Assisted Suicide: As We Age, Get Ready, Take This Pill and Die'
After gay marriage, brace yourself for assisted suicide - it's next on the agenda. The June 27th cover of The Economist, an influential national publication, heralded "The Right to Die: Why Assisted Suicide Should be Legal."
Currently there is a bill being put before the House of Lords in Britain to legalize assisted suicide. Get ready.
Just as homosexuality was relabeled "Gay" and "Homosexual Marriage" served up as "Marriage Equality," assisted suicide is now "Death With Dignity" and "End-of-Life Counseling" becomes "Advanced Care Planning."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Oregon Democrat, Earl Blumenauer, is sponsoring the legislation. Take note he's from the state that already has mercy killing, legal marijuana, has fined Christian bakers $135,000 (along with a "gag order" on speaking about their religious convictions) for declining a lesbian wedding; along with taxpayer-supported sex change surgery for 15-year-olds without parental notification.
This coincides with the Obama Administration's new proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services reviving their "death panel" idea "counseling" frail, older folks in light of Obamacare, skyrocketing medical costs and hundreds of thousands of Baby boomers turning 65 monthly. And lest you believe politicians reassuring us that money isn't the issue, remember as we celebrate Medicare's 50th anniversary that President Johnson initially told us it would cost $500 million a year but it has exploded to $600 billion annually!
Presidential candidate Jeb Bush is already warning us to protect ourselves and loved ones by signing end-of-life directives now.
Here's the Deal: This is serious stuff and you and your family need to know what's underfoot.
After Gay Marriage, Get Ready for Assisted Suicide!
"Son, your mother is in her 80s, if she dies on the operating table, do you want us to revive her?"
With those words, the doctor queried me prior to my mother's surgery after her fall. She lived with us for seven years and was becoming increasingly frail plus had numerous disabilities. This extremely sensitive subject is being faced more and more by our generation.
Now there is a clear difference between actively killing someone and passively allowing a person to yield to inevitable death as we see in the Bible with Jesus, Stephen, Jacob and others. This is not suicide. Also, our Christian faith requires us to compassionately care for all people approaching death as well as those with reasonable hope of recovery. Even King David nearing death was granted a young, beautiful virgin to lie in bed next to him to keep him warm (with no romantic intimacy)!
Although Jesus refused "medication" to numb pain on the cross, Proverbs 31:6 tells us, "Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish." This is used in the argument behind medical marijuana.
When it is obvious to all that death is at hand; there is no reasonable hope of recovery; extraordinary life support measures aren't advisable; and, the dying individual desires (ideally with family) to be allowed to "walk through the valley of the shadow of death," then the appointed time has arrived to meet one's Maker!
Sometimes an individual refuses chemotherapy when told they are in stage 4 terminal cancer. While not refusing minimal nourishment, others refuse a feeding tube and other extraordinary measures so as not to delay but hasten their home going experience.
Socialized medicine becoming more and more a reality, we need to make preparation now for end-of-life decisions, as "death panels" will slowly be introduced like they are in Canada and elsewhere.
When my wife and I worked on our "Living Will" (ps: You need one and should address it now lest you lose savings and possessions in probate court plus others will make dying decisions for you!) we incorporated end-of-life guidelines that can be obtained from The National Right to Life organization.
The smooth and seductive reasoning presented by advocates of euthanasia needs to be exposed and resisted vigorously by people of faith. Doctors helping "suffering" elderly people or those with dementia, depression or severe injuries be "put out of their misery" with lethal doses of medicine is contrary to the will of God.
A Sensitive Subject - Suicide and "Death With Dignity"
With the battle for gay marriage won, progressive secularists are now beginning to set their sights on assisted suicide. They are just as well-organized and well-funded as LGBTQ activists.
Recently, People magazine and other publications highlighted the "beautiful" story of Brittany Maynard and her choosing to end her life by assisted suicide. After her death, there was a breakthrough on her very specific kind of cancer and it was even detailed on 60 Minutes.
A May Gallup poll revealed that 68% of Americans now "believe doctors should be allowed to help terminally ill patients hasten their death," World magazine reports.
Remember the "Hemlock Society" that promoted mercy killing? They now have a new name "Compassion and Choices." Clever, huh?
"Samaritan Ministries" is doing a cover story in their newsletter on this topic this very month as a red alert. Matt Valliere, of the "Patients Rights Action Fund" states, " It is very important to be educated on the issue and to speak to the issue. So many people in the United States don't realize this is sneaking up right behind them. This is a huge deal."
Already, 20 states in America are considering legislation to legalize assisted suicide! Because of the elderly's vulnerability due to disability, frailty, pain, economic difficulties or simply a lack of information, social engineers are crafting healthcare so that it might not pay for a cancer patient's costly treatment but will cover the small cost of drugs for assisted suicide. Add to the mix, selfish and greedy family members manipulating parents in this direction, and you can see the storm clouds on the horizon!
We Are On a Slippery Slope
In 1976 I got married. That same year I also had a book in my possession by Dr. Francis Schaeffer entitled, "How Should We Then Live?" The title comes from Ezekiel 33:10 which is an urgent prophetic warning for America today.
The book changed my life. For over 43 years in full-time vocational ministry I have lived it's message. The frightening part is that the warning given by Francis Schaeffer is unfolding before our eyes yet more people know about the pending divorce of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner than this reality.
As we remove God and His commands from our culture and fail to uphold the sanctity of life (everyone is created in the image of God), we are on a slippery slope to our demise. Our only hope is for a genuine spiritual awakening and that is something I give my life for each and every day.
Euthanasia comes from the Greek words meaning "good death." Alternative and equally misleading terms used for actively taking someone's life are "mercy killing," "death with dignity" and "physician assisted suicide."
Scripture tells us that all life is sacred and the command is clear, "You shall not murder" (Ex. 20:13). The seriousness of this is seen when David ordered capital punishment for the man who assisted Saul in his suicide act (2Sam.1:1-16). Yet euthanasia proponents like Dr. Phillip Nitchkie say, "Many people I meet and argue with believe that human life is sacred. I do not..."
The further our Western civilization drifts from our Judeo Christian foundations, the more countries embrace euthanasia coupled with abortion and infanticide. Euthanasia is now legal in Belgium, Columbia, India, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico and the Netherlands (with the Netherlands small population they still euthanize 2000 people yearly plus now have guidelines for infant euthanasia). 73% of French doctors admit using drugs to end an infant's life.
This is gaining ground in America as we now see physician assisted suicide legal in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Vermont and New Mexico. Barring revival, it is coming to a neighborhood near you!
