How a jain would respond to euthanasia
At first, one might assume that a Jain would undoubtedly argue that euthanasia is both immoral and irrational as it disobeys its main teaching- Ahimsa. However, the answer is not as simple as it may seem and in some cases, euthanasia may be seen as moral and kind.
Ahimsa is the central teaching of Jainism which states that all living things, should not be slain or treated with violence in any way. It is illogical to cause others pain, and we should not do anything to others which we do not want them to do to us. Jains see violence towards others being of three kinds:
In this way, euthanasia is not a moral action as it involves another person killing a patient which is seen as an extremely violent action. Even if the patient requests assisted suicide, a person will still have to terminate a life of a living organism which is physical violence towards other people. If interpreted in this way, Jains would believe that euthanasia is totally immoral, and that murder involves the same amount of violence as assisted suicide. However many forget that ahimsa is not only the rejection of violence in a person's life, it is also about carrying out positive acts of goodness shown through caring, sharing, and helping others. When taking this into consideration, is euthanasia as immoral as it seems? Its seems not. Helping a person die if they want to end their suffering is an act of kindness and compassion, as one cares for their friend so much, that they are willing to assist them in their own death. Despite the sadness it would cause them, their selfless attitude would help purify their soul and hopefully out-weigh the violence involved. So overall, I think that a Jain would see euthanasia as moral, so long as the patient agrees and her life is terminated in the least amount of pain possible.
Ahimsa is the central teaching of Jainism which states that all living things, should not be slain or treated with violence in any way. It is illogical to cause others pain, and we should not do anything to others which we do not want them to do to us. Jains see violence towards others being of three kinds:
- Physical violence of deeds.
- Spoken violence of harsh language.
- Mental violence of thoughts and feelings towards others.
In this way, euthanasia is not a moral action as it involves another person killing a patient which is seen as an extremely violent action. Even if the patient requests assisted suicide, a person will still have to terminate a life of a living organism which is physical violence towards other people. If interpreted in this way, Jains would believe that euthanasia is totally immoral, and that murder involves the same amount of violence as assisted suicide. However many forget that ahimsa is not only the rejection of violence in a person's life, it is also about carrying out positive acts of goodness shown through caring, sharing, and helping others. When taking this into consideration, is euthanasia as immoral as it seems? Its seems not. Helping a person die if they want to end their suffering is an act of kindness and compassion, as one cares for their friend so much, that they are willing to assist them in their own death. Despite the sadness it would cause them, their selfless attitude would help purify their soul and hopefully out-weigh the violence involved. So overall, I think that a Jain would see euthanasia as moral, so long as the patient agrees and her life is terminated in the least amount of pain possible.