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'Euthanasia is . . . a misplaced sense of compassion'
Every January 22, Americans from across the nation gather in Washington D.C., to protect the right to life. Although the March for life is often associated solely with the issue of abortion, we march for everyone's right to life. Every person who is placed on this earth has a right to life from the moment of conception to the moment of their natural death.To hasten the death of anyone for a purpose of "compassion" is commonly known as euthanasia, or "mercy" killing. And killing is exactly what is being done. A human ends the life of another. By any dictionary, this would be defined as "homicide." Yet some people believe that it is perfectly acceptable to kill an elderly or disabled person so that they do not suffer. But think about it, with all the advances of modern medicine, is the only way to alleviate suffering to kill a person? There are medicines which can alleviate the person's suffering. Euthanasia is not true compassion, but a misplaced sense of compassion. True compassion cannot consist of doing something intrinsically evil to another person.
Some may argue that even though the sick person may not be in pain, their family is, so it is best to eliminate the worry of an imminent death. Do those who promote this argument understand what they are saying? In clearer lingo, "I am bothered by the sick person, so I'll just be rid of them.” Everyone is going to die, and this fact must be faced by the family of a sick and dying person. They may be in pain by the fact that death will be coming for their loved one, but this gives no one the right to bring death prematurely. It will also be painful for the family after the person dies. The suffering brought on by the death of a loved one cannot be eliminated by any way other than the elimination of death itself. But death cannot be eliminated. In the words of Parnell, "Death's but a path that must be trod if man would ever pass to God."
In the article "Torturing the Dying," written by Dr. Kenneth L. Russell in the May 29 edition of the Rappahannock News, he says, "I personally believe that the Devil is delighted to claim as his helpers those people who stand in the way of helping terminally ill people answer the call of God."
Allowing a person to live until the moment of their natural death is not standing in the way of a person going to their eternal destiny. Dr. Russell also says that people do their pets a better service by allowing them, when suffering, to be euthanized; yet, they will not give an aged mother or father the same right. God created man in his own image with the dignity of a child of God. An animal does not have the dignity that is possessed by a human.
Even if death is imminent, we must care for the sick and dying, alleviating their sufferings, but doing nothing to will their death. Caring for the lives of the weak and dying is in fact a beautiful, self-sacrificing form of charity.
Helen M. Bowerman Washington
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