Is Euthanasia Creeping Closer?

This news story, published as recently as December 9, 2022, appeared online in DAILYMAIL.COM. It was written by Lewis Pennock, the publication’s assistant news editor. The article involves a 65-year-old man who fears death less than the idea that he might become homeless. Thus, he is opting for euthanasia. Below are the facts of the case.

In Canada, MAID service is not about cleaning a person’s house—it’s about removing a human being from this earth. The acronym stands for Medical Assistance In Dying. Seriously? Unfortunately, yes. And, no, the article does not discuss people who are in severe pain wanting to end their lives. According to the Scriptures, such a practice would still be wrong, but this new trend goes far beyond the gravely ill.

Those who have read the Book of Job know that he was a righteous patriarch, who did not deserve the physical pain he was suffering, which involved being struck “with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (2:7). Yet despite his severe suffering, he never considers taking his own life. In fact, he says (among other things):

Till I die, I will not put away my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live (Job 27:5b-6).

He knew the truth of what the patriarch Joseph revealed to his brothers when they were concerned that he, as being second ruler over Egypt, might return the evil on them they had practiced toward him. He assured them: “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?” (Gen. 50:15, 19). There is only One Who holds the power of life and death, and He is not mortal. Only God has the right to determine who lives and who dies, who is to be punished, and how much. God never gave His creation the power to arbitrarily take anyone’s life—either someone else’s or one’s own.

Many people currently subscribe to atheistic philosophy. They have convinced themselves that God does not exist and that there will be no life after death. They think, “After I die, I will not experience pain any longer. I will be better off.” Who told them that? What do they have as proof that such is the case?

Just as ill-informed are those who claim to be Christians who also have no idea what the Scriptures teach on that or any other subject. When someone they know dies, they are invariably heard to say, “Well, at least he’s in a better place.” How do they know that? His contact with any form of Christianity was minimal. By whose authority was this conclusion reached? Not God’s. Only those who love God (Matt. 22:37) and obey Him (Heb. 5:8-9) have a realistic expectation of being in a better place once they leave this world.

Reality

The reality of the situation is that “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Paul wrote: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). No one can just blithely assume that, when he dies, all of his problems will be solved. Especially is this the case with those who have never been saved from their sins.

Requesting MAID service in Canada should not, therefore, be a viable option. But the dangerous part of it is that no longer does the request for suicide assistance need to be for living in pain. It can be virtually for any reason. Consider the following individual and his circumstance.

Les Landry is only 65, but he’s afraid he will no longer be able to live comfortably. What? Yes, he already has one doctor’s permission for euthanasia to occur, and he’s shopping around for a second doctor to agree, which will allow him to meet the qualifications. Landry fears he might become homeless, which should not happen to a man in a wheelchair.

Until he turned 65, he, along with his service dog, was able to live comfortably in his home in Medicine Hat, Alberta. “Changes to his state benefits when he turned 65” last May “meant his income was cut and he’s now left with around $120 per month after paying his medical bills and essentials. Landry is also braced for a rent hike in January [right now] that could mean his benefits no longer cover the costs of essentials, placing him on the brink of homelessness.”

Observations

First of all, the question should be asked: Is this what a socialist government comes down to—the extermination of the elderly? Why are Mr. Landry’s state benefits being cut? Is he considered an unproductive member of society at age 65? It has been noted for years that Colonel Sanders “was 65 and reliant on a $105-a-month Social Security check when he incorporated Kentucky Fried Chicken and began driving his 1946 Ford around the country signing up new franchisees.” Luckily, he lived in America then instead of Canada now.

Canada’s solution is to allow the elderly to be euthanized—rather than finding a way to give them the support that they need. Where are their insurance programs to help pay medical bills? Where are the rent freezes for those whose income cannot keep up with inflation? But also, where is Landry’s initiative? Has he no children? Can’t he share an apartment with someone else? Euthanasia should not be an option.

Euthanasia was legalized in 2016 in Canada. That year, 1,000 Canadians succumbed to assisted suicide. In just five years that figure increased to 10,000. How sad is that? In a related story by Tom Leonard for The Daily Mail (appearing on December 7, 2022), the reader finds this assessment: “Canada, a country that prides itself on its open-mindedness and tolerance, has the most permissive rules on euthanasia in the world—and the results have been frankly terrifying.”

He points out that those 10,000 deaths in 2021 comprised 3% of all deaths, and of course that figure is rising. But where this program is headed is even more dangerous than its startup. Consider the following news story in relationship to this subject. Christine Gauthier is a Canadian army veteran, as well as a Paralympian participant. In 2016 she won gold medals in indoor rowing and heavyweight powerlifting in the Invictus Games in Orlando. She also represented Canada at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Her picture appears on page one.

But her country does not seem to be grateful to her; she had been trying to get a stairlift in her home for five years, including the time period she was competing. Five years she has been battling Canadian bureaucracy. She reports: “I have a letter saying that if you’re so desperate, madam, we can offer you MAID, medical assistance in dying.” What gratitude from the Canadian government! It’s not enough to make euthanasia legal; now they are suggesting that citizens engage in it. What concern for her citizens! They said, in effect, “You’re not useful anymore; just get out of the way.” If Canada tries to export this idea south of their border, America should respond with a hearty, “NO!”