Lutherans For Life of Iowa

At the End of Life

God Alone Controls the Length
of Our Life -- God Alone Establishes the Time of Our Death

The Old Testament figure Jonah is a good example of how God views the idea of man choosing his own time of death. When Jonah finally got to the city of Ninevah, he preached and they repented. Because of their repentance, God turned away his wrath and did not punish them. Jonah was not so quick to forgive, however, even though he had had his own share of rebellion. The result? Jonah wanted to die, and God patiently dealt with him, not by granting his wish but by pointing out its foolishness.

We are told in the New Testament that we are not our own, but that we are the temple of the Holy
Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). If we belong to God by virtue of creation and redemption, it stands to reason that we are not granted the right from God to choose when we live or die. Nor is any other human being granted that right over us. We are made in the image (although, because of sin, a fallen image) of God Himself, and it is a terrifying thought to deface or destroy that image. In speaking to Noah, well after the Fall of Man, God said, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man'" (Gen. 9:6 NIV). And, in the words of the inspired Psalmist, "All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be" (Ps. 139:16 NIV).

Quality of Life?

Some say that if the so-called quality of life is "poor," the person isn't really living in the true sense of that word. Of course, those who think that way differ on what they consider "good quality of life." Some believe that old age or crippling diseases qualify as reasons to die. Others wait for life sustained by machines or nutrition supplemented by feeding tubes. A definition of good or bad quality of life can change rapidly as circumstances change. Many people have appealed to the courts for a cessation of treatment or the right to die only to change their minds and decide to live by the time the court decision was made.

Giving up is not a new concept. In the Old Testament of the Bible, when Elijah was tired, pursued by his enemies, and worn out from his work, he sat down under a tree and told God, "I have had enough, Lord. Take my life . . ." (1 Kings 19:4 NIV). At that time Elijah didn't think much of his "quality of life." But he didn't kill himself or get someone to kill him. He prayed to the Keeper of Life, God Himself, to take him. Then he slept. Later an angel fed him and he slept again. Then the angel woke him again and fed him and sent him on to do God's work. What had seemed to Elijah like the right time to die was not in God's timing.

"But," you might argue, "Elijah could still work. His life had value." God does not determine the length of a person's life by a human perception of the value of that life. He who notes each sparrow's fall and counts the hairs on our heads is very precise about the length of life of each being whom he creates. He gives life, and He takes life. He is the Lord of life. We, on the other hand, were originally created for fellowship with Him. How do we know that our most glorious moments from an eternal point of view might not be when we lie, unconscious to the world, communing with and worshipping God in a way which will have vast eternal implications. For God does not waste His servant's time -- or his pain. "Will not the God of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25 KJV).

How Can I Do God's Will When Confronted with Decisions at the
End of Life?

We can begin now by helping to make a difference in the lives of our families, friends, and the medical community -- Christian or not. We can:

Stop evaluating people by worldly standards of medical expense, court rulings, suffering, or "quality of life" and, instead, see people the way God sees them.
Help prepare food or offer child care for the parents of a son or daughter with a physical or mental challenge so that their stress is not so great or their "burden" so heavy.
Influence doctors and nurses trained in medicine, not social welfare or economics, by your behavior at the bedside of a loved one.
Encourage medical personnel to treat life whenever possible and to re-learn the art of comforting the dying.
Influence community by providing patoral care, remembering that all of us -- ordained minister or layperson -- have a call to serve one another.
Influence congregations and families by providing Bible studies on life and death issues (Contact LFL )
Organize prayer and support groups for families of the dying.
Raise awareness by providing credible information on the growing practice of euthanasia (visit LFL or Life Issues)
Comfort others by using the same comfort you have received from God in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:3-7).
Imitate the Good Samaritan who showed love for his neighbor by giving of his own money and time (Luke 10:25-37).

Our Creator God never intended that we shoulder a load of suffering by ourselves. That's the whole purpose of the Christian community. Truly, "Two are better than one . . . for if one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is all alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up . . ." (Eccl. 4:9-10 God's Word)

We are designed to need each other. We are called not only to say "choose life," but "let me help you choose life."

(SOURCE: Ventilators, Feeding Tubes, and Other End-of-Life Issues by Linda Bartlett & Karen Rehder, M.D., Item #800B from LFL)

Living Wills vs.
Will to Live or Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care

The concept of the Living Will was introduced in 1967 by the Euthanasia Education Council (now called Choice in Dying) as a means of promoting discussion of euthanasia. The idea of the Living Will gained in popularity especially in light of ever-increasing court cases involving questions of whether or not to remove "life support" from people who could no longer indicate their wishes. People often sign Living Wills out of fear of being hooked up against their will to machines and tubes. In 1990 the Federal Government passed the Patient Self-Determination Act that requires medical facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds to offer people the opportunity to sign a Living Will. A simple document like the Living Will can lead to assisted suicide or euthanasia.

Better than a Living Will is a Will to Live statement or Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. We recommend the following resources:

(SOURCE: The Basics On Advance Directives available from LFL, Item #807B)

The Stem Cell War

Unlike embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells do have a record of healing. But, you wouldn't know it from the media.

State GOP lawmakers in Minnesota (April 2011) are trying to ban the cloning of human embryos, a technology tied to embryonic-stem-cell research (ESCR). Critics of the legislation say it's just another instance of the war on science. To prove it, they brought forward a woman, Trisha Knuth, whose little boy, Charlie, has been relieved of a horrific skin disease by a stem-cell transplant.

