Sanctity of life

The principle that human life has inherent worth and deserves protection, often grounded in religious belief or moral philosophy.

Human dignity: The inherent worth of every person, often understood as grounding equal moral status and rights. Sanctity of life is one way to express why each human being merits respect.
Abortion: The intentional ending of a pregnancy before birth. Disputes often turn on how fetal life and pregnant people's rights should be weighed.
Quality of life: An assessment of a person's physical, psychological, and social well-being. It can conflict with sanctity-based arguments when continued life involves severe suffering.
Jewish bioethics: The application of Jewish law and ethical reasoning to questions of health, medicine, and life. Jewish sources connect the duty to preserve life with limits and competing obligations.
Double effect: A moral doctrine permitting an action with a harmful side effect when the harm is not intended and other conditions are met. It helps explain why some traditions distinguish pain relief that hastens death from euthanasia.
Intrinsic value: Value possessed for its own sake rather than because of its usefulness or consequences. The principle treats human life as valuable in itself, not merely as a means.
Euthanasia: The intentional ending of a person's life to relieve suffering, under defined circumstances. Debates ask whether protecting life forbids or permits deliberately ending unbearable suffering.
Consequentialism: A family of ethical theories that judges actions by the value of their consequences. Consequentialist reasoning may permit ending or risking life when outcomes justify it.
Christian ethics: Moral reasoning shaped by Christian scripture, theology, and traditions. Christian teachings about creation and human dignity have strongly influenced sanctity-of-life arguments.
Advance directive: A legal document stating a person's medical treatment preferences for a time when they cannot communicate. It makes prior choices relevant when preserving life conflicts with a patient's wishes.

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