Evil quickly fills the void when hearts abandon God.
Rampantly secular Europe is a perfect example where it’s becoming increasingly fashionable to promote death as the ultimate escape from life’s difficulties.
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide—even for children—is becoming the solution of choice for a growing list of conditions, including mental illness.
Euthanasia, practiced in several forms, is the intentional killing of an individual by a physician. Assisted suicide involves a physician helping a person kill themselves.
For a more detailed discussion of these practices, visit the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network.
Belgium and The Netherlands (Holland) are the most aggressive of the European countries in actively promoting its use. The unbiblical practice is also available in
Albania, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
In the past five years, physician-assisted suicide deaths have doubled in The Netherlands. During the same time, Belgium has experienced an increase of more than 150 percent.
In The Netherlands it has been estimated that 12.3 percent of all deaths are now the result of euthanasia, with the number of mentally ill patients put to death having tripled in just one year.
Recent examples included one woman who struggled with an eating disorder, and another who claimed she suffered from tinnitus. The woman with hearing problems left two teenage children.
While most of the Belgium patients had cancer, others took the miss-labeled “dignified” way out for: autism, anorexia, borderline personality disorders, chronic-fatigue syndrome, partial paralysis, and blindness coupled with deafness and manic depression.
One of the most outrageous cases involved the euthanasia of patient distraught over the failure of her female-to-male sex change operation.
Her lethal injection was administered by oncologist and palliative medicine professor Wim Distelmans.
Highlighting the evil behind the whole idea, Distelmans led 70 medical professionals and scholars on a “study trip” to Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp in Poland.
A brochure for the trip claimed that for those “constantly confronted with existential pain and questions about the meaning of life,” Auschwitz is an “inspiring place to contemplate these issues.”
Distelmans also has received the “Liberal Humanist Prize” for having “demonstrated in his life and work a genuine and sustained liberal humanist engagement.”
In Switzerland, its Supreme Court has ruled that the mentally ill have a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide.
Even more shocking is the growing trend of practicing euthanasia on children.
For example, the Belgian parliament has determined that euthanasia is so beneficial it should be made available to minors.
The law says “…the patient [a minor] must be conscious of their decision and understand the meaning of euthanasia.”
How thoughtful.
In nearby Holland sickly infants are being killed on the grounds that it’s distressing for parents to watch them suffering. The Royal Dutch Medical Association estimates that more than 600 such children are killed each year.
“Unbelievably, child sacrifice is not a thing of the past,” said GRTL President Dan Becker. “We no longer sacrifice their lives to appease multiple gods; we kill them to satisfy one god–the god of self.”
In Belgium, underlying support for the practice is based on non-confessional ethics, a secular philosophy that lets individuals establish their own morals. It’s taught by local associations and organizations that provide guidance and support for atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, and free thinkers.
While Europeans increasingly embrace death as a lifestyle choice, they also are choosing not to have children.
The average birth rate for European Union nations is just 1.55 per woman. In several countries it’s even lower
The situation in the United States isn’t much better, where the current birth rate is 1.85 per woman, well below the 2.1 rate needed to keep the population stable, not counting immigration. The only encouraging fact is that the latest rate represents a teeny increase over the previous year.
Not replacing populations not only represents a threat to the elderly, who depend on younger generations to help provide the care they need, but also to the society as a whole by not having enough workers who provide food and products.
This should not be surprising for societies that have long embraced abortion. Once a culture negates the value of life at conception, it’s a small step to downplay the need to create new life.
Becker attributed these disturbing trends to the decline of Christianity and the growth of secular humanism.
“There’s no question that these trends are the result of Europe’s rejection of its Judeo-Christian foundation,” Becker said.
As evidence, Becker noted that cities and towns across the continent are confronting the problem of what to do with a growing number of empty churches. No longer used as places of Christian worship, many are being turned into recreational centers. Some have even been converted into Muslim mosques.
Sadly, America is headed in the same direction. While physician-assisted suicide is now legal in five states (it’s prohibited in Georgia), it has also been introduced in 25 state legislatures in just this year.
At the same time, church pews are increasingly vacant. The latest estimates are that less than 20 percent of Americans regularly attend church weekly. “Pro-life supporters need to be in serious prayer for a revival among God’s people,” Becker said. “We need to be vigilant and ready to speak up against the practice of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia’ wherever and whenever possible.”
Sources: firstthings.com; newyorker.com; wikilpedia.com; medicalnewstoday.com.wsj.com.