Respect Life at the End of Life

Assisted Suicide or Euthanasia: 

Do you have a right to die?
Let’s say a close friend of yours is really sick. According to all kinds of doctors and specialists, your friend has about a 20% chance of living through the next year. And on top of that, your friend is in incredible pain around the clock. Now, what if your friend was so desperate and had lost so much hope that he wanted to die? What if your friend asked you to help him die? What would you do? Would you help relieve your friend’s pain by helping to kill him?

Does the idea of killing a close friend of yours sound ridiculous? Well, it happens. It’s called assisted suicide, or euthanasia. And it’s legal in one state, but there are cases of it happening all over the country!

What is euthanasia?
Euthanasia is often defined by its supporters as helping an individual who is suffering to die with dignity. It is often considered the merciful thing to do. It is referred to as physician assisted suicide, mercy killing, physician aid in dying, imposed death or other names.

What is euthanasia really? It is the killing of people whose lives have value. These people all have immeasurable value because they have been created in the image and likeness of God. Unfortunately, these people, either alone or with the help of their close family and friends, have been convinced that their lives have no meaning and are no longer worth living.

Usually, individuals who have life-threatening illnesses or other life-altering physical ailments are targeted for imposed death (euthanasia). And if that wasn’t bad enough, the use of assisted suicide is now being expanded to include many other individuals, because someone in society has decided that their lives aren’t worth living.

What people have forgotten is that no matter what suffering we face in our lives, God has a plan for all of us. God can use suffering for good in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. With God, there is always hope!

What it comes down to is this. Euthanasia kills people whose quality of life has been judged by others to only be worthy of death, whether they have an illness, are handicapped, or are severely mentally ill.

What’s next? Will we kill people who can’t support themselves financially, or are overweight? Should everyone be able to decide for themselves when it is their time to go? And when should someone be able to decide for us? All scary questions, huh?

Exert from web page rockforlife.org