What Christians should
know
about Passive
Euthanasia
Paul Wong
The word “euthanasia” is derived from two Greek words. “Eu” means good and “thanatos” means death.
According to Webster’s dictionary “euthanasia” means “the act or method
of causing death painlessly, so as to end suffering; advocated by some as
a way to deal with persons dying of incurable, painful diseases.” Euthanasia
may be divided into two categories.
Active
Euthanasia could be defined as "inducing the death of a person who is undergoing
intense suffering, and who has no practical hope of recovery." Since the expressed motive is usually to
release him from his misery, active euthanasia is often called "mercy
killing." In active euthanasia you
directly and intentionally cause a person's death. An example of active euthanasia is when a
doctor gives a patient a lethal dose of medicine. Active euthanasia is illegal in the
Passive
Euthanasia is usually defined as withdrawing medical
treatment with the deliberate intention of causing the patient's death. For example, if a patient requires kidney
dialysis to survive, and the doctors disconnect the dialysis machine, the
patient will presumably die fairly soon.
Perhaps the classic example of passive euthanasia is a "do not
resuscitate order". Normally if a patient has a heart attack or similar
sudden interruption in life functions, medical staff will attempt to revive
them. If they make no such effort but simply stand and watch as the patient
dies, this is passive euthanasia.
Another method of
“passive euthanasia” is used in treatment centers for the end stage of a
terminal disease such as cancer. It is
not providing feeding tubes (intravenous and others) for nutrients and liquids
for the patient who is in an unconscious state.
In other words, the unconscious patient is starved and dehydrated to
death, but this is considered legal and acceptable in some countries outside of
the
The Roman Catholic Church is opposed to euthanasia because it is seen
as murder. Pope John Paul II said that
to cause death in this way was 'a grave violation of the law of God'.
How do Christians respond
to Passive Euthanasia ?
Christians
must first realize they are living in a world that does not know the will of
the One True God. They must not follow
the worldviews concerning life, death, moral, ethics and other issues. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good
and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (
We are
made in God’s Image: Being
created by God in His own image having spirit, soul and body our lives are
different from the animal or plant life (Gen. 1:27; 1 Thes.
We belong to God: “Or do you not know
that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God, and you are you are not your own?
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and
in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor.
Voluntary Passive Euthanasia refers to cases in which
patients having terminal diseases who voluntarily write a “Living Will” to
their beneficiaries that allow the doctor to end their lives by the removal of
the feeding tubes. However noble their
motives might sound but it is still a veiled suicide.
We should choose Life rather than Death: God gives us a choice. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today
against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing;
therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deut. 30:19) God wants us to choose life over death even
for the terminally ill patient.
Life-support equipment such as feeding tubes should be provided so that
when the cancer patient is unconscious he or she can be continually fed with
nutrients and liquids. Failure to provide
such equipment or unplugging the feeding tube from the patient makes certain he
or she would die within a short period of time.
It is like choosing death over life, and it is not in accordance with the
will of God.
The Sixth Commandment: It
is often argued that the sixth commandment “You shall not murder” (Ex.
Follow Christ’s Example: “For to this you were called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should
follow His steps:” (1
Pet.
Hope of
Healing for the Terminally Sick Patients: Passive euthanasia presumes there is
absolutely no possibility of healing for the terminally ill patient who is in
the End Stage of the sickness.
Proponents of this practice do not believe God would intervene, prayers
would be answered and miracles could happen, not during this End Stage anyway. Provision of life-support equipment such as
feeding tubes for nutrients and liquids is considered unnecessary since the
unconscious patient is going to die anyway so why provide for them?
As
Christians we oppose such an ungodly attitude and practice because we believe
our Lord Jesus Christ can heal any person inflicted with any disease at any
stage of the sickness (Mt. 4:23-24; Heb. 13:8). Our Lord Jesus Christ has
healed the nobleman’s son who was “at the point of death.” (Jn. 4:46-54) “But Jesus looked at them
and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible.” (Mt. 19:26)
God Alone has Sovereignty over Life and
Death: The Holy Bible which is the word of God is
full of references concerning this truth.
“Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God beside Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is
there any who can deliver from My hand.” (Deut. 32:39) “The LORD kills and make alive; He brings
down to the grave and brings up.” (1 Sam. 2:6) In euthanasia, active or passive, man usurps
God’s prerogative over life and death which is a form of rebellion against the
Creator. (References: Job 27:3; Psm. 30:3; Ecc. 12:7; Isa. 38:16; Acts
17:25,28; Rom. 4:17; 1 Tim. 6:13; Jas. 4:15).
God alone is sovereign over life and
death. Man has no jurisdiction in this
area therefore no one has the mandate to end lives in any form or manner.
It
is God’s Will
to preserve Life
to the Last
Breath
When God created Adam “. . . the LORD God formed
man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life, and man became a living being.” (Gen. 2:7)
Breath is synonymous with life which is given by God alone (Isa. 42:5; Acts
God provided food (manna) and water (from the rock) for the
children of
Eating food and drinking water is the basic
means of life preservation and is according to the will of God. Passive euthanasia of not providing
life-support equipment such as feeding tubes for nutrients and liquid for the patient who is unconscious thus
allowing him or her to die of starvation and dehydration is certainly not according to the will of God.
There are three basic elements that are
essential for life. They are air, food
and water. When a person is sick he
still needs these three elements to continue living. Terminally ill persons also require these
same elements.
It is a moral obligation for every
Christian to preserve life to the last breath.
That means providing life-support equipment that does not endanger the
patient’s life even for the terminal cases.
Intravenous tubes that are connected to the veins are often used to
provide nutrients and liquids for the patient that cannot eat or swallow
anything through the mouth. This is the
normal practice in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospitals and also in
Christian hospices for the terminally ill in the
Pope
John Paul II set
an example on
how to die
with dignity
Pope John Paul II
during his last days were being fed through a nasal tube because of his throat
problems effectively wrote his own “living will” last year in a speech
declaring some life-extending treatments a moral duty for Roman Catholics.
The ailing Pontiff sharply narrowed
Catholic guidelines for treating patients nearing death in March 2004 when he
described tube-feeding as a normal treatment rather than an extraordinary
measure that can be stopped if all hope of recovery fades.
This indicates he would want to be
kept alive by artificial means even if he fell into a coma or a persistent vegetative
state, such as the brain-damaged Terri Schiavo in the
“The Pope’s statement would have to
be considered the equivalent of his living will,” said Father Thomas Reese
S.J., editor of the Jesuit weekly
Non
Provision of
Feeding Tubes is
Passive Euthanasia
Provision of water and food even by artificial
means such as feeding tubes, always represents a natural means of preserving
life, and it is not a medical act. Its
use is an obligation to provide the normal care due to the sick and even in
terminal cases. Failure to provide or
withdrawal of life-support equipment can result in death by starvation or
dehydration. In this sense it ends up
becoming, if done knowingly and willingly, true and proper euthanasia by
omission.
Recent Case of
Passive Euthanasia in the
Here is a recent case
where passive euthanasia was practiced in the
The doctors have declared
she is in a persistent vegetative state because of severe brain damage even though she has been alert
and conscious of her surroundings.
Others in the medical field disagree.
Terri Schiavo was placed in a hospice in
Terri's husband, who is
her legal guardian, claims she voiced that she never wanted to be kept alive by
artificial support if anything ever happened to her. Terri’s parents have
challenged the husband's right to demand the feeding tubes be removed so that
she would not have nutrients or liquids, which will lead to her death by
starvation and dehydration.
The feeding tube was
disconnected from Terri Schiavo on Friday March 18,
2005. In less than two weeks
without food and water, Schiavo died on Thursday
March 31, 2005. Some call it Passive
Euthanasia and many Christians call it murder.
Read “The Execution of
Terri Schiavo"
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43626
May God bless you
This Web Site is presented by Paul Wong to the ARK Forum on May 21, 2005
and dedicated to all cancer survivors who believe in God's healing power.
For comments please write first to: arkpw@sbcglobal.net
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Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International. |
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