Sanctity of Life Ethos Quiz

A moral principle viewing life as sacred and inviolable, forbidding killing.

Actions taken to end life, including both positive and negative acts.

Actions that directly cause death, such as lethal injection.

Omissions that result in death, like withdrawing life support.

The belief that life belongs to God, and humans are stewards of it.

A modified belief allowing exceptions to the sanctity of life in end-of-life decisions.

Active euthanasia is wrong while withdrawing support is sometimes acceptable.

The belief that violating the sanctity of life invites punishment from God.

Suffering is part of life but should have limits; excessive suffering may not always be meaningful.

Stopping treatment is allowed if there’s no hope of recovery, respecting natural limits.

Allowing end-of-life flexibility may lead to widespread euthanasia acceptance.

Prioritizes well-being and autonomy over the absolute value of life.

Most important principle allowing individuals to make their own end-of-life decisions.

Suffering is personal and defined by individual experiences, not religious or medical standards.

End-of-life decisions should have adaptable safeguards to prevent coercion but allow individual evaluation.

Canadian woman who legally challenged assisted suicide rights due to her ALS diagnosis.

Rodriguez challenged this legal section against assisted suicide, citing Charter rights.

The court ruled 5-4 against Rodriguez, citing sanctity of life and risk of slippery slope.

Canadian farmer who killed his daughter for what he claimed was mercy, sparking ethical debates.

Robert Latimer's daughter who suffered from severe cerebral palsy, leading to her death by her father's action.

Canadian woman with GBS who fought for the right to refuse life-support treatment, distinguishing omission from commission.

Court ruled that competent adults can refuse medical treatment even if it leads to death, defining omission vs. commission.

Laws on Medical Assistance in Dying, shaped by cases like Rodriguez and Latimer; apply only to competent adults.

Patients can refuse life-sustaining interventions legally, even if non-terminal.

Distinction: withdrawing treatment is passive; assisted suicide is active.

Landmark case that legalized assisted dying in Canada, influenced by Gloria Taylor.

Canadian woman who challenged assisted suicide laws; diagnosed with ALS.

Guarantees life, liberty, and security; challenged in Carter case.

Protects against discrimination; argued that the ban targeted disabled individuals.

Medical Assistance in Dying; legalized after Carter v. Canada.

Unanimous decision that the ban on assisted dying was unconstitutional.

Ethical theory based on absolute moral duties; actions are right or wrong regardless of outcomes.

Deontological belief that certain actions are always wrong, regardless of context.

Ethical theory where rightness of an action is judged by its outcomes or consequences.

Ethical theory that assesses the morality of actions based on their purpose and outcomes.

Criticism of deontology for potentially prolonging suffering and inconsistently applied rules.

Patients must clearly agree to medical interventions, ensuring autonomy.

Carter v. Canada paved the way for terminally ill patients' rights in Canada.

A form of consequentialism that aims to maximize happiness and minimize suffering.

Focuses on maximizing pleasure and well-being through actions.

Focuses on minimizing suffering rather than maximizing happiness.

Weaker form of consequentialism; outcomes matter but other factors may too.

Ethical theory prioritizing love and context over fixed moral rules.

Pragmatism, relativity, personalism, and positivism are four guiding ethics of love-based decisions.

The best moral choice is the one that works practically and beneficially.

There are no fixed moral laws; morality is based on the situation.

People matter more than strict rules in ethical decision-making.

Love is the highest moral standard in decision-making.

Ethical approach emphasizing strict adherence to fixed moral laws and rules.

Rejection of fixed moral laws; morality is subjective and situation-based.

Moral dilemma highlighting consequentialism by saving more lives at cost of one.

The justification of euthanasia may arise from reducing unbearable suffering.

Pythagoreans opposed hastening death, valuing life as a divine gift.

Pythagoreans believed in a governing divine order of the universe.

Humans must follow divine laws regarding life and death.

Suicide was forbidden as it violated divine law.

Plato allowed suicide in specific cases: state orders, misfortune, or shame.

Plato deemed it acceptable to end life when ordered by the state, like capital punishment.

Plato allowed suicide when life becomes unbearable due to tragedy.

