Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Christians React to Dutch Proposal to Allow Doctor-Assisted Suicide for Healthy Elderly People Who Have ‘Completed Life’

"The slippery slope we feared."
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

October 20, 2016

The Netherlands is preparing to draft a bill that would allow elderly people to seek doctor-assisted suicide if they are physically healthy, but feel they have “completed life” — a proposal that has stunned critics, as The New York Times reported.

These individuals and groups believe the Dutch government would be going too far if it enacted such a measure, adding some credence to fears that euthanasia — which started in 2002 in the Netherlands for patients who are terminally ill — holds the potential, once legalized, to morph into something far more sweeping and morally questionable.

Christian groups are among those speaking out against the proposal, with Gert-Jan Segers, leader of a Christian parliamentary party, saying that the law, if enacted, would have a profound impact on the community at large.

“The myth is that it is purely individual choice, while it always also affects family, the community, health care providers and ultimately society,” Segers told Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant.

And American priest James Martin responded by calling the proposal “the slippery slope we feared.”

The slippery slope we feared: "Dutch may allow assisted suicide for those who feel they have 'completed life'" https://t.co/7s0HVayFub

— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) October 13, 2016

Doctor-assisted suicide isn’t all that rare in the Netherlands, as 5,516 people sought euthanasia last year, alone, accounting for nearly 4 percent of all Dutch deaths. And the government openly addresses the contentious subject on its website, saying it is “performed only when the patient has clearly expressed the wish to die.”

“Euthanasia is the termination of life by a physician at the patient’s request. The aim is to end unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement,” the website reads. “Physician-assisted suicide also falls under this definition. Only under certain conditions is euthanasia not considered an offense.”

The idea behind the expanded proposal for the elderly is that, much like terminally ill patients who seek out “death with dignity,” elderly Dutch residents should also have that same right when they feel life has run its course, as the Times reported.

Plans for the measure are reportedly in motion, with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte hoping to see a draft of the law put together by the end of 2017, the outlet reported.

Here’s a 2012 news report that covers this very subject:

In a letter read to parliament earlier this month, health minister Edith Schippers cited a variety of reasons why the government believes the measure is appropriate, including: the reality that some elderly people are lonely due to the loss of loved ones and others, they are tired and deteriorating or are struggling with a lack of mobility, among other reasons.

The letter proclaims this would be for elderly people who “have a well-considered opinion that their life is complete.”But there was no age threshold given, leaving many questions about whom, exactly, the proposal would impact.

According to Business Insider, people wouldn’t simply be able to walk into a doctor’s office and grab some pills, though; they would, instead, need to meet with specialists, including one professional referred to as a “death assistance provider” before being cleared to end their lives.

It’s no surprise that Christian leaders and groups are reacting with shock, as they push back against the proposal.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, a U.K. Christian advocacy group, said the legalization of euthanasia naturally leads to expanded proposals such as these, calling it an “inevitable consequence.”

(H/T: New York Times)

Latest

  • News

    ‘We are Devastated but Not Defeated’: Massive 8-Alarm Fire Destroys Church in New Jersey, Cause of Fire Under Investigation

  • News

    Wild Footage Shows Brave Good Samaritan Purportedly Tackling, Thwarting Gun-Wielding Man Fleeing Police in Busy NYC Neighborhood

  • News

    ‘Word for Word’: Persecution Watchdog Warns of Striking Similarities Between Communist Persecution, ‘American Leftist Way of Restriction’

  • News

    Calgary Pastor Arrested for Second Time After Protesting Drag Show at Public Library

  • News

    ‘Gateways to the Demonic’: Pastor Breaks Down Possession, Spiritual Healing, and Biblical Truths About Devil’s Most Dangerous Tricks


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • ‘We are Devastated but Not Defeated’: Massive 8-Alarm Fire Destroys Church in New Jersey, Cause of Fire Under Investigation
  • Wild Footage Shows Brave Good Samaritan Purportedly Tackling, Thwarting Gun-Wielding Man Fleeing Police in Busy NYC Neighborhood
  • ‘Word for Word’: Persecution Watchdog Warns of Striking Similarities Between Communist Persecution, ‘American Leftist Way of Restriction’
  • Calgary Pastor Arrested for Second Time After Protesting Drag Show at Public Library
  • ‘Gateways to the Demonic’: Pastor Breaks Down Possession, Spiritual Healing, and Biblical Truths About Devil’s Most Dangerous Tricks

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?