The fact that we are human has value in itself. The philosopher Immanuel Kant said that rational human beings should be treated as an end in themselves and not as a means to something else. Therefore the deliberate taking of human life should be prohibited except in self-defence or the legitimate defence of others.Human life is sacred because it's a gift from God.Human life is a basic good as opposed to an instrumental good, a good in itself rather than as a means to an end.All human beings are to be valued, irrespective of age, sex, race, religion, social status or their potential for achievement.There are four main reasons why people think we shouldn't kill human beings: This argument says that euthanasia is bad because of the sanctity of human life. M Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Travelled, has written that in a few weeks at the end of life, with pain properly controlled a person might learn Suffering allows a person to be a good example to others by showing how to behave when things are bad. Suffering is something which draws upon all the resources of a human being and enables them to reach the highest and noblest points of what they really are. They think it provides an opportunity to grow in wisdom, character, and compassion. Some non-religious people also believe that suffering has value. Those who believe this think that suffering is part of the moral force of the universe, and that by cutting it short a person interferes with their progress towards ultimate liberation. Several Eastern religions believe that we live many lives and the quality of each life is set by the way we lived our previous lives. Curtailing the process of dying would deny them this opportunity. When people are dying they may be able, more than at any time in their life, to concentrate on the important things in life, and to set aside the present-day 'consumer culture', and their own ego and desire to control the world. Others, while acknowledging that a loving God doesn't set his creations such a horrible test, say that the process of dying is the ultimate opportunity for human beings to develop their souls. Some people think that dying is just one of the tests that God sets for human beings, and that the way we react to it shows the sort of person we are, and how deep our faith and trust in God is. In fact, Christians believe that it is a good to do so, as long as one does not intentionally cause death. So there is nothing wrong in trying to relieve someone's suffering. However while the churches acknowledge that some Christians will want to accept some suffering for this reason, most Christians are not so heroic. Pope John Paul II wrote that "It is suffering, more than anything else, which clears the way for the grace which transforms human souls." They believe that Christ will be present to share in the suffering of the believer.
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