Life: a gift from God
by Mathew Piercy
‘I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I
make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly, I will not give a woman an abortive
remedy.’ The Hippocratic Oath.1
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These words, penned approximately four centuries before Christ, still hold immense
relevance today. Their writer was Hippocrates, a philosopher and physician of Ancient
Greece who is often considered to be ‘the father of medicine’. Hippocrates’
‘Oath’ encapsulated the idea prevalent in Greek philosophy that suicide
was a social evil akin to killing another human person, but for the first time placed
it in a code of practice for doctors.
Medical students in many western countries are still required to take the above
‘Hippocratic oath’. The anti-abortion clause, however, at least in my
country of Australia, has been conveniently (and tragically) removed, a reflection
of the secularization of our evolutionized culture. Modern medicine has all but
abandoned the principle of the sanctity of human life that Hippocrates enunciated,
and which is also found in the Genesis account of man being made in God’s
image. For example, today abortion is considered by many to be a ‘pregnancy
choice’ rather than the destruction of another human being. Medical treatments
are withdrawn from patients on the basis that they lack ‘quality of life’,
rather than considering whether the treatment will help the person get better or
preserve their life until the natural end.
The belief that we have evolved from simpler creatures is often used to justify
the rejection of God as Creator and hence the rejection of His authority through
His Law. Without God, life becomes purposeless. Disability, suffering and the terminal
stages of life are viewed as meaningless. This is a contributing cause to the ‘culture
of death’ that is affecting the Western world in areas such as medicine and
healthcare, where people’s lives are dependent on others.
The increasing acceptance of euthanasia is part of this shift in mentality towards
the ‘culture of death’. Not long ago, the world watched a court of the
United States rule that a disabled person, Terri Schiavo, should die by starvation
and dehydration. How could an innocent person be deliberately killed in this way?
(Remember that it is not like turning off complex machinery—anyone would die
if prevented from taking in water or food, so we are talking about an overt act
of killing the innocent—murder, by definition.)
The truth is that people have lost their sense of what it means to be human.
The truth is that people have lost their sense of what it means to be human. Life,
instead of being a precious gift, becomes evaluated according to its ‘quality’.
A person whilst young, active and productive has a high ‘quality of life’,
yet once this person becomes old, disabled or dependent, the quality is reduced,
and his or her life may no longer be considered to be worth living or protecting.
Without the possibility of recovery, disability or dependence on others become grounds
for the termination of that person’s life.
Echoes of this sentiment were also found in Clint Eastwood’s popular movie,
Million Dollar Baby. The main character, a female boxer, starts out bold
and successful, but ends up suffering a high level spinal cord injury leaving her
permanently disabled, dependent on a ventilator (breathing machine) and unable to
move her limbs. For her, the loss of her previous abilities is too much and she
seeks death, and her ventilator is switched off in what is depicted by Hollywood
as a profound act of compassion. (It is interesting to note that the Third Reich
used similar films to promote acceptance of euthanasia prior to the extermination
of the disabled and the mentally handicapped in Nazi Germany.2) Far from being compassionate, the carers have simply
taken the easy way out. Rather than supporting her through her illness and allowing
her to adjust to life’s circumstances (compare quadriplegic Christian author
Joni Eareckson Tada), they assist in killing her. Such an act rejects the essential
aspect that her life is not her own to take. Made in God’s image, she has
no right to destroy her own life, or permit others to do so, whatever her situation.
The story of Job in the Bible recounts how he refused to ‘curse
God and die’ (Job 2:9) despite this counsel being given to him by
his wife. This was because Job feared God and understood that only He has the authority
to give and to take life. Even if all joy is taken out of life, as was the case
with Job, that still would not justify the taking of life. Even in the depths of
suffering, God’s image remains, and life remains an intrinsic good, worthy
of protection and support. Not to mention the fact that in rare instances, people
have unexpectedly recovered from what were deemed as ‘hopeless’ medical
situations.
Euthanasia, in its real sense, represents a profound rejection of the gift of life,
and hence of the Giver Himself.
When courts or individuals become the arbiters of life or death, such power in the
hands of mankind (which has a poor track record on handling it wisely) is open to
abuse, misjudgment, and bias.
The Christian church, and indeed society in general, should never accept the lie
that euthanasia represents ‘a good death’ (as the word’s etymology3 implies). Euthanasia, in its
real sense, represents a profound rejection of the gift of life, and hence of the
Giver Himself. Instead, there should be a recognition that man, being made in the
image of God, has intrinsic value and dignity from conception to natural death.
The decline of respect for life in western culture is one more symptom of the tragic
foundational shift away from a biblical worldview to one based on evolutionary humanism.
References and notes
- As translated by Ludwig Edelstein. Return
to text.
- Burleigh, M., Death and Deliverance, Cambridge University
Press, New York, USA, p. 210, 1994. Return to text.
- From the Greek eu = good or easy, and thanatos
= death. Return to text.
(Also available in Chinese (Simplified),
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