CIM Briefing Papers

C.I.M. Outline #14

                                  EUTHANASIA

I.  Introduction

    A.  Jacques Ellul, an important French Christian writer once
        said:  "Ethics will not be able to control technology. 
        Whatever can be done will be done."

    B.  Euthanasia is making more and more headlines.  Recently,
        a doctor assisted a women in her own suicide.  The woman
        had been diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease. 

    C.  Definition:  Its root means "good death".  Today it means
        mercy killing.  The Euthanasia Society defines it as:
        "Termination of human life by painless means for the
        purpose of ending severe physical suffering.

II.  Forms of Euthanasia

     A.  Voluntary Passive:  Letting nature take its course.

         Example:  the septic cancer patient.  Nothing is done
         actively to hasten death.  Patient is lucid and wishes
         for no further treatment.

     B.  Voluntary Active:  Death is hastened by patient's
         request, e.g. right to die argument.  The plug is pulled
         or lethal injection is given.

     C.  Involuntary Passive:  Patient does not express a
         willingness to die or in some cases in unable. 
         Withholding of food, antibiotics, life-support. etc.  

         Example:  the deformed infant, the unconscious elderly.

     D.  Involuntary Active:  death is brought about contrary to
         wishes of the person.  It is done for so-called
         humanitarian reasons, economic, or for purifying the
         gene pool, or political reasons.  Hitler used these      
         reasons for genocide.  Abortion comes under this
         category.

III.  Arguments

      A.  The first is the least controversial.  Some do not even
          classify it as a form of Euthanasia.  Death is still
          inevitable.  There comes a time when further medical
          assistance is pointless.

      B.  35 states now have "right to die laws".  The patient
          can refuse further treatment, but from where do we
          derive a "right to die"?

      C.  In the case of involuntary Passive euthanasia the
          patient may not be able to decide due to a coma. 
          Problem for medical personnel is miraculous recoveries
          on record, e.g. the boy in a coma for 10 years,
          suddenly comes out it.  Here the argument enters the
          realm of what is a person? and when does personhood
          cease? or what are the criteria for death?

      D.  Involuntary Active euthanasia is practiced today in
          this country in the form of abortion.  In the
          Netherlands and some other countries it is being
          practiced on the elderly.  Some radical thinkers (a
          Nobel prize-winner) advocates declaring a child legally
          alive at two and legally dead at 85!  This means that
          at any time between before birth and 2 years of age
          infanticide can be practiced if it is determined that
          the child does not have a potential to experience a   
          "quality of life".  The same goes for after the age of
          85.

IV.  The Problem

     A.  Western Civilization has drifted away from the absolutes
         of the Christian faith.  In this case "Sanctity of Life"
         has been abandoned for "quality of life" which is
         relative.  Who decides, and on what basis do we decide
         what is "quality of life"?  The sad thing about this is
         that the church is responsible for this erosion of
         values.

         The implications of arbitrary assigning value to life
         has been expressed by ethicist Daniel Callahan: "A power
         group society could, by the use of this principle (of
         defining humanness any way we wish) define the
         chronically sick, the senile, the elderly as non-human,  
         and thus justify the taking of their lives on the
         grounds of the social good to be obtained."

         One can easily see this in the sick elderly person who
         wishes to die feeling guilty for taking up needed space
         in the hospital.

V.  The Biblical Perspective

    A.  The Bible views all life as sacred from conception to
        death.  Life is viewed as a gift from God.  Value and
        dignity are inherent.  

    B.  Man is created in the Image of God.

    C.  God is the Lord over life and death.  Suicide is wrong
        because it is self murder. 

    D.  Except in the case of self-defense and a just war, taking
        a life is viewed as murder.
 
 
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