Euthanasia

Today, I watched an episode of Cold Case that centered on euthanasia. The audience was duly informed that the term meant "good death." Those watching were also informed that pain and suffering stripped a human being of his or her dignity. The episode was packed full of emotive force. It created a great springboard for a discussion.

The arguments for euthanasia make sense in a culture that views death as an end or at least an end to suffering. If we die and that is it, then allowing a human being to suffer seems needlessly cruel. The same can be said if we believe that almost everyone who dies goes to heaven. As one of the characters said, "Hell is a place for those who have forgotten how to love." It sounds poetic and beautiful. But is it right? If we take the biblical teachings on death and life after death seriously, death isn't the end. The human soul lives on beyond the death of the body, and only those who have turned from sin and put their trust in Jesus Christ go to heaven.

What about human dignity? Maybe we shouldn't measure dignity in terms of being able to keep a stiff upper lip or responding to pain with a stoic resilience. What if tears in the midst of suffering isn't undignified? What if surrendering the will to live is undignified? Are human beings no different from a dog or a cat? Should human suffering be ended with a dose of death?

The arguments for euthanasia usually assume that suffering is, without exception, evil. Those fans and friends of "mercy killings" do not appear to believe that pain and suffering can have a positive result. Is it possible that suffering can have a redemptive element. I don't mean to imply that we can be saved through suffering. I mean that sometimes good things can come out of bad things. Even in the episode, the man whose death was being investigated had a change of heart and tried to make amends before his death.

The dilemma was presented in moral terms without theological context. In other words, the show informed the viewers this was a good thing, but it never presented God's opinion. They suggested that death should be left in the hands of the individual, but I just don't buy it.  We have dignity because we bear the image of God. The soul of each person has value, and suffering cannot diminish that value.