life treatments. That could be a lot easier on the family as well, because at least then they've got time to take in what's going to happen. And they know that eventually the family member is going to die, but then they're dying in a nice way and not just ending it by killing themselves.
Well, I think a hospice is is a really good thing, because if you're have a terminally terminal illness and you're going to die anyway, you want to be around people, or you might want to be around people, who know what you're going through, and who understand you and are doing the best that they can to try and make your death, I guess, as smooth as possible and as comfortable as possible. And they're just trying to do what is best for you.
