The Horrors of Euthanasia and the Problem of Suffering

As I’m writing this blog, on March 26, 2016, a young woman by the name of Noelia Castillo Ramos is being euthanized in Spain.[i] Unfortunately, this is nothing new in our Western society. Medically assisted suicide has been legal in Canada for almost 10 years.[ii] Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States—yes, even the USA in some states—have legalized medically assisted suicide to some degree.[iii]

You may wonder, as I did, what circumstances allow for assistance in suicide? In the United States, the law states that only mentally competent and terminally ill patients, whose illness will kill them within six months, allows for assisted suicide. It is fairly similar in Australia and New Zealand. Despite how extreme these cases seem, other countries have pushed the law even farther. Colombia, Cuba, and Ecuador allow for assisted suicide in cases of not only terminally ill patients, but also those who are experiencing severe suffering and incurable diseases. This is similar in various European countries as well. Germany in 2020 has potentially become the “pioneer” of assisted suicide. In 2020, they made assisted suicide exempt from punishment and do not seemingly have any stipulations on the condition of the person committing suicide. In 2022, three people, who were not sick, had an assisted suicide![iv]

The Problem of Suffering

Without diving further into the weeds of whether one has the legal right to kill oneself or to help kill others, which I find to be extremely problematic, as Christians, we need to ask ourselves how we ought to think about this. As Christians, should we support this? Should we fight against it? Is there an amount of suffering that makes it okay to commit suicide?

It is obvious that suffering permeates every corner of the globe and every aspect of our lives. No one escapes suffering, no matter how insignificant it may appear. Babies die in the womb or are stillborn. Children get cancer, and disease runs rampant through humanity. There is war, and innocents are killed daily. Some people are born crippled, and others, through accidents, are maimed and permanently injured.

What should we make of that? Is life still worth living? Are those in support of assisted suicide right that ending one’s life is more dignified and the proper response to suffering?

The Case for Suffering

The Secular Liberal Worldview
No, I do not think so. This ultimately comes down to one’s view of humanity and the purpose of our lives. The secular and liberal view of humanity is the foundation of the campaign for assisted suicide. That worldview, even looking past its low view of God, has a low view of humanity and our purpose. Humanity is here by chance. Sure, we may be the current pinnacle of evolution and are the first truly sentient beings on this planet, but what does it matter? We are merely more intelligent animals who figured out how to get on top of the food chain.

What is our purpose? Who needs one? There is no purpose in the secular liberal worldview. One might argue that our purpose is to help humanity flourish, but what does that matter? After some trillions of years, even the universe will pass away, and nothing will matter. So, what purpose does that leave us with? If it does not matter if humanity flourishes, we are left with pleasure and happiness.

Of course, pleasure and happiness are not in and of themselves bad or unimportant. But if we are left with pleasure being our primary pursuit, it will be found lacking. What happens when you no longer feel happy? Or when you experience pain? If both pleasure and happiness are gone, then your purpose has vanished. If your purpose has vanished, then why should you continue on?

In this worldview, assisted suicide becomes much more tempting and practical. This is especially true if one is in tremendous pain or even depressed. I would argue that if secularism and liberalism are the true worldviews, then we ought to allow anyone under any circumstances to go through with assisted suicide.[v] For if each person’s purpose is their pleasure, it only makes sense to end it all if you are no longer happy or experiencing any form of pleasure.

The Christian Case for Suffering
What about the Christian worldview? The Christian worldview is radically different. Our view of humanity and its purpose is much higher than the secular view. Our view stems from the one necessary being, the cosmic king, God. We are made in his image. We are his image bearers. Ironically, the secular view does get one thing right: we are the pinnacle of beings on this planet. But we are not the pinnacle of chance; we are the pinnacle of creation. We were made to be different from the animals. We were made to be stewards of the earth.

If our value as created beings comes from God, so does our purpose. Unlike the secular view, we have a defined purpose in this life. Every person’s purpose is to bear the image of God and to be transformed further into his likeness. Of course, this can only be fully accomplished through Christ. How then should this inform our view of suffering and assisted suicide?

