Christian's and Euthanasia

In terms of Christian ethics on the subject of Euthanasia, it is stated in the case of a patient's request that "the exercise of autonomy has to be limited in order that human beings may live together in reasonable harmony," and that, "the right to personal autonomy is not absolute." The argument then builds on two more objections. The first, that it would be difficult to tell whether requests for euthanasia are truly voluntary and not the result of depression or outside pressure from other people. The second, that it would result in the breakdown of trust between doctor and patient. The argument then finishes out with an explanation that the hospice movement grew out of Christian concerns that people should be helped to die with dignity; and that it is the killing, rather than caring, which denies the dignity of the dying.

The argument of someone's autonomy being limited in order for human beings to live together in reasonable harmony seems, in this case, too broad. If an individual is terminally ill and in constant pain as a result, to limit their autonomy when it comes to a request to end their pain and suffering instead of letting them suffer longer until their eventual death, it seems unethical to allow that unnecessary pain. If the question is whether the request is truly voluntary and not the result of depression or outside influence, there may be two potential rejoinders. The first would be a question of what if the outside influence for the request came from discussions with close relatives? It seems likely that the opinions of multiple close relatives on whether the sick individual should request euthanasia from their doctor, or not, would come out of concern for the person's well-being, and nothing else. The second rejoinder is on the consideration of depression as the influence for the request. If the individual is depressed on top of the sickness, pain, and impending death, it seems to only add to the suffering and therefore potentially make the request for euthanasia still voluntary despite the depression. Finally, the act of killing is certainly a difficult moral decision, especially in this case. But, if this is a case of continued suffering before impending death, could the "killing" in order to put the person at peace be considered morally acceptable when done by a medical professional?