Replies

Much of the pain and suffering is emotional. If people in chronic end of life pain or suffering of one kind or another feel valued as their essence and not looked at like a bag of decrepitude, it is much better - more endurable. If the caretakers, whether hospice people, family, professionals - whoever it is - actually care about them, it is more endurable.

If medical intervention that merely prolongs suffering for a little while is not pushed on them and good care that helps alleviate their suffering and pain is offered - if people who are actually terminal are respected and cared for, whatever they have to go through is much more endurable. Taking care of the dying or those who incurable and/or crippling illnesses is an art as well as a science. If the cultural standard is that life is worthy because every person is a spark from God and that is our real value - not beauty, wits, money, etc - then every person is worthy of care and respect, regardless of external accomplishments or “value” in the eyes of the world.

Letting charitable institutions have more freedom - like the Little Sisters of the Poor (I pinged an article about them today) - will keep the costs of caring for the elderly or terminally ill much lower.

In the debate over euthanasia, the merely opposing the practice is not enough. It's correct to oppose, but it's not enough. The reason that people are willing to support it is because the alternative seems to be even worse. Those who oppose euthanasia on Christian principles need to do more, to offer viable alternatives to either suicide or a slow, agonizing death. I will point out that the pro-life movement has gone beyond merely opposing abortion to offering alternatives to it, assisting women with unwanted pregnancies with clinics which offer medical assistance, adoption assistance, and counseling. These steps have proven that pro-lifers aren't the self righeous misogynists they were once perceived as being. The dedicated people who staff thse organizations have helped increase pro-life sympathy in the nation. In your last posting on this thread, you've actually made good points that go beyond the back-and-forth we're accustomed to. I wish that those at the forefront of the movement would make the points you made. End of life care needs to be improved. Research needs to be done with regard to improved pain-killers as well as back up for the overwhelmed family members and overworked and weary hospice workers. The only way to stop euthanasia is to make the alternative to it far better than it currently is. If those who share your beliefs were to devote their energies to improving the lot of the terminally ill, authanasia could become a bad memory.