Plato believed death could restore dignity after severe dishonor.

Socrates accepted death over escaping unjust punishment, challenging Pythagorean views.

Aristotle opposed suicide as it harms civic duty and the community.

Aristotle's argument considered societal impact, not divine will.

Cynics justified suicide if rational living became impossible.

Pythagorean beliefs affected later religious and medical ethics, especially surrounding suicide.

While Pythagoreans had absolute bans on suicide, Plato provided nuanced exceptions.

Aristotle viewed suicide as harmful to society, lacking divine reasoning.

Cynics believed death was an acceptable choice if rationality and self-sufficiency were lost.

Some argue life loses meaning without cognitive function, relevant in discussions about dementia.

Stoicism views death as a natural process, neither good nor bad, and an acceptable escape from suffering.

Voluntary death is seen as the ultimate act of freedom when life becomes unbearable.

Seneca argued that the wise live as long as they ought, not as long as they can.

Stoics believed individuals have the right to choose their own death, not needing divine permission.

Ancient Greeks made decisions on euthanasia and abortion based on reason and well-being, not religion.

Eudaimonistic ethics emphasized human flourishing and reducing suffering, influencing support for euthanasia.

Pythagoreans opposed euthanasia and abortion, valuing the sanctity of life.

Seneca viewed suicide as a rational choice when life suffered from tyranny or loss of dignity.

Aristotle opposed suicide but accepted abortion in early pregnancy under certain conditions.

Like Greeks, Romans generally saw euthanasia and abortion as rational medical choices.

Abortion was legal and common in ancient Rome, often for economic and social reasons.

The Hippocratic Oath emphasized 'do no harm,' marking a shift in medical ethics against euthanasia.

Ancient Greek and Roman views on euthanasia and abortion were largely permissive, viewing them as ethical.

The ethical principle of 'do no harm' in medicine.

An oath for physicians emphasizing ethical conduct and patient care.

The principle of keeping patient information private and secure.

The act of intentionally ending a person's life to relieve suffering.

Emphasized life’s sanctity and enduring suffering for spiritual growth.

The concept of dying for one's faith as an honorable act.

Early Christian thinker who balanced views on martyrdom and suffering.

Argued that suicide is a grave sin and violates God's sovereignty.

Expanded Christian teachings on the sanctity of life.

Doctors must act with integrity, humility, and professionalism.

Belief that suffering has divine purpose and should be accepted.

Modern interpretations of medical ethics evolving from early oaths.

Key figures like Augustine shaped the opposition to euthanasia and suicide.

The right of patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare.

Ancient Greek prophets who interpreted divine will and foretold the future.

The era in the 8th century BC when seers were crucial in religion and warfare.

Seers did not oppose euthanasia but relied on divine interpretation.

Preferred death in battle over prolonged suffering, reflecting cultural values.

Practitioners transitioning from divine causes of illness to rational medicine.

Mainstream physicians opposed euthanasia; Hippocratic Oath emphasized healing over harm.

Physicians had divided views; some supported it for maternal health, others opposed it.

Most accepted euthanasia if it alleviated suffering; practical approach to life.

Widely accepted for health or economic reasons; fetus lacked personhood view.

Medical practice shifted towards patient welfare over strict moral codes.

Some Romans viewed death as natural, having no moral qualms about euthanasia.

Roman medicine allowed euthanasia for relief, indicating a practical ethics approach.

Seers based guidance on omens linked to divine fate rather than personal choices.

Saint Augustine's belief reinforcing prohibition of suicide and euthanasia, influencing Catholic doctrine.

Religious wars sanctioned by the Catholic Church, leading to mass killings of non-Christians.

Church-led movement to eliminate heresy, involving torture and execution of perceived threats.

Mass executions, mainly of women, based on witchcraft accusations, contradicting sanctity of life.

European nations used Christianity to justify colonization, violence, and forced conversions.

Beliefs contradicting official Church teachings, often leading to persecution.

Dying for one's faith, seen as a supreme act of devotion in early Christianity.

Many Christians supported or remained silent during the Holocaust, despite knowledge of atrocities.

Many Christian-majority countries practice capital punishment despite teachings of forgiveness.

