Life Support
'The problem with the God argument', stated Sir Terry Pratchett, concluding his Dimbleby Lecture, 'Shaking Hands with Death', 'is that it only works if you believe in God', thus breezily dismissing the Judeo-Christian contribution to the euthanasia debate. Inspired by his own confrontation with Alzheimer's Disease, Pratchett explored his chosen subject with brave, emotive wit.
And why should 'the God argument' mean anything in a flagrantly secular culture such as ours?
The real shock shouldn't be that Pratchett (and seemingly ever-increasing numbers of people) disregard what the Bible says about living and dying well, but that their best-case scenario, in the stark light of a terminal or degenerative diagnosis, is 'assisted death'. Reflecting our pro-choice, individualist culture, where pain, isolation and indignity loom large for the terminally ill, Pratchett argued the case for 'dignified death - a death worth dying for'.
The fear of becoming mentally marooned in the merciless hands of disease, unable to recognise family and friends, is emotively compelling. And the horrors of incapacitating illness are real and should not be trivialised. Nevertheless, doesn't a biblical worldview compel us to resist the temptation to grasp at being God by sanctioning the letting go of life?
Statistically speaking, however, it is not so much the fear of pain that fuels the desire for an early death, but the deep-set, relational anxiety of becoming a intolerable burden to loved ones.
And this should come as no surprise; God made us for relationship, both with him and in supportive communities that value all their members. There can be no denying that caring for the degenerate and the dying is a burden - a relentless and often painfully heavy one. It is perhaps in this form that many experience the truth of Paul's description of the whole of creation groaning under the weight of the effects of the Fall. And at no point does Scripture attempt to shield us from the harsh reality of suffering so acute that death seems desirable. We see it in the psalmist crying into the void; in Elijah huddled in the cave; and in Job wrestling in frustrated anguish with God.
But if the Bible is clear about the burden of suffering it is equally clear that we are to 'carry each other's burdens ... doing good to all people' (Galatians 6:2, 10). At the centre of this mandate stands Jesus, who endured to death so that our faith will not grow weary and lose heart, but having hope in a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12), persevere - even in the face of death.
If we want to restore 'the God argument' to the heart of this debate, let us not shake hands with death, agreeing to assist each other to die. Rather, let us embrace our God-given duty of care, and help the dying to live well.
Naomi Carle
Links
Professor John Wyatt's recently revised Matters of Life & Death is available from our bookshop and includes a much fuller discussion on the Christian concerns surrounding this debate. To buy your copy, click here
Hear John Wyatt discuss the redemption of suffering in LICC's December 2009 Podcast - click here to access LICC Podcasts
From a medical point of view I think that arguments against euthanasia are that it undermines the relationship a doctor can have with a patient if the patient knows that the person sitting opposite them can kill them. Also the ethical implications on who decides is it the patient or the family putting pressure on a vulnerable relative to gain money/freedom from their "burden". Harsh but in today's society driven by money I think that it could/would happen. I think you could re-structure your article slightly moving the bit about Christians getting alongside and loving people up to just below the paragraph about Pratchett's argument of people being a burden and then support it with the evidence from the bible. I think you really hit the nail on the head in terms of what the Christian's role is - getting alongside, spending time with people who have dementia to give them a sense of purpose and love. Speaking from personal experience I know how much someone just talking to someone with dementia means to them and care assistants often don't have the time just to sit next to someone for a chat and a cup of tea and family get scared and don’t' go and see relatives much because they hate to see their loved ones in such a bad state.
Date:
2010-02-06 11:33:38
Author:
Tom Skinner