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Assisted Suicide or Just Helping out

Assisted Suicide or Just Helping out In the dictionary definition of euthanasia it describes it as an act of causing death painlessly, so as to end suffering. The actual word comes from two Greek words whose literal meaning is “well death”. Euthanasia has come a long way from its history, to the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to the present day Vatican City in February 2000 and to the many different reflections on it from all different people. Euthanasia is a very controversial topic that has been addressed many different times. Euthanasia has been practiced throughout history and in many different cultures. Many people believe that one form of euthanasia was in Nazi Germany. The Nazis would make people believe that they would be suffering or they are too old to live and longer and would just be a burden so they would be forced to go into the gas chambers or be injected with chemicals. Other cultures would practice euthanasia in a more humane way by trying to help out others so they would not have to go through the pain in torture of an incurable disease. There have been many different attempts by many different associations to try to legalize it. In England in 1936 the Voluntary Euthanasia Society sponsored a bill in the House of Lords for the legalization of euthanasia. The bill was turned down, and other attempts have also failed. In 1940 the Catholic Church officially condemned the administering of euthanasia to a person with physical or mental defects or for economic or racial reasons. The Church has stated its opposition many times since then. Another proposal for the legalization of euthanasia was brought forth by the Hemlock Society. They wanted to change laws against homicide and assisted suicide to allow physicians to provide drug overdoses or lethal injections to their terminally ill patients. These organizations main arguments are “the right to chose”. They believe that it is the patients right if they want to continue on through their illness or if they want to end the prolonging series of medical treatments. As the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has said in response to these proposals was that nothing and no one can permit the killing of an innocent human being. Whether it is a fetus or an embryo all the way to someone suffering from an incurable disease. The main argument is that only God can decide when someone is ready to pass on. We cannot make that decision. Legalizing euthanasia would violate our American beliefs that proclaim our inalienable rights to “ life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” At the Vatican on May 5, 1980 Pope John Paul II approved the Declaration on Euthanasia. In this Declaration the value of human life, the meaning of suffering for Christians and the use of painkillers, and the due proportion in the use of remedies were all discussed and answered many critical questions. Human life is seen in Christians’ eyes as the gift of God’s love. Life is given to us by God to live in accordance with His plan. The Declaration also stated that suicide, abortion, and euthanasia is as wrong as murder, and would be considered an act of rejection of God’s love for us. Everyone’s duty is to live his or her life in accordance to God’s plan or will. In ancient times euthanasia was thought of as mercy killings. The Declaration tells us that in today’s society it is an intervention of medicine for the purpose of ending extreme suffering, or saving abnormal babies, or the mentally ill. Many people think that if the person who is suffering agrees to it, then it should be permitted. No one can agree to have it done to them or done to a family member or loved one because it violates the divine law. In times like this, the people who are suffering need support and love from their family and loved ones. Another topic discussed in the Declaration was suffering. It says that people who are terminally ill, in a state of loneliness, or at old age came to accept the fact that they will die and are not really depressed about, but more ready for it to happen. When someone is suffering during his or her last moments of life, it is said that it is God’s plan for that person to be going through that. When Jesus died on the Cross for His Father’s Divine plan it is associated somewhat with the pain someone feels when they are dying. The Declaration concluded with saying that life is a gift from God and that death is unavoidable. Even though death is the end of our human lives, we should be looking forward to our immortal one. With that all Christians must prepare themselves in the “light of faith.” Doctors not only should provide medical treatment for their patients but they should also show love and support as well. This is important because people need to feel this love to help them through the time of struggle. The Declaration ended with a passage from Matthew 25:40 “ As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” God is with us always and knows what pain we feel. We need to stay strong in times of suffering. Pope John Paul II issued another strong condemnation of abortion and euthanasia in February 200. The Pope said, “they were tantamount to legalized crimes corrupting society.” The Pope’s condemnation was very important because legalization of euthanasia is a hard fought topic. On top of having abortion people fight for euthanasia to be legal this way they can control their destiny and when they are going to die. The Pope’s condemnation was an important was because he brought it to people’s attention on