Zeke is just an ordinary guy, living his mundane life when one day he suddenly takes ill and is hospitalised. He is in a coma and under intensive care. Although Zeke is not responding, but he can sense everything going on around him. He can hear his wife sobbing at his bedside, telling him how much she misses him, his kids putting their arms around him and his friend reading the daily news. Zeke’s visitors increase every day, relatives and friends all over travel to come and see him. Zeke has not felt so loved before. Despite the doctor’s report of no improvement in him, Zeke feels otherwise, he has never felt so rested before and he is eager to get well and let everyone know how much he appreciates their love and support. He promises himself that he will live his life everyday as if it is a miracle.

One morning Zeke feels an unusual sense of his family gathering around him, some were sobbing, others whispering as he tries to grasp what’s going on. He hears his son say to his little sister, “They are going to inject dad with a lethal injection, they say it won’t hurt him”. Zeke cannot believe that his family would declare a death sentence on him. He tries to move and speak up, but he is unable to do so. Tears roll down Zeke ’s eyes as he realises that the people who loved him are the one’s killing him.

This happens for real to people that are dying or are terminally ill. Euthanasia or mercy killing, is becoming a convenient option for family members of the dying and those that opt for assisted suicide. Euthanasia is an act that cause someone to die, if this action was not committed that person would eventually die a natural death, or recover from an illness. Euthanasia is defined as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.

Many people justify euthanasia as a sensible act of mercy whereby they relieve the person from prolonged suffering before death, but we know that God’s word speaks otherwise. In Exodus 20:13 NIV) “You shall not murder”, refers to any form of malicious taking of human life, apart from the judicial death penalty for crime and war for defence.

Human life in all its forms, including the embryo of an unborn child, is sacred and we are to preserve and protect it. Life is God’s gift to man and it is only God that can take it away. When humans take the lives of other humans, or their own life, they are acting as God.

When people see their loved one’s suffering, they want to put an end to their agony and opt for euthanasia, as they think it is better for the person to die than suffer. Irrespective of how much you love a person, it does not give you the right to kill a person. Love becomes distorted when people try to act as per their own will, instead of seeking God’s will for themselves and others. Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? (Ecclesiastes 17:7 ESV).

Suffering has its purpose in life and death has a special effect on people. It humbles them like nothing else ever would. God has his divine purpose in everything he allows a person to go through in life. Many people are saved at the point of death. When you deprive these people of those moments, unintendedly you are depriving them of their salvation. Is it better for a person to suffer for a while or suffer endlessly in hell?

However, it is not euthanasia or murder, when you pull the plug or artificial life support from a person that is dying, because artificial life support keeps a dying person alive by mechanical life sustaining procedures such as artificial breathing or keeping the heart beating. These procedures only help in postponing death for a short time. Withdrawing such procedure only lets the natural death to occur and is not termed as euthanasia and is not manslaughter.

Euthanasia occurs when a person is given an overdose of medication, sedatives or lethal injections that causes death or by withholding medications, antibiotics, insulin, fluids, therapy, nourishment and intensive care that would have saved the person. Euthanasia, is cruel manslaughter, with a fake disguise of mercy.

As Christians, it is our job to preserve and protect life and not be part of this manslaughter. Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know”, for God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul, knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve. (Proverbs 24: 11-12 NLT). We are to help people that are unable to help themselves, speak for those unable to defend themselves. Say no to euthanasia, say no to manslaughter. Respect life, preserve and protect it. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image (Genesis 9:6 ESV).

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