Hidden Euthanasia

You know that feeling you get when something is just not right? For me, I get a weird shivery feeling on the back of my neck, and an uneasy feeling in my gut. Kind of like the horse in “Young Frankenstein” when Frau Blucher is mentioned. There are a lot of reasons I get this feeling; and I am going to catch flack for this one, but one of the main triggers is mentioning “pro-life.” 

In this case, it is the term “pro-life” being used to mean “anti-abortion.” And that is the problem for me: what does it mean to be “pro-life” in this world? I look around at our world with different lenses - mom, grandmother, daughter, nurse, military wife, public health advocate, Christ-follower - all of which help me see the world in different focus. 

The recent story of Charlie Gard in the UK reminded me again of what “life” is for many people. So many people were concerned about whether a child is allowed to “live” without considering what his life was really like, or could be. My current professional position takes me into the homes of people who are dealing with mental illness, many elderly and poor. Many have dementia, or depression. Most struggle with hopelessness, and most try to fit that into their own spiritual beliefs.  And their family struggles as well, with feelings of guilt for being inadequate (or worse, wishing for quietus,) and overwhelming responsibility. I see elderly people every day who are alone, poor, struggling, isolated, and feeling useless. Their lenses tell them that the best part of their life is over. They see that they are no longer contributing to the world in the way the world values, so they have no worth.  No one cares what they think (unless they’re a politician). No one cares about what they have or don’t have (unless they’re rich and there’s an inheritance coming.)  Their family sees them as a burden, and they know it’s true. 

This is not the case in every culture though. The elderly used to be held in high esteem, and still are in many other cultures. They are cared for lovingly until their death by their family.  This is changing not only in America, but also in places like Europe and Japan. Why? Oh man, that’s a can of worms question. I like what Pope Francis said: 

Look, at this moment, I think our world civilization has gone beyond its limits, it has gone beyond its limits because it has made money into such a god that we are now faced with a philosophy and a practice which exclude the two ends of life that are most full of promise for peoples. They exclude the elderly, obviously. You could easily think there is a kind of hidden euthanasia, that is, we don’t take care of the elderly; but there is also a cultural euthanasia, because we don’t allow them to speak, we don’t allow them to act. 

MEETING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE FROM ARGENTINA, ADDRESS OF HOLY FATHER FRANCIS, Thursday, 25 July 2013

I didn’t include the whole quote, but this part, in particular, applies to the question I’ve been ruminating about: At what point do we say that being “pro-life” includes caring for our elderly? 

One of the questions I hear a lot is, “Why won’t God just take me? I’m ready to go to heaven and be with Jesus and ______ !“(insert the name/names of their loved ones.)  If the person saying this is elderly, frail, lonely, unable to afford medicine and food, living in a place not of their choosing, no longer producing anything our society considers useful - is it wrong for them to yearn for death? Many Christians will say, “No, it’s not wrong. Jesus says heaven will be awesome! But don’t do it, or you’re not being grateful for everything you have.” They will tell their loved ones to fight for their life (that is, their earthly life) and then leave them alone in that fight while they go to work/school/soccer/vacation. They will say they must be depressed, so they just need a pill to make them feel better. True, that does help sometimes. But in our beloved country, we elevate usefulness above being, so we do not see value in the lives of those who cannot produce. This is true not only for the elderly, but also people with chronic illnesses and mental health issues. 

How is this in line with what Jesus teaches about loving each other? I mean, that’s what being pro-life is all about, right? You believe God creates each person, and therefore no life should be destroyed. If the pope is correct, we are destroying life every day through what he calls “hidden euthanasia.” Oh I agree, I’ve heard many Christians denounce euthanasia, so I believe this does outrage them - when euthanasia is a deliberate action that ends a life. Heaven help the person who chooses to stop eating or drinking, or taking their medicine, so their life can end. That’s suicide, and they’re going to hell. So are the doctors who enable them to do such an evil thing. Right? 

I can tell you that many of these hopeless people think they’re already in hell. No one is helping them experience life to the fullest, as Jesus promised. They hear the discussions on Fox News about how the poor are a burden on our health care economy, and how people who need government assistance are lazy and just want a handout. They live on social security because their promised pension and insurance benefits evaporated when their company’s CEO tapped their pension fund to ensure their profits for the investors. Is this representative of a Christian culture who is all about being “pro life?” 

If you think you don’t know anyone who has experienced this kind of slow death, take a walk. I visited with your neighbor last week. She is a widow, alone, and hungry, and scared at night. She didn’t get to her doctor’s appointment because she didn’t have a ride. She’s in the “donut hole” for Medicare so she can’t afford her medicine. No one took her to the store to buy groceries (she has $16 in SNAP benefits for the month to use.) She never gets to church anymore, so her christian friends have stopped calling. She really just wants to be with Jesus. Would you notice if she left the world? If no one notices, and she dies alone, is that euthanasia?

Got that feeling again...