Euthanasia in tough cases

[Shaolen]

So my coworker who is an old Jewish lady came up to me talking about dogs. The conversation then came to putting dogs down. She then said that we’re more humane to dogs than to humans saying we should put down humans who are going through intense pain toward the end of their life or even not. She stated:

“they say God never gives us more than we can handle, I’m not so sure. I knew a person who had (I forget what condition it was) and he was constantly in intense pain, any little touch would send him screaming and yelling in agony but the doctor wouldn’t provide euthanasia.”

how can I Address this? What can I say for a situation like the man she spoke of?

 

[MacQ]

So my coworker who is an old Jewish lady came up to me talking about dogs. The conversation then came to putting dogs down. She then said that we’re more humane to dogs than to humans saying we should put down humans who are going through intense pain toward the end of their life or even not. She stated:

“they say God never gives us more than we can handle, I’m not so sure. I knew a person who had (I forget what condition it was) and he was constantly in intense pain, any little touch would send him screaming and yelling in agony but the doctor wouldn’t provide euthanasia.”

how can I Address this? What can I say for a situation like the man she spoke of?

I would ask her whether the the guy died or recovered. Either way, The doctor attending him should have provided adequate pain relief.
Hospice care ensures that pain and distress are relieved for someone who has a terminal or incurable ilness. That is the ethical approach. Intervening to hasten death is not.

There’s another side to the question of doctors providing euthanasia…and that is the doctor’s soul. When you ask someone to step into God’s shoes and take death in his own hands, you are inviting him to sully his own soul.

 

[MaryT777]

I would ask her whether the the guy died or recovered. Either way, The doctor attending him should have provided adequate pain relief.
Hospice care ensures that pain and distress are relieved for someone who has a terminal or incurable ilness. That is the ethical approach. Intervening to hasten death is not.

There’s another side to the question of doctors providing euthanasia…and that is the doctor’s soul. When you ask someone to step into God’s shoes and take death in his own hands, you are inviting him to sully his own soul.

 

[Shaolen]

I would ask her whether the the guy died or recovered. Either way, The doctor attending him should have provided adequate pain relief.
Hospice care ensures that pain and distress are relieved for someone who has a terminal or incurable ilness. That is the ethical approach. Intervening to hasten death is not.

There’s another side to the question of doctors providing euthanasia…and that is the doctor’s soul. When you ask someone to step into God’s shoes and take death in his own hands, you are inviting him to sully his own soul.

Oh I forgot to mention that she did state that the guy was on strong meds and still having this pain. I really with I remember what condition it was. I really appreciate your answer

 

[The_Wizard]

It is all about who has the authority. As for our animals God has delegated his authority over them to us. "Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life - the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, and all livestock, wild animals, and small animals.’ " (Genesis 1:26). We are to exercise this authority responsibly. Euthanatizing a pet when it is absolutely called for is part of exercising that authority God gave us. God has NOT delegated his authority over our lives to anyone. When someone make the decision to euthanatize themselves or someone else they have set themselves up as god and HE doesn’t like when that happens.

 

[MacQ]

I really with I remember what condition it was. I really appreciate your answer

Thanks for sayin’ so.

 

[MacQ]

It is all about who has the authority. As for our animals God has delegated his authority over them to us. "Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life - the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, and all livestock, wild animals, and small animals.’ " (Genesis 1:26). We are to exercise this authority responsibly. Euthanatizing a pet when it is absolutely called for is part of exercising that authority God gave us. God has NOT delegated his authority over our lives to anyone. When someone make the decision to euthanatize themselves or someone else they have set themselves up as god and HE doesn’t like when that happens.

I’ve always thought of it that way…although I hadn’t specifically considered the Genesis verse to back it up. Thanks for that one.

 

[Viki63]

As others have said, we are not to take human lives into our hands or act like God. We don’t have that authority.
Medicine can usually provide pain relief, though some are worried about addiction. That is usually an unfounded fear when dealing with acute or chronic pain.

People have funny notions. When my mother was dying, the nurse did not want to provide pain relief since she was afraid it would hasten her death, and it was Christmas eve. She did not want the grandchildren to associate Christmas with their grandmother’s death.
I told her we did not care about the date and to give her whatever pain relief she needed. It was not a TV show.So she did get relief, and I believe she passed peacefully.

 

[NotAllHere]

You never know whom the person with pain may be ministering to by their example in long-suffering.

 

[MacQ]

You never know whom the person with pain may be ministering to by their example in long-suffering.

Absolutely true, and often overlooked.
That is indeed a piece of it (and part of God’s plan).
We need remember it’s not all about us!

 

[JimG]

Doctors can provide pain relief, even if it shortens life as a side effect. But they must not deliberately kill the patient. When they start doing that, they cease being doctors.

If you can kill one patient deliberately, it makes it easier to kill the next one. And pretty soon the hospice regulators begin to put the pressure on the docs if the patients live too long.