Loving those most in need: the sick, the elderly, and those with special needs

On the edges of life are those most in need of our love: the sick, the elderly, and those with special needs.  WHY?  Because they are often targeted for elimination in a world that does not believe they have merit or dignity.

In several states, physician assisted suicide is legal.  What does this mean?  A doctor prescribes a lethal dose of medication that a patient fills at a pharmacy, then takes at home alone.  There is no doctor present at the time of the patient’s death.  There is no safeguard should the medication fail or the patient not take all of the 100 pills necessary for death.

What if the patient is not terminally ill?  Patients eligible for assisted suicide are those given a prognosis of 6 months or less to live.  But who knows that for sure? There are lots of cases of people who live far beyond physicians’ expectations. We all know people who have done it!

Suicide  When a person without a terminal illness tries to commit suicide, it is considered an act of depression or some type of mental illness. Everyone tries to stop them. They are brought to the hospital until they get better!

Assisted Suicide  When someone who is sick wants to commit suicide, the same consideration is not given.  There are no mental health evaluations.  What if the person is just depressed? A simple fix would allow them to want to live again. Not all sick people want to die.

Refusing Treatment v. Hastening Death  When people are very sick and their bodies can no longer take certain treatments, it is always possible to conscientiously forgo treatments that are burdensome to the patient.  It is always possible to manage pain so that a patient does not need to be in pain at all.  But, it is never okay to say that, because the person herself has become a burden to her family, her friends, or a financial burden, her life should be cut short.

Death with Dignity?  Why do we call suicide for the sick, elderly, or disabled “death with dignity”?  True death with dignity is allowing someone to die when God wants them to, surrounded by loved ones, feeling supported and loved.

More than just the terminally sick are targeted for elimination.

Respecting the dignity of all humans means first recognizing that dignity does not ever go away.