Euthanasia is a hot topic in the Netherlands, as evidenced by this protestor on April 10.

If you look carefully in the international sections of some newspapers over the last few weeks, you might come across a disturbing article discussing an issue that needs to be examined. Three weeks ago the Netherlands recently became the first country to legalize voluntary euthanasia. I’m just like anyone else: I’ve seen loved ones die. I know what it’s like to see them in pain, and I know what it’s like to want them to be free from pain. Many people think that assisted suicide or euthanasia – sometimes referred to as “mercy killing” – is the answer. But how can we even consider euthanasia an option? 

There are several reasons. As a society we have a fear of suffering. That’s not a surprising fact. But through that fear we as a society have developed what some doctors call an “altered conception of compassion.”

In other words, we have convinced ourselves that we are doing that person a favor: that we are helping them out. We have also developed a large sense of “absolute personal autonomy.” We believe it’s our body; therefore it’s our right. Other reasons can be as simple as the concerns over rising health care costs or dissatisfaction with current medical care. Many doctors are not aware of all of their options, choosing to disregard many natural medications and other forms of therapy.

So how do we address these problems not only as Christians, but also as human beings who know suffering?

How do we react to the fact that Dr. Kevorkian has already assisted over one hundred suicides? Can something that is legal in Oregon, the Netherlands and possibly soon in Ecuador really be all that bad?

First, we’ll need to go to our best source of wisdom, the Bible. In Genesis 1:26 we read that humans were made in the image of God.

If we truly believe that, we have to also believe that life is sacred. Our bodies are temples in which God dwells. God created that temple, and we cannot be the ones who destroy it. Deuteronomy 32:36 reads “See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides Me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of My hand.” God is the one who gives and takes life, and when we try to make that our business, we start trying to play God. So the ethical matters do have answers. But what about the real life pain and suffering? What about your uncle who has stomach cancer? Those Bible verses won’t make the pain go away. That’s when we turn to what is called palliative care. 

Also known as “end of lifecare,” palliative care focuses not on the extension of life but on making what is left of life worth living. One of the more noticeable uses of palliative care is Hospice.

Hospice focuses not on cure, but on care – enhancing the quality of life and bringing relief of suffering, and providing meaning and closure at the end of life.

Patients who enter Hospice care, by definition, have an incurable illness whose prog-nosis is measured in months. It is important to note that with Hospice and, for that matter, any palliative care, intervention has a policy of allowing people to die: the inevitability of the disease process is understood. It is much different than speeding up the dying process or bringing a premature end to life.

While there may be circumstances in which it is desired to prolong the dying process for the purpose of achieving a goal – the birth of a grandchild, or the arrival of family member from out of town, for example – the goal of Hospice is to allow a person to die comfortably and naturally. Many people believe that this means keeping them unconscious all day. That is also not true. Within the Hospice philosophy there is an attempt at making the patient as alert as possible. Sometimes certain pain and symptom treatments cause drowsiness and allow the patient to spend more than normal time asleep.

But when all is said and done, those people were able to spend quality time with families and friends. It seems like the world we live in has gotten to the point where if it isn’t quick and easy, there is no point in dealing with it. We can’t let our world become so jaded that we are always willing to take the easy way out, especially when it comes to death and dying.

For more information on end of life care and the fights against euthanasia, check out these websites:http://www.lastacts .org/ – A good site with lots of good information for those of us who aren’t doctors;http://www. growthhouse.org/ – Takes a look at death and dying and the politics of end of life care;

http://www.nhpco.org/ – A palliative care organization; a good look at what they do and what they’re about.