Euthanasia has not been in the news much lately. “Eu,” from Greek, means “good” while “thanasia” from thanatos means “death.” Thus, euthanasia means “good death” or choosing when and how to die.
Advocates of euthanasia argue it is simply a medical procedure, not unlike having a benign tumor removed. They also argue that it is only used for terminal patients. Third, they insist there are strict legal guidelines in place to assure the first two “rules” are not violated. Reality proves all three to be a farce.
In Scotland, for example, there is a bill pending legalization that allows euthanasia for “life-shortening” conditions. That is as broad a definition as you could have. What serious illness does not have a “life-shortening” impact on our heath? In fact, it is in the nature of humanity to die (Hebrews 9:27).
Worse than that, this Scottish bill creates a “licensed suicide facilitator.” This position will be authorized by the state to help individuals kill themselves. Maybe they’ll raise it to a cabinet-level position – “Secretary of Death.” (Of course, we actually have a secretary of death, operating clandestinely under the designation Secretary of Health and Human Services which pushes for abortion – the antithesis of health.)
Frighteningly, individuals as young as 16 – under the Scottish bill – would be eligible to be licensed as a “suicide facilitator.” Combine that with the fact that a 16-year-old can legally end his/her own life and you have one teenager legally allowed to help another teenager kill him/herself!
In Belgium, there are already liberal euthanasia laws. Here are some examples of what they have done. A transsexual, mortified at the results of the sex-change operation, committed euthanasia. A depressed anorexia person, sexually exploited by her psychiatrist, committed euthanasia. Deaf twins, both going blind, committed euthanasia so they would die at the same time. Several elderly couples committed euthanasia so they could also die together.
Is that a culture that values life? There is a bill pending in Belgium that would allow doctors to euthanize children. It passed the Senate by a vote of 50-17. The politicians argued that it was happening anyway so they legalized it.
The Netherlands have allowed broad euthanasia for the past 40 years. Now, the psychiatry profession is advocating euthanasia for mentally ill people. Quebec is on the verge of passing a very broad-based euthanasia law – in fact, requiring all doctors to euthanize certain patients, or refer them to other doctors who would be willing!
I don’t mind importing the good from Europe. Not all they do is leftist. But the liberals in our country want to import the bad things they do too. Thankfully, most Americans are still reticent about actively taking the life of someone else. In deep blue Massachusetts, last year, voters rejected legalizing euthanasia. But the tide is slowly turning as our culture ever more towards the easy – entertainment saturated – life.
Vermont (Motto: “Freedom and Unity”) passed a euthanasia law with a number of restrictions but they expire in four years. Beginning in 2016, there will be no state oversight. Everything will be left up to the doctor. As Wesley Smith, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism summarizes in The Weekly Standard (Dec. 30, 2013/Jan. 6, 2014; pg. 18): “[D]octors in Vermont will assist patient suicides under what amounts to an honor system, no questions asked. What could go wrong?”
Indeed. Paul told the pagans of his generation: God “himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). What God gives, only God can take away. May that be our same message today as we fight for the sanctity of life on both ends of the spectrum.
–Paul Holland