Euthanasia

[Dominic]

Does anyone have thoughts on the morality of euthanasia? I once heard that a man's definition of sin as "Anything that harms God, others, or yourself". If a person and every other person around him is wishing for his self to die it wouldn't hurt mentally. And if it's less harmful to your physical state to die than live in pain until you die, I don't think it's sin by this definition. I have not done serious digging into the subject and wish to hear another view. Any feedback is appreciated.

[Paidion]

Hi Dominic

At university I took a course entitled "Political and Moral Philosophy". Euthanasia was discussed, and I came to the view that it was the right thing to do in cases of intense suffering. Since that time, I began to doubt my stance. What if that person were a non-Christian, and lived for awhile, and submitted to Christ? What if the consequences of that decision were a lot less or no suffering post-mortem?

My present view is that a person undergoing intense suffering should be given whatever medication is necessary to relieve that suffering. If it comes to the point that medication is given in such a kind or degree that results in his death, then so be it. But the intent in giving him medication should be only to relieve pain, and not to cause death.

[Dominic]

Alright, that makes sense in theory and may apply in some cases. However, what about a man who is immune to morphine? I know a man named Rod who had to have a nerve reattached in his wrist. He was immune to morphine and underwent the procedure with intense pain. If a person had cancer and his pain couldn't be numbed would you agree to put him to death?
Also, if you take into consideration that most pain killers come from the opiate family. Which means they are related to drugs like heroin, oxymorphone, codeine, and morphine. To expose a person to morphine for as long as they have cancer (which could be months) could lead to addiction, depression, and withdrawl. And if the withdrawl is so strong it could potentially kill.

[Paidion]

Alright, that makes sense in theory and may apply in some cases. However, what about a man who is immune to morphine? I know a man named Rod who had to have a nerve reattached in his wrist. He was immune to morphine and underwent the procedure with intense pain. If a person had cancer and his pain couldn't be numbed would you agree to put him to death?
Also, if you take into consideration that most pain killers come from the opiate family. Which means they are related to drugs like heroin, oxymorphone, codeine, and morphine. To expose a person to morphine for as long as they have cancer (which could be months) could lead to addiction, depression, and withdrawl. And if the withdrawl is so strong it could potentially kill.

There are analgesics other than opiods, and there are some with opoids combined with other analgesics in use for medium or severe pain. But even if pure opiods are used, with the consequences you named, wouldn't it be worth it to ease or eliminate the pain of a person who is in severe pain? Can you provide some evidence for your statement that withdrawal can kill? I have never heard of anyone dying from withdrawal. Perhaps the strongest withdrawal symptoms result from a person addicted to heroin who then goes "cold turkey". He may appear to be in agony during withrawal, but he doesn't die from it.

I can't see that killing a person in severe pain would be a rational solution to dealing with his pain.

Then we must not forget general anesthesia. Drugs are injected into the blood stream to render a patient unconscious prior to surgery. If no analgesic is effective for a person in severe pain (and I have yet to see evidence of this), then general anesthesia could be administered as a temporary measure to determine whether the patient's pain will decrease with time. If not, then general anestheia could be maintained until he dies a natural death.

[Dominic]

Thank you Paidion, I appreciate your response and thank you for your input.

There are analgesics other than opiods

This is true. But Advil and ibuprofen will not effectively work on the type of pain I am referring to. I'm not saying that you ought to end someone because they're having a bad headache. Opiates from my information are the only analgesics that can relieve the pain which I am talking about. As in the type of pain where a person wishes to die. Here is a website which says only opiates can cure this type of pain;
http://www.rxlist.com/pain_medications/ ... dition.htm
I found others more with just a Google search.

Can you provide some evidence for your statement that withdrawal can kill? I have never heard of anyone dying from withdrawal. Perhaps the strongest withdrawal symptoms result from a person addicted to heroin who then goes "cold turkey". He may appear to be in agony during withrawal, but he doesn't die from it.

Yes I can provide evidence for my statement that withdrawal can kill. Here is a website that says this;
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/all ... t-kill-you

I can't see that killing a person in severe pain would be a rational solution to dealing with his pain.

I'm sorry, I should have been clearer. I'm talking about the type of pain where the victim can't stand to live. I've never heard of a non-life threatening condition to such pain. If there are such conditions I would agree not to end the victim's life. But if it is a life threatening condition he may as well die without the pain right? Excuse me for not being clearer, that was entirely my fault.

As for your idea on anesthesia I have not heard before, and I can agree with. Thank you for your insight. I think this makes more sense than the other two views.

Thanks a lot! It's appreciated.!

[Paidion]

Thank you, Dominic, for the links you provided. I noticed the following statement in the first link:

But the strongest opioid in community use is fentanyl which, in its intravenous form, is 70 to 100 times more potent than morphine.

I was wondering whether Rod, the man who was immune to morphine, might have been helped by fentanyl.

Thank you, especially for the second link. I had never before heard that one could die from withdrawal from particular drugs. I learned something today!
Much appreciated.

[Homer]

So many questions can be raised in this regard.

I've never heard of a non-life threatening condition to such pain.

If a person had cancer and his pain couldn't be numbed would you agree to put him to death?

But what if this painful condition was thought to be terminal cancer but actually was curable? And I know a case where a man where I worked was in such agony from a kidney stone that he lost consciousness. Is the question to be limited to terminal suffering?

And why is this euthanasia to be limited to physical suffering? What if a person was suffering mentally and did not want to live? Why would it be acceptable to terminate life in one case and not another? And what if the person has Alzheimer's and is not suffering pain at all, but no longer knows his family or even who he is, has reverted to the state of an infant, and has made clear to multiple witnesses that in such a case he would want to die? Why spend all that money for care when it is not in his will?

Euthanasia is a very slippery slope.

[Jepne]

So glad this topic has been brought up. Good questions, Homer. Thinking of the grief, guilt, and agony Robin Williams' suicide has caused.

Some years ago I heard of a case in which a person was told that her illness was 'terminal' and so she planned her funeral and invited her friends and died right there, before she got disfigured from the illness and pain. It seemed to me a very narcissistic event. I heard other such stories somewhat similar.

Since growing older and closer to the Lord, and looking forward to the Resurrection and His coming again, and realizing that suffering - even the suffering of pain and death, which He Himself endured on the Cross - is remedial if we will take advantage of the opportunity it gives us. I see euthanasia as abandoning hope, and faith, and that is the heart of the matter.

Which drugs to use for pain, and what to do if there is one doctor and other patients in need of emergency care in order to stay alive and functional, lead to speculation and situational ethics which can be dealt with only when the occasion arises, and with the wisdom which the Lord promises to give when, and if, we ask.

I am reminded of Oswald Chambers who was in Egypt during the War and in need of blood, but he refused a transfusion because there were wounded soldiers in need of the limited supply, and he died.

[Dominic]

Which drugs to use for pain, and what to do if there is one doctor and other patients in need of emergency care in order to stay alive and functional, lead to speculation and situational ethics which can be dealt with only when the occasion arises, and with the wisdom which the Lord promises to give when, and if, we ask.

You raise a good point Jepne. We could come up with a hundred, "what ifs" but what matters in the end is what God tells us.

[Jepne]

That's the bottom line - and we do hear from Him....