Over this last week, I have been reading about the number of ethical issues our society is facing. With the Greens party taking control of the Senate, they are more determined than ever to destroy the value of human life (euthanasia and abortion), revise the definition and purpose of marriage, stop the work of school chaplains and reverse the prohibition of many harmful drugs to name a few issues on their agenda.
What has struck me yet again is the need for us Christians to make a stand for the things that God values. Below are segments of what I was reading on the euthanasia “debate”, if that is what you call it.
Ethicist Nicholas Tonti-Filippini has responded to calls in Victoria to revisit the issue of legalising euthanasia in that state by reflecting on his own experiences with terminal illness. Writing in The Age newspaper, Associate Professor Tonti-Filippini, argued that legalising euthanasia was an inappropriate response to suffering because it would push dependent patients to seek euthanasia and it would undermine the provision of palliative care. He also explained how no euthanasia legislation could ever prevent abuse, “because the essence of such legislation is to make respect for our lives contingent upon the strength of our will to survive”.
The tone of online reader comments to the article – the majority of which were highly critical – prompted Michael Cook to pen an article of his own to analyse the state of the euthanasia debate. He writes: “No one expects internet comments to be balanced and thoughtful, but the harsh criticism in today’s comments was unsettling. They reveal four things about euthanasia and assisted suicide.
First, support for euthanasia is so emotion driven that it defies reasoned discussion. Second, it is so me-centred that every argument about it’s community impact will hit a brick wall. Third, from a utilitarian point of view, Christianity is an abominable force of evil. Fourth, the notion of meaningful suffering is incomprehensible.”
Yet with parliaments the world over, including a number in Australia, repeatedly knocking back attempts to legalise euthanasia, it would appear the impact of the practice on the community is a big factor in legislator’s thinking.
Let’s hope the needs of society’s most vulnerable continue to be the focus of the discussion on euthanasia, and not the absolute rights of empowered individuals to express their autonomy, particularly as the federal parliament prepares for a debate on this critical issue.
So what should we do? Pray, write to our political representatives, lovingly express a Biblical point of view, value what God values even if others cannot see that value, encourage those who stand firm, and be prepared to stand firmly committed to God’s Word, regardless of the direction Australia ends up taking.