Philosopher executed for heretical beliefs in heliocentrism, highlighting Church opposition to science.

Imposing religious beliefs on Indigenous peoples, often leading to violence and oppression.

Instances where Christian teachings on sanctity of life were ignored for political or social reasons.

Justification of slavery by many Christian groups, contradicting teachings on human dignity.

Massacre of non-Christians during the Crusades, showing drastic contradiction to sanctity of life.

Aquinas believed suicide goes against humanity's instinct to preserve life.

Ending one's life robs the community of their contributions and responsibilities.

Aquinas taught that life is a divine gift, only God can take it away.

Aquinas viewed euthanasia as immoral, regardless of suffering.

Inspired by Aquinas, the Church denied burials for suicide victims and enforced anti-suicide laws.

A progressive theologian who supported autonomy over strict religious laws.

Historian who analyzed euthanasia movements and cultural factors shaping debates.

Examined martyrdom's influence on life ethics and questioned suffering glorification.

The ethos is rooted in beliefs that life is a divine gift to be protected.

Philosophers like Aristotle and Plato contributed thoughts against suicide.

Moral principles derived from nature, used to justify opposition to euthanasia.

Movements arguing for the right to end life under certain conditions.

Analysis of how religious and cultural views have shaped beliefs about death.

A 2nd-century martyr who desired to be killed for his faith, referring to himself as 'God's wheat.'

Early Christian martyrs from the 3rd century known for refusing to renounce Christianity during execution.

The practice of glorifying martyrs, leading some Christians to seek martyrdom as a path to salvation.

A Christian sect in the 4th century that sought martyrdom and rejected priests who fled persecution.

Historically condemned as against God's sovereignty; life is viewed as a sacred gift from God.

A Church Father (354–430 AD) who argued that suicide is sin and against God's plan.

Outlined three reasons suicide is immoral: it violates natural instinct, duty to society, and offends God.

Suicide was considered a mortal sin; individuals who died from it were denied Christian burials and faced body desecration.

Contemporary views recognize mental illness, emphasizing compassion over punishment, though traditional views persist in some denominations.

The state-sanctioned practice of executing individuals, seen by some as contradictory to the sanctity of life ethos.

A 1994 massacre where over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in a state-led extermination campaign.

Policies permitting assisted dying, criticized by some for contradicting the sanctity of life ethos.

A public health emergency in the USA where government negligence led to water contamination affecting many.

State-led initiatives, particularly in China and the U.S., targeting minority populations for sterilization against their will.

Agape (selfless love) is the only absolute moral law, applied through reason.

Philosopher who criticized cultural relativism and advocated for objective ethical principles.

Argues that not all moral beliefs are equally valid as some are nearly universal.

The idea that societies can improve morality over time.

Different cultures often agree on fundamental ethics, like protecting children.

Not all cultural practices should be accepted, especially harmful ones.

The belief that moral values are defined by culture with no universal standard.

Common values like prohibitions against murder exist across cultures.

A moral guideline that can be used to evaluate practices across cultures.

Societies evolve, leading to changes in accepted moral codes over time.

Some moral systems focus more on human welfare than others.

Respect for cultures shouldn't ignore practices violating human rights.

Withdrawing life support to allow death; considered negative euthanasia.

Assisted dying or taking direct actions to end a life; viewed as positive euthanasia.

Contradictory actions of Christianity in justifying violence but opposing assisted death.

The Bible features suicides that are not uniformly condemned, showing varied interpretations.

The right to choose death with dignity instead of prolonged suffering.

Changes in laws to support physician-assisted dying and adapt to modern ethics.

Events like the Crusades and Inquisition show how the Church contradicted its own teachings on life.

The ethical stance supporting individuals' rights to choose death in suffering or terminal cases.

The moral implications of prolonging life through artificial means amid suffering.

Belief that life is created in God's image, thus sacred and not to be controlled by humans.

The selective use of scripture that supports certain moral positions while ignoring contradictory texts.

The conflict between traditional medical oaths and supporting assisted dying.

How interpretations of suicide in ancient philosophies influenced modern ethical discussions.

The call for modern Christianity to align with current ethical perspectives on life and death.