Powered by deception and fueled by evil, the assisted suicide movement is an out-of-control, runaway train.
It’s deceptive because it distorts the reality of the practice and available alternatives. It’s evil in that taking your life, regardless of how, is patently unbiblical and appeals to the most selfish, self-centered of emotions.
The misguided idea is currently available in Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington State. Some version of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is also allowed in several countries, including: Canada, Luxemburg, Switzerland and The Netherlands. (Georgia passed a law outlawing the practice in 2012).
Sadly, public support for doctor-assisted death is growing as recent polls indicate, and its adherents are wasting no time in taking political advantage.
Followers proudly boast that efforts to legalize intentionally killing people are currently underway in more than 20 states and the District of Columbia.
The latest buzz has been over the California Senate’s recent approval of SB 128, which is now before the state’s House of Representatives. The measure is based on Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide law, a state where the suicide rate is now 41% higher than the national average.
To turn the tide on this alarming trend, pro-life advocates need to be informed, get involved politically when necessary, help educate their friends and neighbors, and pray.
Aside from being unbiblical, the deliberate act of helping someone end their life is morally wrong because it:
- Endangers the weak and vulnerable.
- Corrupts the whole foundation of medicine, including the doctor-patient relationship.
- Alters family and intergenerational commitments.
- Betrays human dignity and equality before the law.
The Weak and Vulnerable
Doctor-assisted suicide poses the greatest risk to those who are poor, elderly, members of a minority group or those without access to quality medical care.
Plus, support for assisted suicide can easily open the door for endorsing euthanasia—killing another person without their consent. That twisted logic claims those who are too disabled to kill themselves should be allowed to have their suffering ended by someone else.
Perverted Medical Culture
Physician-assisted suicide corrupts the practice of medicine by permitting the use of tools designed for healing to be used as instruments for killing.
In addition, it fundamentally distorts the doctor/patient relationship because it reduces patient trust in doctors, as well as the physician’s commitment to the life and health of their patients.
Moreover, the option of doctor-assisted suicide would easily provide a perverse incentive for insurance providers to support the practice. PAS offers a cheap, quick fix in a world of increasingly scarce healthcare resources.
We must demand that physicians honor their Hippocratic Oath, which proclaims: “I will keep [the sick] from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.”
Family Commitments
Among other things, family life is meant to include shouldering one another’s burdens and assisting those in need.
However, when physician-assisted suicide is an easy and inexpensive option the temptation to view elderly or disabled family members as burdens will increase, as well as the tendency of those individuals to view themselves the same way.
Positive media attention to the issue only encourages the practice. More than 50 studies have shown that such stories lead to copycat suicidal behavior.
Betrayal of Human Dignity and Equality
Perhaps the most profound injustice of physician -assisted suicide is that it violates human dignity and denies equality before the law.
Every human being has intrinsic dignity and worth. For our legal system to be just, the law must respect this concept by taking all reasonable steps to prevent the taking of innocent lives.
Classifying a subgroup of people as legally eligible to be killed violates our nation’s commitment to equality before the law and shows a total disrespect for the elderly and disabled.
It’s the same logic that supports the idea of killing children conceived in rape or incest.
GRTL’s position is straightforward and clear: never deliberately kill a patient and do nothing to interfere with the natural dying process.
“As acceptance for killing the vulnerable gains momentum, we think the struggle is over,” said GRTL President Dan Becker. “With God’s guidance, we have the ability to change hearts and minds.”
Sources: heritage.org; compassionandchoices.org.
By Wayne DuBois
Media Relations Advisor