As my oldest closed out her first year of homeschooling with Seton last year {after attending public schools exclusively prior to} I was surprised to see she had chosen such a meaty topic to write about for her grammar and composition class. “Euthanasia” I thought to myself. Huh. That’s a topic I wouldn’t have known to choose or how to write or, to be honest, recalling how I would have responded at that age, what my take on it would have been. I mean, I knew abortion was wrong, but the other life issues were not something I knew much about.

I thought I would share her paper {with her permission, of course!} because even though it is a simple three point essay, it gives some insights that are pretty deep for the typical 15 year old my 15 year old.

 

Euthanasia is defined as intentionally killing a person who is suffering or whose life seems

burdensome or meaningless. It is a combination of murder and suicide. The Church teaches that

life is a sacred gift from God. Euthanasia is evil because it goes against God’s plan, society

wrongly decides who is worth living and who is not, and it robs the individual of offering up

their suffering.

     Euthanasia goes against God’s plan. God is the sovereign Master of life. He entrusts us

to take care of our bodies, although it is dangerous for the soul if we decide to take ownership of

our bodies. Our bodies are made to serve, love and praise God. Euthanasia is the grave opposite

of how we can love God.

     Society mistakenly decides the value of all life. It fails to recognize that all life has a

purpose, and God does not make mistakes. The handicapped, ill, and dying are seen as

burdensome or meaningless. Society sells “quality of life” as a good thing to people who do not

have a strong moral underpinning. Sadly, most of society falls into this category. We can see this

distortion of moral foundation in animal activist groups, such as PETA (People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals). They place the value of animals on the same level, if not having more

worth than humans. In all this disorder and confusion, having God as the center of our life is

critical.

     Euthanasia deprives the human being from offering up their suffering. Society sees

suffering as a bad thing. Catholicism teaches that although God never wills suffering, He allows

it for our benefit. An example is a child suffering through swim lessons. The parents allow it so

the child’s fear will cease, and they will learn swim safety. We may not always understand God’s

reasons for allowing suffering, but through our Faith we can find comfort by trusting that we can

endure with His grace, by knowing there is a reason for it, and it helps us realize how dependent

we are on Him.

     Euthanasia is a misnomer because the prefix “eu” in Greek means pleasing, good, or

well. The “eu” is misleading as the three points prove. Without the Catholic Faith, we would be

caught up in society’s definition of what is good and what is bad. I think that the Church’s

definition of right and wrong is perfect, because God is perfect.