how it will corrupt our society by allowing violence and killings to take place. One priest who firmly stands against euthanasia and speaks out about the subject is Fr. Frank Pavone, the National Director of the Priests for Life organization. In Fr. Frank’s reflection on euthanasia he talks mainly about the importance of human life and God’s love. Euthanasia is said by many people that it is a “right to die.” Fr. Frank believes euthanasia is not a problem for the future, but a problem for the present day. He argues that life is not only valuable when it is healthy, but valuable all the time because it is not something we did. Life is not given to anybody. God decides what will happen in people’s lives. Fr. Frank disputes that we do not have the “right to die” because he said “right” is a moral claim. We are claiming something that we cannot. Death claims us when the time is right. No one knows when they are going to die, and only God has a plan for all those people who will die. No one has the right to decide when a life will end. That goes for euthanasia, to abortion, to murder. Only in extreme cases are there some exceptions. Fr. Frank’s main believe is that: “No matter what the ailment he or she suffers from, a human being is always human, and always has a right to life which nobody, of any philosophical, political, or religious persuasion is ever able to take away…” The pain and suffering that Jesus had to endure at his time of death is the pain and suffering we will go through at our time of death. Another organization that aims to change state laws and legalize euthanasia is the Hemlock Society. They want to allow physicians to provide drug overdoses or any other form of euthanasia to people who need it. Fr. Frank believes that the Declaration of Independence states our three inalienable rights of “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” Without life our other rights will have no meaning. Christians are people of good will and are supposed to reject the legalization of euthanasia. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph numbers 2276 through 2279 enforces the basic fundamental of why euthanasia is wrong and why God is the only one who decides when we are ready to die. It is especially important to keep euthanasia out of today’s society, because people will take euthanasia to another level. Instead of dying because of suffering and pain, people will use injections and such to kill themselves or aid them in suicide. It is hard for one to imagine how tough it is to make a decision such as euthanasia. Sue Rodriguez was a woman who saw no other way out. Sue was a mother in her early thirties. She was dying slowly of Lou Gehrig’s disease. She lived for several years with the knowledge that her muscles would, one by on, waste away until they day came when she would be fully conscious and choke to death. She begged the Courts to reassure her that a doctor would be allowed to assist her in choosing the moment of death, but was turned down. She lived on in terror. Then one day a doctor met with her and helped her in February 1994. The doctor broke the law to help this women die in peace so Sue would not have to continue living scared of that moment when her muscles would completely fail on her. Stories like these make you think if euthanasia is all that bad. It is bad things happen. We must never forget that there is a reason for everything and we might not understand why but one day we will. In conclusion, euthanasia is a subject in our country that is growing day by day and cannot keep getting bigger. If euthanasia is not stopped maybe one day it will become legal as did abortion. We must never forget God has a plan and a will for everyone or else we would not be here. We must not take that plan and love for granted. When I started my research for this report I had mixed feelings about the topic. I thought that it should be considered. I generally thought that it was a humane thing and loving thing to do to a family member or loved one when you decide that they should be taken out of their misery or suffering. At first I thought that if the person agreed to or had a living will, which decided for them, then I thought it should be considered. Now I agree with all these people that say euthanasia is wrong. We have no room to say when we are going to die. God put us on this earth so that we may live out His will or plan for us. Not for us to decide when we are done living. It is a hard situation to be around someone who is suffering tremendously, but that is the time when you need to show love and compassion towards them. It is a hard subject to deal with especially when you are in that position and maybe it seems like the best solution, but it is wrong. Jesus went through much more pain than we could suffer and He did all that for us. So we are in no position to decide when we should die or not. Euthanasia is not a topic to be taken lightly. As more and more people hear about it the more will agree with it. Everyone always wishes that they will die a peaceful death but no one knows how they are going to die. No one ever wants to be put through torture, but whenever we are faced with problems or pain or suffering is when we must always come together as Christians and work through problems. God never gives up on us so why should we ever give up one Him. By killing ourselves it is like giving up on God because God’s plan is not being lived all the way through and we are the ones quitting it early by killing ourselves. God has a reason for everything and we should remember that always. Bibliography:

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