The Sanctity of Human Life

1
The Sanctity of Human Life

• Abortion
• Euthanasia
• Suicide
• Capital Punishment
• Serving in Military, Police
• Human Engineering

2
The Sanctity of Human Life

• Is euthanasia a merciful way of preventing
  suffering?
• Is suicide an acceptable way to terminate ones
  life?
• Is it morally wrong to execute a criminal?
• May a soldier or police officer to kill in the
  line of duty?
• What moral implications are related to human
  engineering?

3
Foundation Principles

• Man product of creation, not evolution
• Gen. 27
• Acts 1725
• 1 Tim. 613

4
Foundation Principles

• Only Creator has right to terminate the life of a
  human being
• Gen. 96
• Ex. 2013
• Ex. 2112
• Lev. 2421

Except when God delegates that right (e.g.
capital punishment, war, etc. (Rm. 131-4)
5
When life is not good it deserves neither
protection nor preservation
What is meant by a good life?
6
To be human is to be self-aware, consciously
related to others, capable of rationality in a
measure at least significant to support some
initiative. When these things are absent, or
cannot ever come to be, there is neither a
potential nor an actual person.
Joseph Fletcher The Atlantic Monthly Vol. 22, No.
4, April 1968
7
Euthanasias Meaning
From two Greek words
eu well or good thanos death
It thus means to die well, easy, or without pain.
In modern society it has come to refer to
terminating human life i.e. mercy killing
8
History of Euthanasia

• Greeks respected aged, practiced infanticide
• Spartans euthanized weak youth
• Plato, Aristotle discouraged rearing deformed
  children
• South Sea Islands abortion, infanticide
• Sardinia old men killed with clubs
• 1938 Euthanasia Society

9
Euthanasia Has Many Supporters

• Many duped by emotional merciful death
  arguments
• Most vocal advocates are ruthless
• Dr. William Duke
• George Paulson
• Joseph Fletcher
• Dr. Glanville Willams

10
4 KINDS OF EUTHANASIA

• Active
• Passive
• Voluntary
• Mandatory

11
GENERAL ACCEPTANCE OF EUTHANASIA
The general acceptance of euthanasia in modern
America is evident in

• Dr. Death
• Infant Doe
• Internists Survey
• Newsweek report

• Dr. Robert Cooke
• Abortions Acceptance

12
Why Is Euthanasia Accepted?
Value of life is less! Historical shock has
dulled! God has been dismissed!
13
Biblical Answers
Active Euthanasia murder, sinful (Ex. 2013
Gen. 96)
14
Biblical Answers
Volunteer Euthanasia

• Biblical incidents, acts of ungodly men (1 Sam.
  314-5 2 Sam. 1723 1 Kings 1618 Matt. 275)
• Wayne Jackson lists three biblical premises
  violated in suicide

15
Sinfulness of Suicide

• Asserts man is autonomous (Psalm 1003 cf. Ezek
  184)
• Only God has right to determine when life should
  end
• Self-murder (Rev. 218 2215)
• Robs God of service (Eccl. 1213 cf. Phil. 120)
• Act of supreme selfishness

16
Biblical Answers
Passive and Mandatory Euthanasia

• We have biblical guidance over life, death, and
  preservation of life
• Instances of euthanasia in Bible
• No specific teaching on intricacies of the
  natural and artificial means of preserving life

17
Mindset of Society Concerning Euthanasia

• We live in a time where the average life span in
  American continues to increase each year.
• 1930 - average life expectancy for all gender and
  races in the U.S. was 59.7 years.
• In 2004 that number steadily climbed to 77.9
  years.

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• Many modern advances in the science and medical
  fields that correlate to our longer life spans.
• In 1947 the first person was saved by means of
  defibrillation.
• Since then millions of lives have been saved by
  this one devise.
• This allowed people to live years beyond what was
  previously expected

19

• Various vaccinations used to stem the onset of
  various plagues
• Smallpox eradicated in 1980
• Fewer than 500 with polio in world
• Longer for many by additional medicinal
  breakthroughs
• Advanced surgical procedures and medicines allow
  longer life radiation, chemo therapy, dialysis,
  laser surgeries, etc

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• These factors produce a mindset concerning the
  quality of life
• The thought of a nice and peaceful death
  permeates into our societal belief system.
• Conversely, the thought of pain and suffering in
  dying is not at all desirable it is natural to
  want to live our final years in peace
• Thus, a more tolerant view of mercy
  killing/euthanasia (i.e. hastening death) of a
  person who is seriously or terminally ill or
  injured to bring relief to the individual.

21
Two Types of Euthanasia Being Considered at This
Time

• Passive a refusal to use life sustaining
  medical equipment to prolong life where there is
  no medically prospect of recovery
• Active taking purposefully action to end a
  life, for some it is an aided suicide

22
Pertinent Terms to Understand

• Medical Treatment
• Comatose
• Minimally Conscious State (MCS)
• Vegetative State (PS)
• Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)

23
Purpose of Understanding These Terms

• A person might receive a feeding tube for an
  individual whose mouth, trachea or another area
  of the body which does not allow him to chew
  and/or swallow food
• Another might receive a feeding tube due to his
  being in a vegetative state

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Purpose of Understanding These Terms
(cont.)

• The intent for the first
• patient is to provide
• life support while he
• nurses back to health
• The intent for the second person is to provide
  life support with the sum hope that he regains
  consciousness

25
Purpose of Understanding These Terms
(cont.)

• In both cases the intent is to save life
• Reason for removing life support (respirator or
  feeding tube) is not to destroy life, but to
  realize there is no hope for life and thus
  discontinue artificial means of sustaining life

26
Dilemmas Surrounding Mercy Killing

• Desire the ever improving means by which life can
  be prolonged or saved
• But, reached a point we can keep someone alive
  for years
• The means by which we keep a person alive creates
  our dilemma regarding euthanasia

27
Dilemmas Surrounding Mercy Killing
Ethical Dilemmas

• Extended comatose state with no perceived
  possibility of consciousness
• Vegetative state (or PVS) with no perceived
  possibility of recovery
• Someone terminal, but conscious and in severe pain

28
Dilemmas Surrounding Mercy Killing
Ethical Questions

• Is it wrong to actively end another persons
  life?
• Who has authority to judge what is a good cause
  to end life?
• Are we to respect the desire of a patient
  desiring to be taken off life support when they
  are alive (alert)?

29
Biblical Conclusions

• Active Euthanasia is sin
• Even if patient is in pain or struggle
• Even if patient wished his life be ended
• Passive Euthanasia is not sin
• Artificial means continues while there is hope
  ends when hope is lost

30
WHAT ARE CHRISTIANS TO DO?

• Do not be fooled (Eph. 414 Col. 28 Ps. 11)
• Respect All life! (Job 121 Gen. 126-27 Pr.
  616-17 Acts 1725, 28)
• Do good to all (Gal. 610 Ex. 237)
• Do not allow handicaps to devalue human life (Ex.
  411)
• Become brothers keeper (Pr. 2411)

31
THE TRAGIC FAILINGS!

• No knowledge of the inner man
• Confusion as to who would become a candidate
• Indecision as to the final judge
• Patient incompetent, drugged
• Physician trust ruined
• Family estate mongers rejoice
• State Nazi Germany reborn

Job 121
32
Nations that fail to resist euthanasia are
described in Deut. 2849-50