Jeff on Physician-Assisted Suicide

Pastor Jeff has some interesting and nuanced reflections on physician-assisted suicide and the "right to die," triggered by recent rulings from the highest state court in Massachusetts and the US Supreme Court. He writes:

I accept the "pro-life" label for myself. That doesn't mean life itself is an absolute good to be pursued at all costs. We can use technology to prolong life painfully, expensively, and even unnecessarily. Almost invariably, family members will end up providing more life-sustaining intervention for the dying than they say they would want for themselves.

As a Christian, my hope is not in this life but in the life to come, and in the resurrection of Christ (which is the guarantee of my own). I am going to die, in God's good time. Unlike in the past, it is unlikely that I will die in a sudden accident or due to a terrible disease. I will likely live to old age and experience what comes with it - diminished capacities, frailty, and pain.

I think much of the concern about end-of-life decisions is justifiably related to suffering. There are, sadly, many slow and painful ways to die. Suffering (for the Christian) is not an evil to be avoided at all costs, but an opportunity for God to work through our circumstances to produce perseverance, character and hope. And yet, I don't think Christians can demand that others endure suffering simply because of our beliefs about God's sovereignty. Hopeless suffering is cruel.

Read the whole thing.