Let me be clear, suffering is terrible and is a result of the sin in the world. God does not desire our suffering and wants to relieve it at the end of the age, when the whole of creation will be reconciled with him. But that does not mean there is never a purpose behind suffering, or at least that the evil done may not be used for good.

Rather than let our suffering control us and drive us to despair, it should drive us to the arms of our Saviour. The world argues that our purpose is to flee suffering and avoid it at all costs, but in the Christian view, part of our purpose is to persevere through it and use it to be transformed into Christ’s likeness. This is not to say that we should seek suffering and intentionally cause it in our lives, but when suffering does come, we should look to our hope and restoration in Christ.

If our value comes from our creator and king, allowing suffering to rule our lives and drive us to suicide is to devalue the life given to you. This is not to say that is always the intention. Our lives are a gift given to us by God. But they are not given purely for pleasure and happiness in this temporary life. Rather, our lives are meant to exemplify who God is to others and to steward the earth in God’s stead.

This is particularly true for Christians. Our purpose, now reborn, is to be like Christ to others, to drive them into his arms and kingdom. That means, as Christians, our duty is to bear suffering well. That does not mean we fake happiness and peace when we are in tremendous pain or going through terrible loss. It means we still bless and thank God in those times, and we cling to the hope given to us.

Our hope is what carries us through the suffering and the evil of this world. Our hope should motivate us to persevere in suffering and to point to God throughout. Assisted suicide, then, is an affront to the Christian’s hope and duty. The rise, then, of assisted suicide reveals a great need in the world and the Church.

Many people today are experiencing great suffering and do not know what to do. They are hopeless and lost. This includes some Christians. This then is a call to all Christians and churches across the world. Reach out to your neighbors, to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Bear one another’s burdens. Share the hope of Christ with those who do not know it, and remind our brothers and sisters who are struggling that their Saviour is bigger than any suffering in this life. Remember that:

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4.

References:

[i] Villarroel, Maria. “Gang Rape Victim, 25, Euthanized After Suicide Attempt Leaves Her Paraplegic.” AOL, March 26, 2026. https://www.aol.com/articles/gang-rape-victim-25-euthanized-080000426.html.

[ii] Government of Canada, Department of Justice, Electronic Communications. “Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Law.” Last modified July 31, 2024. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/ad-am/bk-di.html#s1.

[iii] “Assisted Dying Around the World – Dignity in Dying.” Dignity in Dying. Last modified September 30, 2024. https://www.dignityindying.org.uk/assisted-dying/assisted-dying-around-the-world/.

[iv] Hänel, Lisa, and Rina Goldenberg. “Assisted Suicide: Germany Weighs Autonomy and Ethics.” Dw.Com, July 7, 2023. https://www.dw.com/en/assisted-suicide-germany-weighs-autonomy-and-ethics/a-66111477.

[v] Editor’s Note: if there were no God, and if God is required for moral realism, then there would be no objective “ought” one way or the other. So, when the author says “if secularism and liberalism are the true worldviews, then we ought to allow . . . “ – that “ought” would have to be relative, irrealist, or non-moral, for example, a pragmatic/function “ought” serving some non-moral purpose such as efficiency, societal preferences, social cohesion, etc.

Recommended Resources:

Relief From the Worst Pain You’ll Ever Experience ( DVD ) ( MP3 ) ( Mp4 Download ) by Gary Habermas

Legislating Morality ( mp4 download ), ( DVD Set ), ( MP3 Set ), ( PowerPoint download ), and ( PowerPoint CD ) by Frank Turek

Legislating Morality: Is it Wise? Is it Legal? Is it Possible? by Frank Turek ( Book )

If God, Why Evil? ( DVD Set ), ( MP3 Set ), and ( mp4 Download Set ) by Frank Turek

Thomas Moller writes for FreeThinking Ministries on topics including suffering, theology, and cultural engagement. He brings a thoughtful perspective to difficult questions and helps believers think more deeply about faith and life.

Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/49zteiV