The only problem with this story is that the therapy that healed Charlie uses adult stem cells, from a donor. Yet when Charlie's mother testified impassionedly to the MN legislature, you had to search carefully in media reports for the information that her son's healing actually had no connection with embryonic stem cells.

"That happens all the time!" an exasperated Dr. Theresa Deisher told David Klinghoffer. Deisher is the Stanford-trained biotech researcher whose lawsuit last year shut down government funding of ESCR for 17 days. "People are treated with adult stem cells and they twist the story to promote embryonic stem cells," she said.

Deisher argues that far from being in conflict with medicine's mission, traditional moral concerns are strongly in line with it. ESCR, ongoing for 30 years and lavishly funded by the National Institutes of Health, has no record of healing. Yet morally unproblematic adult stem cells have worked wonders -- notably in other countries. U.S. federal funding for trials of novel treatments using these less politically correct stem cells has lagged.

Neuroscientist Jean Peduzzi-Nelson of Wayne State University, testified before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee in September 2010 about the peer-reviewed by underreported advances that have been made using adult stem cells. In Portugal, a young man paralyzed by a severe spinal-cord injury was healed to the point of being able to walk 30 feet unassisted.

In the U.S., too, reports the New England Journal of Medicine, patients suffering from corneal blindness can now see, and others suffering from sickle-cell anemia have gone years without symptoms. In 2003, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, a man with multiple sclerosis received adult stem cells, and his symptoms disappeared in four months.

We can do well, helping people to get well, by doing good and refraining from doing harm to innocent life. How unfortunate that when it comes to treatments with adult stem cells -- for stroke, diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and other maladies -- the government is reluctant to make an adequate investment.

The dilemma that pits medicine against conservatism or science against religion is false. In a false dilemma, alternatives and gradations are arbitrarily excluded.

The real war here is not a war on science. It is a war on truth.

(SOURCE: "The Stem Cell War" by David Klinghoffer, National Review Online. Klinghoffer is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute.)

Caring For People

Abortion, school shootings, suicide, terrorism, racism, abuse, and euthanasia are what happen when people turn their backs on the Creator of life.

True human care is what happens when we trust the Creator of life. The message of creation in Genesis affirms the value of each individual human life -- from the moment of conception until natural death. In Genesis, we learn that God intimately involved Himself in the creation of male and female. This message is repeated throughout Scripture. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps. 139:14). "I am your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb" (Is. 44:24). "Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save" (Is. 46:4). God "gives to all mankind life and breath and everything" (Acts 17:24-25). Believing God's Word about life compels us to practice human care. Study history. It is Christians who started hospitals, adoption agencies, hospice care, prison ministries, and homes for the aged.

Christians practice human care by "choosing life" (Deut. 30:19-20); "rescuing those being taken to slaughter" (Prov. 24-11-12); "comforting those in affliction" (2 Cor. 1:3-4); and feeding the hungry, welcoming the strangers, clothing the naked, and visiting those who are sick or in prison (Matt. 25:34-36, 40-43, 45-46).

Each human life is valuable because God created and redeemed it in Jesus Christ. Trusting this, the Christian helps make this a safer world for all people of all colors and cultures, all ages, and facing all challenges. Loving and trusting God, we also love our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-39) and "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2).

Christian Charity
or State Welfare?

Which is better for individuals, families, and society: Christian charity or state welfare? What has state welfare accomplished? What does it require? To what does it lead?

Now, consider the history of the Church and its impact on the culture. It is Christians, not the state, who created a diaconia that cared for widows (Acts 6:1-7); established common treasuries to aid the needy (1 Cor. 16:2); formed collegia, soladitats, or factionis (voluntary associations) to aid the unfortunate; provided for orphans; established nosocomia (institutions that served the sick); constructed xenodchia (buildings that housed strangers, travelers, and the sick); operated ptochia (institututions for the poor); and introduced gerontocomia (institutions for the aged).

To learn more, we highly recommend that you purchase a copy of How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J. Schmidt (Zondervan).

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd . . .
Jesus (John 10:10)

But... What About Pain?

Pain can be a major reason for desiring death; therefore, a patient's family does well to demand good pain treatment for their loved one from a physician who is a specialist in pain management if at all possible. Few people need to die in extreme pain.

In controlling extreme, terminal pain the dosage of morphine, for example, which is required can be close to lethal. If that line is crossed in good faith that is one issue, but the possibility creates a situation where euthanasia can be performed insidiously but willfully and effectively. Because of the potential abuses and henceforth the legal implications, this puts physicians in a difficult position for which they need protection.

Another important aspect of pain management is the concern which some have over addiction to pain medication. Such a concern seems a little ridiculous if the patient is terminal or if the pain is completely immobilizing. Guidelines for physicians in these areas are vital, but at the same time they need enough flexibility and protection to function effectively. We can stop most pain. If we do not treat pain effectively, we give good ammunition to the proponents of assisted suicide and euthanasia.

If you are not satisfied with the level of pain management that you or your loved one is receiving, seek a second or third opinion, check out new techniques of pain relief, and look up information on the Internet, but be sure to limit your research to well known institutions and reputable sites.

(SOURCE: Before I Die by Elizabeth Ruth Skoglund, available from LFL)

Lutherans For Life offers individuals, families, pastors, and congregations a wealth of resources to help make God-pleasing decisions.

Please call 888-364-LIFE
or visit us online.

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