is euthanasia moral in natural law?
Natural Law is the concept that an action is only considered moral if it is fulfilling its natural purpose in life. Whether an action is natural or not is determined by what God's will is for human kind, and according to Thomas Aquinas, the founder of Natural Law, it is God's purpose for us to follow his 5 precepts:
Therefore, a believer in Natural Law would strongly disagree with euthanasia as it contradicts many of the precepts and does not follow any of them. Firstly, it does not preserve innocent life as assisted suicide would destroy innocence for the younger generations and family and friends going through the process with the patient. Secondly, if euthanasia were to become more common, it would certainly not maintain an orderly society as it would cause distress to many families and there would be an overwhelming amount of terminally ill patients wanting to be put to death travelling to the three only countries where it is legal. Also, it does not follow the final three precepts in any way, therefore it is not considered a moral action.
- To preserve innocent life.
- To maintain an orderly society.
- To worship God.
- To educate children.
- To reproduce and continue the human race.
Therefore, a believer in Natural Law would strongly disagree with euthanasia as it contradicts many of the precepts and does not follow any of them. Firstly, it does not preserve innocent life as assisted suicide would destroy innocence for the younger generations and family and friends going through the process with the patient. Secondly, if euthanasia were to become more common, it would certainly not maintain an orderly society as it would cause distress to many families and there would be an overwhelming amount of terminally ill patients wanting to be put to death travelling to the three only countries where it is legal. Also, it does not follow the final three precepts in any way, therefore it is not considered a moral action.