Introduction - This basically has to include your answer to the question which can be:

• There are no differences between the two from both a religious and a moral perspective

• There are no differences from a religious perspective but they are regarded differently from a moral standpoint (or vice versa)

• Suicide and Euthanasia are completely different from both a religious and moral perspective.

It is well worth your time recording what your initial answer to this question might be. This means you can revisit this once you have completed the essay and comment on whether you agree or not after you have been a good philosopher and examined all your sources!

What is Euthanasia? - This is where you impress the examiner with your reading and collection of sources. You are trying to create as full a definition as possible so use at least 5 sources and quote from them before forming your own definition of Euthanasia. Remember there are different types of Euthanasia including voluntary, involuntary, passive and active.

Include a paragraph about the legal situation throughout the world. Talk about living wills and their status in courts of law today, talk about euthanasia laws in Europe, Holland, Hong Kong, USA and UK - cite at least one famous case that has made the headlines and has caused a public dilemma on the issue. You should also refer to how euthanasia has become much more of a controversial issue as medical treatments have improved and people are kept alive who in the past would have passed away earlier and more peacefully.

What is Suicide? - Again use a wide variety of sources to form your own idea about what suicide is. Remember you have to come up with a distinction between the two in order to answer the question.

Again you will need a full account of the legal situation in a variety of countries and the various public agencies connected to suicide. Also talk about the history of suicide.

What is the religious view? - Basically the religious view connected with this is the idea of the sanctity of life. You will need to find bible passages and teachings connected with this. It might also be an idea to divide the religious view up into the western idea of heaven and hell and the eastern idea of reincarnation and rebirth. It is also connected to the way in which man treats his fellow man

How does Euthanasia fit in with the religious view?

How does Suicide fit in with the religious view?

The moral view - This can be looked at in different ways. Firstly what is morality? To what extent is this connected with religion anyway? The values that a society has are connected with ""cultural relativism" so it is hard to distinguish exactly what a society regards as it’s moral view? Is it the legal view? Is it looking at the different ethical theories to determine what is moral? You need to set the parameters here.

How does Euthanasia fit in with the moral view?

How does Suicide fit in with the moral view?

What are the differences between the two? Why do these distinctions exist? Why is it that we have more sympathy for euthanasia which is connected to physical suffering rather than suicide that is connected to emotional suffering? What are the implications of allowing people to have this control over their lives?

If any? Are the differences marked and very distinctive or are the negligible? This is really the concluding bit of your essay and should sum up all that has gone before. You also need to address the question of why these distinctions are important? What will happen in the future to these issues? Will life be cheapened if euthanasia and suicide are allowed in the world today? What do these distinctions say about the way in which we treat people with physical or emotional illnesses?