Re: Mercy Killing: Humane for animals; Immoral for humans

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Why is it right for me to have killed the duck – without him being able to tell me that’s what he wanted – but not okay to end the misery of someone begging for it? Exactly what is it that makes the second immoral?

Just read this over at Atheist Analysis. The simple answer is that if you don't believe in God then all creatures are equal. They would have to be, otherwise the parallel the author is trying to make is lost. But I wonder if the author is a vegetarian. Is eating meat an act of murder? Somehow it just seems obvious that killing a human has to have a graver punishment than killing your neighbor's cat. If the author is asking the person who is against "mercy killing" why is it moral to do that for an animal and is immoral to do that to a human is that the person against it is likely a Christian and on that basis opposes murder and assisted self murder, suicide. According to Catholic theology, humans and animals have souls, but humans distinctly have incorruptible souls and only humans were created in God's image.

Laurence Gonzaga
1.17.15