Speaking Intelligently on Euthanasia

Life, , , ,

daily_commentary_09_24_15In a culture that increasingly seems to support euthanasia and assisted-suicide, do you struggle with speaking clearly and intelligently on the issue?

Our friends at the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview have released a short commentary that clearly sums up ways we can engage our friends and neighbors about the sanctity of human life.

John Stonestreet writes,

“A great place to start: focus in on the definition of words, especially ‘dignity’ and ‘compassion.’ These words are used to great effect by pro-euthanasia forces, but they’ve been redefined. ‘Dignity’ went from meaning worthy of honor and being treated with respect to meaning little more than fully affirming one’s lifestyle choices.

“And, ‘compassion’? Well, that one’s been really debased. The word comes from the Latin for ‘to suffer with.’ The Greek New Testament word rendered ‘compassion’ meant to feel something in your guts. Both captured the intense and very personal quality of true compassion. . . .

“So this is what our neighbors must understand. Wherever physician-assisted suicide has reared its ugly head, ‘dignity’ is reduced to an economic calculation, not an inherent quality that we all share. And there’s nothing ‘compassionate’ about physician assisted suicide, either. Instead of suffering with someone, it merely insists they go away. Permanently.”

I strongly encourage you to listen to Stonestreet’s full commentary. You can check it out below or click here to hear it at BreakPoint.org.

[audio:http://bit.ly/1Vb5G9A|titles=Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide]

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The Slow Creep of Of Euthanasia

Life, , ,

Eric Metaxas at the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview has released an alarming commentary on the steady increase of euthanasia in Europe.

According to researchers, euthanasia in Holland has risen 151% in seven years. Even more troubling is the rise in the number of dementia patients helped to die by their doctors.

Metaxas writes,

“Of course, all this is happening because people have swallowed the false worldview that we control our lives, and that our lives only have meaning if we’re happy and healthy and protected from suffering.

“But there’s a reason every Christian tradition condemns euthanasia and suicide. God is the author of life. Our lives—and our bodies—are not our own. We’re stewards of them. And every human life taken intentionally undermines the dignity of all human life. In other words, every life discarded is one more step down the slippery slope. We see it in the Netherlands. Let’s pray we don’t see it here.”

You can listen to Metaxas’ full commentary below or click here to read it online.

[audio:http://bit.ly/1sNspsn|titles=Eric Metaxas – Euthanasia and the Slippery Slope]

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Study Finds Vegetative Patient “Not Just Aware, but Paying Attention”

Bioethics, Life, Medical Ethics, , , , ,

A recent study published in the journal Neuroimage: Clinical has found some patients in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) are aware of the world around them — and some are “not just aware, but paying attention.”

Scientists at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and the University of Cambridge published their research last month. In the study, researchers examined 21 PVS patients, asking the patients to listen and mentally respond to a series of words. Scientists used electroencephalography to measure electrical activity in the brain, and compared brain activity in the patients with brain activity in healthy volunteers who were asked the same questions.

Researchers at Cambridge write,

(more…)

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