Questions: (submitted by a group of young people)
Is it a sin if you are extremely sick and you ask the doctors to end your life?
Euthanasia – isn’t it my choice to end my suffering?
Answer:
Summary: Many western countries are passing legislation to makes medically assisted dying an option for people who, for a variety of reasons, wish to end their life. The issue can be clouded by advances in medical technology and the dilemmas that that can raise, and by arguments that are emotionally appealing but have serious long-term consequences.
Euthanasia is suicide by another name – a name that means “good death”. It is sometimes called “physician assisted suicide” (PAS) or “medical assistance in dying” (MAID). It has already been legalised in some countries, usually with strict conditions on its use, but over time, these conditions tend to become increasingly broad and open to interpretation until almost any reason for seeking to die can be accepted. There have also been a number of alarming cases of unwilling euthanasia.
Let’s be very clear. It is wrong to commit murder, and it is equally wrong to murder oneself. Why? Because all of humanity bears the image of God, having been created by Him in His own image. Yes, that image is certainly marred now, but despite that, we are not merely “things” to be discarded, nor are we merely animals to be “put down” when life is hard.
There have been many advances in palliative care (that is, care for the sick when death appears immanent and unavoidable). Where modern medicine is available, few people face intolerable pain at the end of life. However, there are other situations when modern technology is able to keep people alive beyond the time when they would otherwise have died, and there are times when to continue the use of that technology is pointless. In such cases, the decision may be made to withdraw the technology and to allow nature to take its course.
The practice and the acceptance of legalised “assisted dying” has resulted in people ending their life because they are bored, lonely, a financial burden to their family, intimidated by doctors, and for other reasons unrelated to unbearable suffering caused by a terminal illness. These laws diminish the respect for, and the value of, human life. It is yet another manifestation of the modern quest for complete autonomy, even from God and His law.
Any suffering is hard to bear, and people suffering great pain or distress need our love and care to cope with it and hopefully to be delivered from it. Yet suffering need not be all negative. It can make us stronger, wiser and more compassionate. When we face suffering emboldened by the will to live, and to live abundantly, life triumphs over death.
The good news is that the Lord Jesus has conquered death through His own death and resurrection. That victory gives meaning to life and a reason to live, and at the same time takes away the hopelessness we might otherwise feel when faced with the death of a loved one or our own death. A person who wants to die needs to know of the love of God and His great gift in Jesus Christ. Let’s dedicate ourselves to the message of the gospel – mercy, grace, forgiveness and joy – rather than giving in to a culture of death.
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