Смртта, умирањето и евтаназијата - православен поглед

Abstract

The paper addresses death not only as a biological experience that refers to the body exclusively but also in the light of Orthodox Christian theology which analyzes the meaning of human death in general, defining the value of life as a precious and unique gift of God through which the person is transfigured towards the Creator. The main focus of the paper is to reflect on the state of living and surviving from a medical point of view, and to provide detailed elaboration on the medical practices that arose in the 50s’ and the 60s’, especially pointing out the type of practices of euthanasia in a contemporary medical context, seen as a larger moral issue for the society, which from orthodox moral perspective are considered as a huge risk for the dignity of humanity and therefore damaging for the human life itself. Although the development of the euthanasia program, is not new, many concerns are rising still. The spiritual character of the death itself from an orthodox point of view is constantly neglected by the euthanasia program representatives who are trying to legalize it. In conclusion, the article stands out the Orthodox position on death, dying, and euthanasia from a moral perspective.