November, 2004 - "Some Make The Choice To End Life"

The woman at the other end of the phone broke down in tears, "Pastor, mom passed away last night... You know that last year she had a stroke that paralyzed one side of her face and her left arm and hand. Then she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I kept her at home, but she was getting to the point where she was wandering off and couldn't always recognize her grandchildren. Finally, we took her to look at a nursing home. She was supposed to move in next week.

“Yesterday, she got dressed up and came to the table for Thanksgiving dinner. But now I found her cold body this morning, a bottle of sleeping pills beside her on the night stand.” 

Do people have a right to self-termination? Many people would say that we do not. They argue that our life is in God's hands and that only God should determine a person's moment of death. But do we really believe that? If a man is not murdered, does not commit suicide, or die from an accident, we say he "died of natural causes". We do not say, "God killed him."

Some people believe that God will be pleased by our suffering with patience until he decides to take the soul. But what kind of God would be pleased to watch as someone dies a slow, agonizing death from cancer, or to watch as a person's mental function diminishes to the point of not recognizing loved ones, and ultimately living in a vegetative state?

The Bible suggests that we have been made in the image of God. This means that we have been created with both freedom of will and intelligent reason. We are morally responsible to God for the way we live -and die . What we eat, drink, or do for work and recreation all affect our longevity. But there are some things that are beyond our control, such as genetic predispositions, infectious diseases and traumatic accidents which can sharply alter or end our lives. Surgery, and the medicines we take can help us survive what might otherwise have been a terminal crisis. Most people take advantage of this modern freedom. Many have extended their productive lives for 20, 30 or 40 years. Therefore, it is increasingly likely that one will die at an advanced age of a slowly progressive, debilitating disease.

Should this be the case, are we entitled to exercise “intelligent reason” and decide if and when it is time to make a graceful exit?

Dr. Greene is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and a resident of Richmond, IN. He is also the author of Benjamin's Dog Joseph, Feeling Better: The Wisdom of the Doc, You Can Feel Better: How to cope with chronic pain and physical disabilities, and co-author of Walking Free: the Nellie Zimmerman Story.

For further information about his books, please visit www.densmorereid.com

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