Euthanasia
"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." These words, originally spoken by Mahatma Ghandi, have been echoed by leaders worldwide, including William Churchill, Harry S. Truman, Cardinal Roger Mahony, and Pope John Paul II. Author William J. Federer, however, put a slightly different twist on it when he said "The greatness of America is in how it treats its weakest members: the unborn, the elderly, the infirm, the handicapped, the underprivileged." The words, in this context, sound almost facetious; America does not protect its weakest. Rather, it is built on natural selection. Those who can fight for themselves survive. Those who cannot, do not. Case in point: euthanasia.
Euthanasia is defined as "the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment." Immediately this definition exemplifies the two basic types of euthanasia: active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. The often-overlooked difference between the two is small, but critical. One involves actively ending a life, as in the case of the lethal injection, and the other involves not extending a life, as in the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment. Why is this important? It is important because people must die at some point. When it is possible to keep a heart beating long after consciousness has left, people are reduced to being blood-pumped corpses. Passive euthanasia has to do with allowing a natural death, wheras active euthanasia involves ending a life that is capable of surviving.
This is why euthanasia is often called "mercy killing." When someone is comatose or appears to have a significantly lower quality of life than the average person, it seems justifiable to "put them out of their misery." The problem with mercy killing is that the person being put out of his misery may not want to be put out of his misery, or might not be miserable at all. Consider Kate Adamson, who suffered an incapacitating stroke at the age of 33. Left unable to move anything but her eyes, Adamson remained fully aware of her surroundings, despite doctors' insistence that she was in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). They performed surgery on her without anesthesia, removed her feeding tube when immobility stalled her digestive system - an excruciatingly painful eight-day ordeal - and told her husband that it would be best to "let her go." Everyone was taken by surprise when she recovered dramatically, remaining paralyzed on her left side, but just as vibrant as she was before the stroke. After her recovery, she began crusading for the disabled and elderly, challenging people to consider what makes a life worth living. In the end, it is up to the person to judge their own "quality of life." Even those with seemingly chronic illnesses should not be written off as lost causes. Handicapped life still has value. "The measure of a society is how they treat the least of us," Adamson declared. "Life is sacred or meaningless, there is nothing in between."1
America seems to accept the latter, glorifying death. The clinically depressed complain that they are not "strong enough" to kill themselves, but the desire to live is not a weakness and should not be seen as such. In the Disney and Pixar animated film "The Incredibles," a character says, "Valuing life is not weakness - and disregarding it is not strength." Indeed, it is not. Strength is doing what it takes to adapt, to seek help, to change. Strength is facing problems instead of taking the easy way out and leaving behind the people who care. When did life become a meaningless commodity, easily discarded when it is difficult or damaged?
At the core of the euthanasia debate is the value of life. To Christians - indeed, to most people of faith - life is assigned value because it was bought by the sacrifice of Christ. Even to those who attach themselves to no sort of religion, life must have value in order for society to function. After all, a nation's greatness is in its attitude toward life - and how it treats its weakest members.