“WHEN ANIMALS SUFFER, we often put them out of their misery. Why not do the same for human beings?”
I remember the first time I heard this argument. It caught me off guard. After all, we do consider it merciful to “put down” a dog when it is old and frail. Why not extend the same mercy and compassion to our loved ones when we can’t remove their suffering?
After reflecting on it for a while, I finally came to the answer: human beings are not animals. We don’t treat people like we do animals (at least we shouldn’t). We don’t tie people up or put them on leashes to make sure they don’t run away. They don’t sleep outside in a tiny house. Animals are certainly wonderful companions, and we should care for them, but we are called to love our neighbors. What’s the difference? Stephanie Connors explains:
When we put a pet down, we do so because their usefulness in our lives is outweighed by harms (such as poor health that cannot be corrected at all or without great expense, or because there isn’t a home for them and they will be a nuisance to society, etc.). Humans, however, should not be valued from the perspective of usefulness.[1]
As we have seen throughout this book, the Bible teaches that humans are uniquely made in the image of God and thus have inherent, infinite dignity, value, and worth (see Genesis 1:27). Animals are valuable beings, but humans are the pinnacle of God’s good creation, made in God’s own image. And our greatest call is to love God and love people.
Yet the problem is that sin has entered the world and brought death (see Romans 5:12). As Christians, we know that the resurrection of Jesus has ultimately conquered death. But we still live in a world in which death is a reality. Unless Jesus comes back soon, all of us are going to die. Like it or not, death is inescapable.
Suicide vs. Assisted Suicide
If you saw someone on a bridge about to commit suicide, what would you do? Obviously, you would try to intervene and stop them, even though they’d want to die. As a society, we generally decry suicide. But ironically, when we put “assisted” in front of it and we help people end their lives, many people consider it an act of compassion. Yet murder is murder regardless of age or health.
I have deep compassion for people who are hurting. I can understand that some people are in such emotional or physical pain that they no longer want to live. But because God is sovereign over life and death and we have the obligation not to take innocent life, we should never help people commit suicide. There is a better way to deal with suffering.
This simple principle can help guide us through this difficult issue. Let’s begin by defining some key terms.
Defining Our Terms
There are three important terms to understand. First, physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is when a doctor provides the means for a patient to end his or her life. Typically, this is done by giving the patient a lethal drug to ingest. In these cases, it is the drug that kills and not the underlying disease or condition.
Second, euthanasia is when the doctor is more directly involved. Euthanasia technically means “good death” and occurs when a doctor actively helps the suffering patient die. Often this involves the injection of a lethal drug by the doctor directly into the patient. Thus, the doctor kills the patient. Although the means may be different, euthanasia is morally equivalent to a doctor suffocating the patient with a pillow.
This raises a troubling question: Do we really want our caretakers actively supporting death? Doesn’t it strike you as problematic that doctors, who are supposed to care for patients and cure them, are asked to help kill patients in both physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia?
Third, there is a difference between killing and letting something die. Killing involves actively taking someone’s life, such as with PAS or euthanasia. To let die is to passively allow someone to die from other causes without interference. Although killing is never right, there may be times when it is permissible to let someone die, such as when there is no reasonable hope of recovery and the person has expressed his or her wishes to not receive life-prolonging treatment.[2]
My own perspective may be helpful. If I ever experienced a terminal illness in an unconscious state and had no reasonable chance of recovery, I would not want huge amounts of expense and effort paid to prolong my impending death. I would rather be allowed to die and go to heaven. Wouldn’t you?
Let’s consider three big reasons people have for supporting assisted suicide.
Reason #1: “People Should Be Able to Die with Dignity”
Have you ever spent time with someone who is fully dependent on others to be fed and changed? I have. It’s understandable that people would prefer not to die in such a state—people don’t like to feel as if they’re being a burden to someone else. But has a person who died naturally in this manner lost his or her dignity? No way!
Claiming that people lose dignity because of how they die or how much assistance they require sends the message that people who die naturally or need a lot of help are undignified and a “burden on society.” What a tragic message to send to such vulnerable people. Dignity is not something we gain or lose based on our “usefulness” or abilities but something we all have because of our shared humanity. We should treat terminally ill people with honor, respect, and care because of their dignity.
