Tina Talks~*: June 2010

**research paper from Summer 2010 Christian Ethics Online**

There is always “a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2). These times are designated by God, but there are those who seek to become as God and decide for themselves when they or others should meet that end. This idea is known as euthanasia. People argue constantly on whether this idea of euthanasia is ethical or morally sound. There are many opinions and reasons for why these opinions are held. Most Christians would say it is wrong and that it is like “playing God.” Some would say that some types of euthanasia are wrong, but some types are right. Some would say the reasons for euthanasia are what make the idea moral or not. With all this debate the idea needs to be better explained and then shown where God actually stands on this issue.
Euthanasia is commonly understood as deciding when to allow death to come to an individual- whether this is physician-assisted suicide where the individual wants to die or just simply pulling a feeding tube out of a seemingly hopeless patient. Kirby Anderson, famous author and radio personality, had this to say about euthanasia in his book Christian Ethics in Plain Language- “The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek prefix eu- meaning ‘good’ or ‘easy,’ and the Greek noun thanatos, meaning ‘death.’ Critics, however, have said that euthanasia is anything but easy and anything but good” (Anderson 52). Author and orthodox theologian, John Breck, describes euthanasia as “an expression…[that] has lost its original meaning of ‘a good death’” (Breck). He goes on to say that “in current usage, it refers to an unnatural invasion into the life of the patient, the sole purpose of which is to hasten death. When we use that unfortunate expression, we are speaking about active intervention that intends to shorten the patient s life, usually in order to end severe suffering and to short-circuit the stress and distress of the dying process" (Breck). He says that euthanasia is a “way out” for the suffering patient by introducing a foreign substance into the body to quicken the dying process (Breck). “Scholars in heavy tomes and pragmatic lobbyists in state legislatures promote new ways for family and others to find a ‘good death’ for the sufferer,” says Robertson McQuilken, President of Columbia Bible College and Seminary for thirty years, in his book An Introduction to Biblical Ethics (327). Many claim euthanasia is “safe, legal, and rare” (Thomas). In the end, is it really safe? Should it be legal? How rare will it be in a few years? Is God fine with humanity taking death into their own hands?
Before the history of the argument and the biblical argument can be seen, the rest of the euthanasia idea needs to be shown. Meaning there are different types of euthanasia. According to Anderson, it is "crucial to any further debate on euthanasia [to have] a proper definition of the various forms of euthanasia” (Anderson 54). The four types are known as voluntary passive, voluntary active, involuntary passive, and involuntary active (54). Voluntary passive euthanasia refers to when the patient decides he just wants to let “nature run its course” and go off life support (54). This does not mean the physician hastens death (54). It means that the physician meets the patients request by just comforting him as he goes through the dying process (54). This is the type of euthanasia most people have no problem accepting. Voluntary active is considered to be physician-assisted suicide. "With PAS, the physician provides medication that the conscious and presumably competent patient self-administers,” says John Breck (Breck). Voluntary active euthanasia is simply the doctor helping the patient along in speeding up the dying process or dying sooner than destined (Anderson 54). Involuntary passive sounds exactly like it is. The patient cannot volunteer himself to die so the doctor withholds treatment to allow the patient to die (54). Involuntary active is where genocide comes in (54). This type of euthanasia is where the patient cannot volunteer or does not volunteer but the doctor opts to kill the patient by causing the dying process (54). He speeds up death by whatever means not simply allows death by removal (54). The person selected does not always mean someone who is already dying (54). Now that the meaning and types of euthanasia have been discovered, the history of the argument and the Biblical argument can begin.
Now that the idea of euthanasia is better understood, people need to understand that this is not just a new issue as well as the recent history of this issue (Anderson 52). The Greeks debated it, the Pythagoreans opposed it, the Stoics approved of it in hopeless disease, and Plato approved of it in terminal illness (52). England approved of it in 1935 by creating a society to allow it (52). Anderson claims America did the same thing a few years later (52). Derek Humphrey was a man who promoted euthanasia in America through being an author (53). Jack Kevorkian helped Americans and others die with use of his “Mercitron” (53). Anderson points out Kevorkian’s fame starting in 1990 with his assisted suicide of Janet Adkins (53). Michael Betzold, a Detroit Free Press reporter who became personally connected to [Dr. Kevorkian's] story, follows the story of Kevorkian in his book Appointment with Dr. Death. He shows how twisted this man was in his thinking. He was called Dr. Death and was fascinated by death itself (Betzold 3, 7). He would attempt to film people dying so he could know the signs of the exact point of death (7). He told many this was for research to help along medicine, but he admitted it was mostly for interest (7). He conducted experiments on death row convicts, used corpses for blood transfusions, and painted disgusting pictures of cannibalism and death (10, 12, 13). Betzold says that when Kevorkian saw a women suffering immensely with cancer with no hope of recovery just waiting to die, Dr. Death decided "doctor assisted euthanasia and suicide are and always were ethical, no matter what anyone says or knew” (9). Kevorkian successfully helped along the idea of physician-assisted suicide in America. In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court deemed that states disallowing euthanasia were constitutional ending the argument against those states (Anderson 53). There are many other cases in American History as well as World History having to do with euthanasia. A few other famous American cases are Nancy Cruzan and Terry Schiavo. Nancy Cruzan was a young woman who had a family fighting for the right to have her feeding tube pulled (Colby). She died shortly after (Anderson 53). Her case can be seen in William H. Colby’s book The Long Goodbye. He was one of the lawyers on the Cruzan case. Terry Schiavo is another very controversial case. There are several different ideas about this case. In short, a lady who was assumed to have no hope had her feeding tube removed by her husband. Some say “Terri Schiavo's legal rights were never once violated. The result in the case was so unjust not because the courts ignored the law but because they followed it. The laws of Florida, like those of most states, specifically allow that, in cases like Schiavo's, some people may decide that others ought to die” (Miller). Then others rebuke this by saying, “removing Schiavo s feeding tube was an act of murder by omission, not an act of ‘letting die’” (“Endings”). Either way, this and many other cases prove the outrageous debate over euthanasia throughout all history.
Now that almost all about euthanasia has been observed, the Biblical argument can begin. Many will say, “Christians are hardhearted in not supporting euthanasia” (Gushee). They say this because the person may be in severe pain and Christians opposed allowing their pain to end. David P. Gushee, professor of Christian Ethics, says this view “is wrong” (Gushee). First of all, it depends on which type of euthanasia the person is talking about. If talking about voluntary passive, the view is partially wrong because many Christians would support allowing “nature run it’s course.” Many would say that “[people] should do away with the expression "passive euthanasia," since it refers to an omission that merely allows the dying process to run its course. The patient dies not from active intervention on the part of the medical team, but from the underlying pathology” (Breck). So, this can be considered as just simply death. Death is a normal thing according to Ecclesiastes 12:7. “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7). So this type of euthanasia is not really euthanasia. So in this aspect, Christians are still not in favor of euthanasia. If you call this euthanasia, still, then Christians can be in favor of at least one type of euthanasia. The next type is where Christians start really opposing. Voluntary active euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide is where the line is drawn. This is wrong. This is murder. Many people seek suicide because they are suffering and do not want to suffer any more. God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is. 55:8-9). God has a reason for everything. Seeking to usurp God’s power by taking death into humanity’s hands is wrong. It is God’s responsibility and choice when someone is to die or go through a trial. He says in Deuteronomy 32:39, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand” (Deut. 32:39). So, this is where Christians are against euthanasia. The last two types of euthanasia, Christians are also against. Involuntary passive and involuntary active euthanasia are wrong. It is not up to humanity when a person dies. Taking any action whether that be passive or active is wrong. Many cases the person in passive euthanasia was not dying in the first place, they were just in a vegetative state. It may seem wrong, but it is even more wrong to usurp God’s authority on death. The Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill” (Ex. 20:13). "Killing others deliberately, whatever the motive, violates God's law and should be condemned by human law," says McQuilken (331). Man is God’s creation- “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:26-27). It is not up to humanity to dispose of God’s creation. So, in the end, Christians are opposed to euthanasia for the most part and for good reason. It may be torturous to see someone in pain, but it is not up to humanity to become “like God” and solve the problem by murder.
The idea of euthanasia, the types of euthanasia, the history of euthanasia, and the Biblical argument of euthanasia has all been seen in this report. Hopefully now, this whole idea of euthanasia can be better understood and the Biblical, Christian view of this complicated issue is seen. This may be a hotly, debated issue, but when the scriptures are searched the truth can come alive. There may always be “a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2), but at least now God’s idea of this time is revealed. No human should take God’s authority into their own hands.

“I have carefully proofread this paper OUT LOUD checking for spelling and grammatical errors (the spell and grammar check programs on the computer were applied to this paper)”. Kristina N. Jordan__

Works Cited

Anderson, Kirby. Christian Ethics in Plain Language. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005.
Betzold, Michael. Appointment with Dr. Death. Troy: Momentum Books, 1993.
Breck, John. "Alternative to euthanasia." St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 52.3-4 (2008): 389-401. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 18 June 2010.
Colby, William H. Long Goodbye: The Deaths of Nancy Cruzan. Carlsbad: Hay House Inc, 2002."Endings." Christian Century 122.8 (2005): 5-318. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 18 June 2010.
Gushee, David P. "Killing with kindness: why is the church against euthanasia in instances w here people are in terrible pain?." Christianity Today 48.12 (2004): 62-318. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 18 June 2010.
KJV Reference Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. Print.
Miller, Robert T. "The legal death of Terri Schiavo." First Things 153 (2005): 14-16. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 18 June 2010.
McQuilkin, Robertson. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 1995.
Thomas, Sally. "Shadows in Amsterdam." First Things 193 (2009): 13-15. ATLA Religion atabase with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 18 June 2010.

Tina Talks~*

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Euthanasia

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Capital Punishment