Examples Of Euthanasia In The Giver

The Line Between Euthanasia and Murder

Have you ever had to put down an animal? Did you have to think to make sure it was the right decision? Well, in The Giver, the Committee of Elders, who is the governing body in the community, make the laws and the jobs for children who turn twelve. They use euthanasia or as they say, “release” on humans. when a citizen is old, has committed a crime, or even if they are born underweight or with a twin. In Lois Lowry's book, The Giver, the citizens believe that the practice of euthanasia is acceptable for humans. Even when they use animalistic ideas on humans.

In The Giver, they release their own citizens and even new children or toddlers. They do this for impractical reasons, like being born with a twin, or not sleeping through the night. The children are not capable of controlling whether they are born too early, are underweight, or born as a twin. The elders have even questioned

If they commit a small offense they are taken to The Department of Justice to get a warning or a small punishment. Once a person commits two small crimes they are released. If a larger infraction was committed the release will be immediate. “For a contributing citizen to be released from the community was a final decision, a terrible punishment, An overwhelming statement of failure” (p. 2). In our society we use the death penalty only in extreme cases. The death penalty is used in cases of sexual assault with a child under the age of fourteen, a second conviction for rape of a child under fourteen, and a murder in the first degree. In our society death penalty should not be acceptable. If someone has committed a crime they should be sent to prison on a life sentence instead of the death penalty. To sit in jail for the rest of your life seems like a harsher punishment. In The Giver release is uncompassionate. The crimes committed should not be punished by