From:

Dear Sofie,

Thank you for coming up to talk to me after church last week. I'm glad you found my talk on euthanasia thought provoking. I understand that you have a difficult ethical decision to make at work concerning a terminally ill patient who wishes to end their life.

As I said in my talk, the word 'Euthanasia' comes from two Greek words and means 'Good death'. I believe as Christians we should want people to have good deaths but in this day and age it is completely unnecessary to deliberately end someone's life before this or her time.

In Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 39 God says 'I put to death and I bring to life.' It is very clear that God and only God gives and takes life. If we begin to do that, we are putting ourselves in God's place and that is a very serious thing to do.

Human life is somehow sacred. In Genesis, humans are described as being made in the 'image of God'. Every human is a unique creation by God. He gave us all the gift of life. Euthanasia destroys the life that God made; it mars the image of God within us. All life is worth preserving.

Every Christian , Paul states in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 16 - 17 has the Holy Spirit living within them. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says 'If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred and you are that temple.'

If you help this lady die before the time God has decided, you will be destroying the temple of the Holy Spirit within that lady.

Elsewhere in the Bible, it suggests God has a plan for our lives. Psalm 139 verse 16 says 'Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.' This suggests that God had decided how long we would live before we were born. God may have a plan even for people who are dying. There may be a purpose to the suffering, even if it isn't clear to us, either for the person dying or those around.

Those who support euthanasia often say that to let someone die (or should we describe it as helping someone kill themselves) is more compassionate as it stops suffering. But as a member of the medical profession, isn't it more compassionate to care for the dying rather than to speed up death? In our modern society, pain can be controlled and someone who is dying can be enabled to live life to its fullness while dying. I urge you to see if you can get your patient a place in a hospice. In a hospice, she will be given pain relief. She will be given back her dignity. Hopefully, she will be able to enjoy the last few months of her life. The Christian doctor who established the first modern hospice in Britain said 'I am against euthanasia for a positive reason. I have seen people achieve so much in the ending of their lives - times that their families would have missed. It's often time after they might have asked to opt out when they perhaps would have gone on in bitterness, whereas they finally go in peace and fulfilment.'

If you help this person to die, not only will you be playing God, you may also be destroying God's plans for her life. She and her family will miss the life she still has to live. Her death does not have to be undignified and painful.

I encourage you Sofie to try to give your patient this type of 'good death' and not to hasten her death.

Yours truly,

Pastor L. Ovelife