Euthanasia is literally explained as an action which by intention causes death, in order that all suffering may be eliminated. Euthanasia also involves the purposeful termination of life by direct action, such as lethal injection, or by an omission, such as starvation or dehydration.
In Christianity, We neither decide when our life ends nor decide when it began. Much less does anyone else be it a relative, a doctor, or a legal practitioner will decide when our life will end. None of us has authority over life and death. That is the core reason why the Catholic church is against euthanasia.
The arguments are usually centered on the beliefs that life is given by God, and that human beings are made in God’s image –
”Anyone who sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” – Genesis 9:6.
But in our society today, there are groups pushing for the “right” to use lethal injections on the seriously ill or to deprive them of their food and water. We must fight such moral act with all our strength. And the time to oppose it is now before it becomes absorbed in law.
Euthanasia is also called Mercy killing. But frankly speaking, I do not understand what killing has to do with mercy. What I do understand is that those who fight for it have a misplaced compassion. They want to stop all suffering. Very nice, but very unrealistic…and also very pagan.
I ask you Christians, is all suffering meaningless? Do you think that suffering has no value? Anyways, I do not wish suffering on anyone. But when it comes, Is it our only response to eliminate it, even to the level of euthanasia?
The question we should ask ourselves is this: Was Christ’s suffering meaningless? But why do we say a prayer like thus: “We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, for BY YOUR HOLY CROSS You have redeemed the world.”? Why did he tell his followers to embrace the cross then? Why did we put in our pain to His to save souls? Romans 5:3-5 explains it better: “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering gives birth to endurance, and endurance gives birth to character, and character gives birth to hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has filled our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us”
The Roman Catholic church takes euthanasia as morally wrong. It has always taught the perfect and unchanging value of the commandment “You shall not kill”. The church teaches that each human life is a manifestation of God in the world, a sign of his presence and a trace of his glory. The life which God offers to man is a present by which God shares something of himself with his creature.
The Christian faith has given us some clearcut views about the way seriously ill patients should be treated:
• the community be able to should face death and dying with honesty and support
• the community should understand that when people suffer death on earth they entrust their future to the risen Christ
• religious people, both lay and professional, should help the seriously ill to prepare for death
• they society should be open to their hopes and fears
However, euthanasia must be differentiated from the stopping of the extraordinary and aggressive medical means to preserve life. Refusing such treatment is not euthanasia but a proper acceptance of the human condition in the face of death, because, the person would place himself in God’s hands and be ready to leave this life, while maintaining ordinary means of health care.
A story was told of a sister who had been in a coma for close to eight years, but was not dying, nor deteriorating . The courts asked that the food and water be stopped, and after 12 days she died. In this case, she did not die of the coma but of she died of starvation (Euthanasia).
No matter how ill a patient is, we never have a right to put that person to death. Rather, we have a duty to care for and preserve life because, we do not have a claim on death. Rather, death has a claim on us! (Job 12:10.In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind)
Our society is in a fight with euthanasia. Think about the issue now, and work hard to eliminate it, or else you may end up a victim of it.
