Be careful what you ask for…
…her distress was severe. She was agitated and breathless, her face etched with discomfort and frustration. “I can’t take this anymore,” she cried.
She had suffered for years with chronic illness and had been admitted to my intensive care unit with acute complications. She was debilitated and exhausted, and her grief and frustration had come to a head. “I just want to die,” she wept.
Her friend was standing next to me at the bedside, and he was clearly upset by her distress. “Just ask for MAID (physician-assisted death),” he told her, “Then you can end it all now.”After some gentle exploration, we quickly realized that the patient didn’t really want to die; rather, she needed relief from her pain and anxiety and to understand her acute illness and what it meant for her future. She still wanted time with her loved ones. We worked to address her symptoms and concerns, and she soon felt calmer and more comfortable. Watching her rest and converse with family made it hard to believe she was the same person who only hours earlier had cried out to have her life ended.
Christianity Today
Developing a plan to die well, the subject of euthanasia will inevitability come up. I posted some thoughts about euthanasia in 2022. I recommend reading it for context of this post. You can read it HERE.
This statement came at the end of my post “…euthanasia is just one of many subjects, which after some thought and often serious study, I have presumed understanding sufficient to render it settled and archive in the recesses of my brain. For me, euthanasia as been unarchived and is definitely no longer settled.” For the past two years euthanasia has continued to run in the background.
Understandably, conversations about euthanasia, like death, are avoided when possible. My favorite illustration comes via a friend in Florida.
In our regular conversations, a routine question was, “What’s on your mind?”. On that particular day, I said “euthanasia”. He did not follow up and our conversation took a different path. The next day he returned and said “I thought about our conversation yesterday and got on my computer this morning and googled “youth in Asia” and all I got was pictures of Asian kids.”
Why bring up euthanasia now:
- It is not being discussed.
- The subject is increasingly relevant, demonstrated by continued legalization of medically assisted death in several states. Our future 51st state with their MAID (medical aid in dying) law exemplifies how embracing euthanasia as morally and ethically acceptable is gaining traction.
- In Christian contexts euthanasia is generally a non starter.. it’s wrong.. end of discussion. However, the trajectory of western Christianity is creating fertile soil for euthanasia. Ignoring euthanasia is not an option.
- Understanding prevailing logic and reasoning for euthanasia is prerequisite to developing cogent theological dissent beyond “it’s wrong”.
- When Christians engage in meaningful conversations and wrestle with end of life realities, we can become more effective witnesses for sanctity of life.
- In a post-Christian secular culture —”mercy and compassion”, ”good death”, “ comfort”, ” no more pain and suffering” “terminally ill” — resonate deeply.
- Lastly, perhaps the most truthful and disturbing rationale for euthanasia — It puts them out of OUR misery.
How many occasions in your life have you said or thought, “I just wish I could die”? Be careful what you ask for.
So what I am I saying? Let’s start by pulling our heads out..
STILL ON THE JOURNEY