WENDY NYAMWEYA

SWENNY1631

RELB255

REPORT 2

Geisler, Norman L. “Infanticide and Euthanasia”, CHRISTIAN ETHICS: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES &
OPTIONS, Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 1989, pages 160-179.

According to Geisler euthanasia simply refers to us as good or painless death. It is also known as “mercy
killing”. It can be either voluntary or involuntary. In voluntary the client consents to this death while in
involuntary the patient does not consent. There are two types of euthanasia: Active euthanasia and
Passive euthanasia

Active euthanasia is taking a human life either by suicide (your own life) or homicide (another person's
life) to avoid suffering. It is morally wrong from a Christian perspective. A slow, painful and merciless
death is not a dignified death. It is argued that that everyone has a right to die with dignity and that it is
part of what it means to have a human kind of life.

Passive euthanasia is simply allowing death either by withholding natural means (food, water and air) o
unnatural means (mechanical devices such as respirators and artificial organs) to occur in order to avoid
suffering. It may be morally acceptable.

He argues in unnatural passive euthanasia that it is contrary to God’s sovereignty over life. In the Bible
God is the creator and owner over human life (Gen. 1:1). It is contrary to the sanctity of human life.
Humans are made in the image and likeness od God (Gen. 1:27). It is a form of murder as written in the
ten commandments that you shall not murder (Exod. 21:12-13).

Geisler points out that in morally acceptable natural passive euthanasia, we should seek God first ad
repeatedly in prayer for healing. But when the course of death is medically irreversible, and no divine
intervention can be done then it is morally justified to stop unnatural efforts to prolong the process of
dying.

Geisler refers to infanticide as the killing of an infant human being after birth. There is active infanticide-
that involves a procedure that takes the life of the infant and passive infanticide- where an infant is
simply allowed to die by withholding needed treatment. He says that the most notorious of these is the
so-called partial birth abortion.

He says that it is argued by many in favor of infanticide that the parents should have the first and initial
right to make the choice about imperiled children. Imperiled children are those born with an impairment
that will cause death if not immediately treated. Some insist that it is more merciful to kill a child in this
condition than it is to allow them to suffer. It is also morally permissible for active euthanasia is the child
is going to be burden for the care givers in raising them.
Geisler quotes from the Bible that human beings are made in the image of God, so killing them is killing
God in effigy. (Genesis 9:6). God is sovereign over life and he is the only one that gave life and has the
right to take life. (Gen. 1:21, Deut. 32:39). An infant that is not fully developed does not mean that it is
not fully human.