Consider a beautiful painting covered with dust. Does it lose its value because its beauty is covered? Of course not. Rather, we treat it respectfully as a recognition of its underlying value. The same ought to apply to how we treat human beings–and especially those who are sick.
Reason #2: “People Have Bodily Autonomy”
Do people have a right to die? After all, if it’s your body, can’t you do what you want with it? We believe people should be able to make decisions about their careers, hobbies, relationships, and so on. So why can’t people do whatever they want with their bodies?
The reality is that we all recognize limits on the use of our bodies. I don’t have the freedom to swing my fists anywhere without regard for your face. And you don’t have the freedom to drive on the sidewalk. We all recognize limits to the use of our bodies. We try to stop people from committing suicide because they harm themselves and will most likely deeply hurt those who love them and depend on them.
But let’s imagine for a moment that we have the right to die. What would follow? If so, everyone would have the same right. And we couldn’t limit the right to die to the elderly or sick but would have to aid anyone who wants to die for any reason whatsoever. I doubt most people would agree to this.
Reason #3: “Assisted Suicide Is Compassionate”
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul says to have “compassionate hearts” (3:12). Given the importance of compassion and the depth of suffering some people experience, isn’t it compassionate to help people die more quickly rather than experience prolonged suffering?
This is a powerful emotional argument. Yet the reality is that nearly every patient today can have their pain managed through medication and treatment. In a few cases, when the pain is unbearable, patients may take medication to relieve pain even if it hastens death. But this is not assisted suicide because the intent is to relieve pain. In other words, a person might take a medication to relieve suffering that may also hasten death. But it is not assisted suicide because the purpose is relieving pain, not causing death.
The Bible instructs us to be compassionate, and it also commands us not to take innocent life. Compassion involves showing concern and care when others are suffering. We must find a way to care for people compassionately without taking their lives into our own hands. Real compassion is not killing someone but caring for them through their suffering.
Does Assisted Suicide Lead to a Slippery Slope?
One of the strongest arguments against assisted suicide, to my mind, recognizes the “slippery slope” that cultures who embrace it often “slide” down. Consider a pressing question: Will the right to die become a duty to die? As older generations retire and medical expenses increase, will there be pressure on older or sick people to “do their duty” and die? Will older family members have to “justify” their existence? These are not unrealistic concerns.
Once assisted suicide is approved, the pool of those who qualify for it tends to expand. Consider the Netherlands. Right now, one person is put to death without consent (primarily elderly persons) for every three or four who give consent.[3] Kids as young as twelve years old are potential candidates for euthanasia. One in five Dutch doctors would help physically healthy people who are “tired of living” die.[4]
There is good precedent for believing that cultures that legalize assisted suicide slide further and further down the “slippery slope.”
What Can We Do?
Consider two things that Christians can do.
First, be careful with your words. Rather than using words like vegetable or referring to people as a “drain on resources” or in terms that focus on their usefulness or ability, talk about people in a humanizing way. Choose language that reflects their inherent human dignity and value.
Second, love people when they are hurting. Rather than responding to suffering by supporting assisted suicide, choose to love people sacrificially. This can mean different things depending on the situation. It may mean reading Scripture to someone in the hospital. It may mean playing cards with them. It may mean watching old sitcoms or movies. It may mean running errands for someone. It may mean praying for someone. And it may mean simply being present with someone in the final moments of their life.
[1] Stephanie Gray Connors, Start with What: 10 Principles for Thinking about Assisted Suicide (Florida: Wongeese Publishing, 2021), 16.
[2] See Wayne Grudem, What the Bible Says about Abortion, Euthanasia, and End-of-life Medical Decisions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 48–52.
[3] Scott B. Rae, Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics, 4th ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 256.
[4] Peter Walker, “One in Five Dutch Doctors Would Help Physically Healthy Patients Die,” Guardian (UK edition), February 17, 2015, https://bit.ly/35kPQDb.