Christianity and the issue of euthanasia
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the key issues surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide and evaluate arguments for and against legalising them.
Key learning points
- Euthanasia ends life to relieve suffering, either voluntary or non-voluntary, and active or passive.
- Assisted suicide involves helping someone end their life, with the person administering the lethal dose.
- In the UK, active euthanasia is illegal, assisted suicide is punishable, but withdrawing treatment can be legal.
- Opponents argue life has intrinsic value, suffering has meaning, and legalisation may pressure vulnerable people.
- Supporters argue it respects autonomy, allowing people to end suffering with dignity.
Keywords
Assisted dying - helping someone end their life, often through euthanasia or assisted suicide
Assisted suicide - providing someone with the means to end their life due to terminal illness or severe suffering
Euthanasia - intentionally ending a person's life to relieve suffering, either by causing death or allowing it to occur
Palliative care - medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain aiming to improve the quality of life for patients
Common misconception
Those with non-religious views, such as Humanists, always support euthanasia.
Many Humanists advocate for the right to die (e.g., ‘Dignity in Dying’), but some oppose it due to concerns about coercion, vulnerable people, or better alternatives like palliative care.
Teacher tip
Some students may have personal experiences with terminal illness or loss, so set clear expectations for respectful discussion.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The Church of England believes that abortion is never acceptable.
Q2.Catholics believe that no circumstance can justify taking an innocent human life.
Q3.Which Christian teaching suggests that God has a plan for every human life before birth?
Q4.How do some Christians use the Parable of the Good Samaritan to support abortion in certain cases?
Q5.The term pro refers to people who believe the foetus has a right to life and generally oppose abortion.
Q6.The Catholic Church follows the ethical theory of Law, which teaches that abortion is always wrong.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The principle of of life is often used to argue against euthanasia, as it states that life is sacred and should not be ended deliberately.
Q2.In the UK, assisting someone to die is , even if they have a terminal illness and request it.
Q3.What is the main difference between active and passive euthanasia?
Q4.Which of the following is a concern some people (religious or non-religious) have about legalising euthanasia?
Q5.Which religious belief is often used to justify opposition to euthanasia?
Q6.Which of these statements is an argument for legalising euthanasia?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Christianity and the issue of euthanasia, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Christianity and the issue of euthanasia, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Matters of life and death unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.