The Hopeless World of “13 Reasons Why”

Pro-Life, , ,

Our friends at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview have published an excellent commentary on the Netflix original series “13 Reasons Why.”

Based on the novel Thirteen Reasons Why, the series follows a group of high school students in the wake of a classmate’s suicide.

John Stonestreet writes,

If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve heard about the series. If you’re a parent in a place like Colorado Springs, where literally dozens of teenagers have committed suicide in recent years, you’re probably asking yourself whether the show will only make a bad situation worse. . . .

The National Association of School Psychologists agrees, having issued the following statement: “We do not recommend that vulnerable youth, especially those who have any degree of suicidal ideation, watch this series. Its powerful storytelling may lead impressionable viewers to romanticize the choices made by the characters and/or develop revenge fantasies.”

Parents, we need to understand the impact that shows like this can have on our teens. And ultimately, we need to show our children what love really means—and where our hope in life truly lies.

We want to build a culture that values and protects human life. That includes opposing efforts to normalize or promote suicide.

You can read Stonestreet’s entire commentary here.

Photo Credit:By Wing-Chi Poon [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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Europeans Euthanizing Children

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, , , ,

The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview is highlighting some startling information out of Europe.

For some time, now, the Netherlands and Belgium have allowed euthanasia and assisted suicide for conditions ranging from terminal illness to emotional distress.

Now Europeans are calling for expanded euthanasia for children.

John Stonestreet writes,

Belgium has already deemed children over twelve “mature enough” to decide to die. Now the Dutch Pediatric Association wants both countries to open up euthanasia to children under twelve, at the discretion of doctors and parents.

Click here to read Stonestreet’s short commentary or listen to it below.

[audio:http://www.breakpoint.org/images/content/breakpoint/audio/point/2016/TPT505102016.mp3|titles=Euthanasia Under 12 by John Stonestreet]

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New York Court: No Right to Assisted Suicide

Life, , , ,

Last week a court in New York issued a good ruling finding no “right” to assisted suicide.

The court wrote in part,

“While suicide is no longer prohibited or penalized, the ban against assisted suicide and euthanasia shores up the notion of limits in human relationships. It reflects the gravity with which we view the decision to take one’s own life or the life of another, and our reluctance to encourage or promote these decisions.”

Being pro-life means believing human life is sacred from conception until natural death, and it means opposing the taking of human life without just cause. While the term “pro-life” is often applied to work related to abortion, opposition to suicide and euthanasia falls under the purview of pro-life work as well.

In recent years suicide and euthanasia activists have worked to make gains in state legislatures and in the courts. This ruling from New York is welcomed, because there simply is no constitutional right to take human life at will, plain and simple.

You can read more here.

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