Meet Charlie. He is 8 years old and has a non-operable brain tumor which has not responded to radiation or chemotherapy. Charlie is going to die next Monday.
He is not old enough to die for his country, vote, or sign a legally binding agreement, yet the choice of when he will die has been given to him.
Ridiculous, right? Not in Belgium.
Charlie is not an actual person. I made him up, but that doesn't mean there aren't children like him. The Belgian Parliament has voted in favor of euthanasia without age limits. Congratulations, Belgium! You should be proud of your progressive ideas. BLECH!
I was reading this to my husband, and David (11) was listening in. He asked where the children go after they die. I said that children go to heaven because all the children belong to God. David said, "Oh, because they're not old enough to choose for themselves."
Brilliant!
If a child has not reached the age of consent and isn't old enough to make a decision for Christ-with a full understanding of what that means-how can he or she choose to die?
I do not mean to belittle their pain. It is not fair for a child to suffer constantly or to have to live in a drug-induced haze. Still, I think I would do anything to fight for the lives of my children. I understand depression can also be physically painful, yet suicide is illegal. I know adults who live in constant pain, either from injuries or illness, who would probably prefer to die at times, but they learn to deal with/manage/suffer through it because death is so permanent.
But if they are going to die anyway, why not relieve them of their suffering?
We are all going to die anyway. Does this mean we should just give up at the first sign of difficulty or pain? Or even the second or the hundredth? One thing children have trouble grasping is "tomorrow". They want what they want, and they want it NOW! They can't see past the moment they are in. It is up to the adults to guide them to this understanding, with patience and love.
When my autistic son requests something that he must wait for, I try to teach him how to wait. I give him a timeline of what must happen first. Sometimes he doesn't get what he wants at school because he didn't do his work. He may cry, or even throw a fit. His teacher doesn't give in to him. She explains that he has another day to "try again tomorrow."
I know I am not talking about life and death decisions here. But try reasoning with an autistic child who has difficulty communicating his wants and needs. This is no easy task. It must be a billion times more difficult for parents watching their child suffer in pain. I'd like to believe that I would work to instill hope in my children instead of giving them the option to end it all.
Toaster waffles
Microwave popcorn
Movies on demand
Instant pain relief
Death by request
We've come a long way, but to what end?
1 comment:
Hear hear!
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