Philosophy & ethics · Both
Life and Death – Ethical Issues
Life-and-death questions need religious teachings plus evaluation of competing rights and values.
Sanctity of life
• Many religious believers hold life as sacred / God-given
• Implications for abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and medical research
• Quality of life arguments sometimes weigh against absolute sanctity claims
Abortion and euthanasia
• Christian views range from strongly pro-life to more situational (e.g. some Anglican/Methodist debate)
• Catholic teaching generally opposes abortion and euthanasia
• Islamic teaching generally values preservation of life; detailed rulings vary by circumstance and school
• Always present more than one view and link to teachings, then evaluate
Worked example
How should you structure an abortion evaluation?
Solution: Sanctity / pro-life teaching → alternative view (mother’s rights, quality of life) → limits of each → judgement on the question’s wording.
Practice questions
1. What does sanctity of life mean?
2. Why must answers show more than one view?