Euthanasia: hospital humanism
by Dr Mathew Piercy
Euthanasia is one of the most critical issues ever to face Western society. This
can be seen as a logical consequence of the acceptance of evolution as truth and,
therefore, the rejection of God’s authority in the Bible. With belief in evolution,
the absolutes of God's Word are lost and hence right and wrong become a matter of
individual opinion. After all, if we have all evolved, we are the only ones who
can decide what is right and no one else can tell us what to do. However, the Bible
is not silent on the issue of euthanasia and we find in His Word the foundation
for defending the value of human life.
Perhaps the most common misunderstanding in the debate about euthanasia concerns
what euthanasia actually is. Euthanasia is not the turning off of machines in intensive
care units which may be artificially prolonging the dying process. Euthanasia is
the direct act of killing a patient, e.g. by lethal injection. Thus, to avoid confusion,
it is better described as patient-killing. If a respirator is finally turned off
on which a patient depends, the direct intent may not be to kill that patient, because
if they were to live, then no more would need to be done. However with euthanasia,
if the first dose of toxic ‘medication’ was not sufficient to ‘terminate’
the patient, then higher and higher doses would be given until the patient was dead.
Evolution has played a major role in paving the way for the acceptance of euthanasia.
Evolution reduces humans to the level of animals, making it just as acceptable to
put down a human as put down a dog. Many evolutionists advocate euthanasia as a
wonderful means to rid us of unwanted burdens. Such opinions lead to the belief
that killing a severely handicapped child is ultimately no different to killing
a pig.1 Since there is no God, there is no intrinsic value to human beings
and therefore nothing wrong with killing a child who has Down's syndrome (a tragedy
that already happens with abortion). Sadly, such opinions have wide acceptance by
ethics committees deciding the fate of thousands of defenceless newborn children
in our hospitals.
What are the consequences of accepting euthanasia? According to a Dutch study investigating
the effects in Holland, where euthanasia is tolerated while not strictly legal,
it was found that in a single year there were more than 2,700 reported euthanasia
deaths. Over 50% of these were involuntary, i.e. the patient was not given a choice.2
In one case, an elderly lady required admission to hospital for her illness, but
feared that she would be euthanased if she was admitted. Her physician assured her
that he would take personal responsibility to see that this would not happen. However,
having returned after a day absent from the hospital the physician found that the
bed was occupied by another patient. Upon inquiry to the doctor in charge he found
that the patient was killed because they needed the bed!3 If involuntary
euthanasia is occurring in a country where euthanasia is not even legal, one can
easily foresee the horrible results of legalising euthanasia.
Every day in our hospitals, decisions are made concerning patients’ lives.
Should this patient be treated for his renal failure? Should that patient be resuscitated
if she suffered a heart attack? Should this patient receive any treatment at all,
or should even food and water be withdrawn from this patient because he has dementia?
More and more doctors are deciding whether or not to treat patients on the basis
of whether they believe the patient’s life is worth living, not on the basis
of their intrinsic value as human beings.
What does the Bible have to say about euthanasia? In 2 Samuel 1:1–16 we read
the account where an Amalekite claimed to have committed euthanasia on Saul.4
Instead of praising the act of killing Saul as merciful and kind, David calls for
the man to be executed because of his not being afraid to destroy the Lord's anointed.
In fact, God has ‘anointed’ all life as sacred: Genesis 9:6 says, ‘Whoso
sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made
he man.’ Thus only God, not any man, has the right to take away life, except
where God has delegated that authority.5 If God has given life, man has
no right to take it away, not even his own. Euthanasia therefore violates God's
holy law and will bring God's judgment upon any society permitting it.
When people are sick, especially when they are terminally ill, they may at times
want to die. But in almost all circumstances such feelings are a reflection of an
underlying depression or a response to isolation or loneliness or pain, all of which
have solutions other than killing the patient. It is only in very rare circumstances
that pain cannot be adequately relieved.
Thus, requests for euthanasia are very often a cry for help and should not be taken
at face value. Often the initial shock of the diagnosis and the fear of the disease
process may be overwhelming. To offer lethal injection as a solution to these problems
robs these people of the chance to deal with their new life situation and brings
a terrible burden of guilt to their families.
According to my cancer-specialist colleagues, suicide is extremely rare in cancer
patients. Dutch cancer specialist Zybigniew Zylicz says that of the 100 or so dying
cancer patients who asked him for euthanasia (out of some 400), 98% changed their
mind after adequate counselling and skilled pain relief.6 Euthanasia
is certainly an easier and cheaper alternative to providing proper palliative care.
Our governments and health systems should be concentrating on addressing the underlying
issues leading to the desire to die, rather than legislate to permit the killing
of the sick.
In Nazi Germany, once evolution was accepted as ‘state truth’, social
Darwinism in the form of euthanasia was implemented—first on the terminally
ill, then on the disabled and the elderly—those who were ‘burdens to
society’—and finally on six million Jews and minority groups such as
gypsies. In the same way, once euthanasia is legalised, our belief in evolution
and false confidence in the opinions of men will likely carry it through society
until death is not just a ‘right’, but a regimen. The vulnerable elderly,
whose families have something to gain from their relative’s death, would have
no protection against this evil because they are unable to fend for themselves.
The right to die can easily become a duty to die, as already many are unwanted burdens
under the current system.
The drastic erosion of the Christian basis for society is the logical consequence
of the church’s failure to make a stand against evolution. Deny Genesis, and
there is no reason for believing that man was made in God's image. We, who should
be ‘salt and light’ in our culture, will be held even more responsible
if we remain silent about the dangers of euthanasia whenever evolutionists are agitating
for its legalization.
Web links
References and notes
- Peter Singer, an internationally renowned ethics philosopher, wrote, ‘Whatever
the future holds, it is likely to prove impossible to restore in full the sanctity
of life view. The philosophical foundations of this view have been knocked asunder.
We can no longer base our ethics on the idea that human beings are a special form
of creation, made in the image of God, singled out from all other animals, and alone
possessing an immortal soul. Homo sapiens endows its life with some unique,
almost infinite value?’ , ‘Sanctity of life or quality of life?’,
Pediatrics 72(1):128–9, July, 1983.
- Van der Maas et al., Lancet 338:669, 1991.
- Address by Mr Charles Frances, Queen’s Counsel Barrister, for ‘Trust
Palliative Care Not Euthanasia’ Moonee Valley Race Course Conference Room,
21 November 1996.
- Actually a lie—Saul killed himself (1 Samuel 31:4).
- Thus the right to execute murderers, kill in self-defence, etc.
- Time Australia, March 17, 1997, p. 93.
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