Euthanasia
Understanding the terms
“Euthanasia” = “happy or good death”
Originally = palliative care
Palliative care = keeping a terminally ill patient as pain-free as possible until a dignified death.
Modern meaning = inducing an easy death / painlessly putting a patient with an incurable condition to death.
“Voluntary passive euthanasia” = patient requests treatment to stop.
“Voluntary active” = patient requests doctor to hasten death by an active means.
“Involuntary passive” = No expression of will by patient but doctors omit extraordinary measures to save life.
“Involuntary active” = No permission or will but 2nd party decides to hasten death
Euthanasia – The facts
The humanistic logic
People are independent, self-ruling biological entities
Humans’ life purpose is pleasure and enjoyment.
The end of a human is complete extinction.
Therefore life need not be continued if it is unwanted.
Life is no longer desirable when it falls below a certain level of “quality of life” (e.g. Pain, mental or physical disability, productivity)
A candidate for euthenasia : Alison Davis, No Less Human
“Once I accidentally went into the wrong room where proponents of assisted suicide were working. Everyone assumed I was pro-euthanasia because I am in a wheelchair.
The other side thinks we disabled people are clamouring for such laws. Most of us are terrified of these people and we are afraid of euthanasia becoming law.
About twenty years ago, I just wanted to die and this feeling lasted for years. Once I took a large dose of pills, slashed my wrists, and then I drank an entire bottle of martini. A friend took me to the Emergency Room where I was treated against my will. If suicide had been legal then, I would have satisfied all the criteria. It took me years to decide that my life was worth living. I have not thought about suicide since. I had no idea of the good times that were ahead of me.
I have experienced much pain in my life. When my pain is bad, I do not need to be told that I am burdensome. I need to hear that my life has meaning. The feeling that I may be abandoned is worse than any pain.”
The biblical worldview
Genesis 9:6 establishes:
Human life is sacred
Human life is in the image of God
The value of life is not diminished by the perceived quality of that life
Philippians 4:12 establishes:
In every situation a person can be content
This is found in Christ
God’s will is paramount … Not comfort or expediency
The biblical worldview
Deuteronomy 32:39 establishes:
Human life is God’s gift and it’s end should be determined by Him only.
Romans 8:28-29 establishes:
God can use the worst situation for our good;
God’s idea of good is Christ-likeness;
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 establishes:
Physical failing can lead to spiritual fullness.
The biblical worldview
Death is part of life (Eccl. 3:2)
Death need not be feared by a Christian (Phil. 1:21; 1 Cor. 15:54)
Eternity with God is better than physical life (Phil. 1:23; 1 Cor. 2:9)
Our bodies are not our own! They are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, purchased with Jesus’ precious blood (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
THEREFORE:
We are to present our bodies to God as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1)
Conclusion : As much as we long to end lives out of compassion we have not been given that right by God.
Make it compulsory at age 50 – will solve many of the world’s problems.
A recent article in Time magazine says that technology will make physical immortality possible in 30 -40 years. Further that a computer will have a superior brain power to the sum of the total human world population.
The arguments above are based on Pauline Theology and not the teachings of Jesus, which puts a different slant on the meaning of death and the Kingdom of Heaven.