Every Sunday, my family and I attend Catholic Mass. Every Sunday, we join the congregation in praying a special intention for an increase in appreciation for life, "from the moment of conception to natural death." And every Sunday, I find myself thinking about that second part -- natural death.
If conception is one of life's bookends, then natural death is the other; the in-between part is the good stuff, where life is lived and memories are made. We don't get equal doses of the good stuff, which may not be fair, but, well, that's life. If one of the bookends falls, however ...
We Christians and conservatives are very organized and passionate about saving unborn babies from the cruel fate of abortion, and I have no doubt that all pro-lifers have nothing but disdain for those pushing euthanasia and assisted suicide. But a horrible new thing has arrived on the scene, and we can't be quiet about it.
It's called a "suicide pod" -- also known as the "Tesla of euthanasia" -- and it's a creepy-looking, coffin-like contraption in which those looking to end their life can simply push a button and have the whole thing over with in about ten minutes. Easy peasy; no other humans, and certainly no God, necessary.
The suicide pod took its first life this past Monday when a 64-year-old woman from the U.S. ended her own life in a forest on the border of Switzerland and Germany. All that is known about the woman is that she was from the Midwest and was somehow immunocompromised. And now she's dead, likely thinking her life no longer held value.
Some people were arrested in connection with the woman's suicide, but only because the capsule did "not fulfill the demands of the product safety law." It was perfectly fine for this lady to take her own life in Switzerland, where the law of the land mandates that suicide is legal as long as there's no "external assistance" from a doctor and those who may help facilitate the act don't have "self-serving" motives. Needless to say, the makers and promoters of the pods were happy with their successful outcome, stating it was a “peaceful, fast and dignified" death.
I was horrified to read about the sad ending to this woman's life via suicide pod, and even more horrified by the comments readers made praising the taking of one's own life. Many of these commenters actually thought of suicide, especially for those with a terminal illness, as being a step forward for humanity. Suicide pods, though a newer concept, seemed acceptable to this crowd. And it wasn't just a few random comments; I saw hundreds of positive comments on the topic across several different news sites.
It's shocking how little we value human life in 2024.
The argument in favor of suicide pods hinges on the idea of "dying with dignity." Just like having a good life, dying a "good death" is something we all want, but not necessarily something we're all going to get. Many argue that they witness family members go through agonizing deaths, which, apparently, merits one taking one's own life to avoid suffering. Sadly, suffering is an inescapable part of life, and you don't have to be a Christian to appreciate that fact.
It's not that I don't understand where this argument comes from -- I saw the agony of a painful death firsthand when my father died while being treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia twelve years ago. The chemo destroyed his body and started a rapid decline that wasn't pretty. It was awful for him and for my family, but I can guarantee you one thing: my father died with dignity. He was a man of faith who trusted in God's plan for him. That's not to say he wasn't scared of suffering and death because he was. But he bore it with great dignity until the very end.
I'm sure many of you reading this have experienced something similar. Sadly, I'm currently witnessing this again as one of my siblings fights an advanced and very deadly cancer. It's an awful thing, but, thankfully, suicide hasn't been introduced as a treatment option.
So, how did humanity get here? The decline in the number of people who identify as religious certainly plays a part in it; too many people now think they are the higher power who gets to decide everything. I'd also argue that it's part of the "strong men create good times, good times create weak men" cycle. We've had it too easy for so long that we no longer see any value in the process of suffering. This is true in the U.S. and particularly true in Canada and Western Europe, where assisted suicide seems to be on the rise.
RedState's Bob Hoge summed it up nicely when writing about the assisted suicide of a young woman in the Netherlands:
The cult of death and, frankly, the negativity that has been allowed to fester in Justin Trudeau’s Canada and Joe Biden’s America—and seemingly Europe as well—is a far cry from the optimism and hope that characterized American thought for two centuries now. It’s one of the many things that’s been lost in recent years as guilt, loss, and despair have become the dominant narratives of our cultural class. We were once a people of dreams and aspirations for ourselves and for our families. Now, in Western thought, it seems like a cult of doom has taken over—climate change will kill us all, our reliance on energy and plastic bags will be our ruin, and we’re all secretly racist in our deepest heart of hearts.
He's 100% correct. There is a climate of doom that's being perpetrated by the ruling class, resulting in people wanting to die, not because they are terminally ill, but because they are beaten down by life and don't have the skills to cope. For goodness sake, Canadians are offered suicide as an option if they're homeless! Governments of the Western world do not value their citizens, and, in turn, the citizens don't value their own lives.
As pro-lifers, we need to add that second bookend -- natural death -- to all of our efforts to value and save lives. We can't allow suicide to become an acceptable antidote to a challenging life, and we certainly can't allow suicide pods to become a normal part of society.
