“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).
With assisted suicide becoming legal in more countries, people with disabilities or diseases are faced with the choice of whether or not to die with dignity. Dying with dignity is when someone who is faced with a terminal illness decides to control their death. Although someone might have a terminal disease, they should not resort to assisted suicide. When people are under stress they don’t make good decisions; it doesn’t allow them to see what their future holds, and it doesn’t give God a chance to work in their life.
When people are very stressed, they don’t make the best decisions for themselves. Although someone might be able to get another person to help them make a decision, that person often seeks advice from others and can be swayed by emotions. Dealing with sickness and disease is a heavy burden to bear. As humans, we are naturally inclined to take the easy way out. Choosing to end a life instead of nurturing it could seem to be an easy alternative. When people under stress are making a difficult decision, they may pay more attention to the upsides of the alternatives and less to the downsides (Mather, 2012).
If someone chooses assisted suicide, they won’t ever know what their future could hold. Jeanette Hall was suffering from cancer and was going to use assisted suicide but her doctor wouldn’t prescribe the pills. The doctor, in his final effort, said to her, “Wouldn’t you like to see your son graduate? Wouldn’t you like to see him get married?” That kept Hall from choosing assisted suicide. “Fifteen years later, Hall is now cured of cancer and celebrating her 70th birthday with her son” (Harkness, 2015). Our future is made from a plan by God. People who choose assisted suicide forfeit their chance to see God’s plan and essentially are saying that God’s plan is not enough. Although death is something we all will face, it is in God’s plan for when that will occur.
If you choose assisted suicide, God’s work can’t be done. A couple of years ago, my dad was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe dementia and we never looked at assisted suicide as an option. There has been a lot of pain and hard times, but we have met many people whom God has put into our lives who are loving and caring towards us. We would never have known them otherwise. God can work in anyone’s life and you just have to believe that He can do anything. My life has not been easy since my dad’s diagnosis, but there has never been a time that I thought assisted suicide would be a solution.
People should not resort to assisted suicide because, when someone is stressed, they don’t make the best decisions. Assisted suicide doesn’t allow the person to see what might happen during the rest of one’s life and it doesn’t give God a chance to work within your life. God will strengthen us and will be with us. It is our job to trust in His plan and live our lives praising Him. Assisted suicide is not the answer because God has a plan for everyone.
Bibliography:
Harkness, Kelsey. “Assisted Suicide: How One Woman Chose to Die, Then Survived.” The Daily Signal. 18 May 2015. Web. 12 Mar 2018.
Mather, Mara. “Stress Changes How People Make Decisions.” Psychological Science. 27 Feb 2012. Web. 11 Mar 2018.
Rasmussen, Norm. “Do I Really Want to Commit Suicide?” Precious Testimonies. Web. 11 Mar 2018.
This essay, written by a middle school student, won first place in the 2018 Life Issues Contest. Submissions are now being accepted for the 2019 contest. Students may submit an essay or artistic project about life issues. For more information, click here.
Photo (c) jrwasserman/iStock
