Wonderful letter against Euthanasia

From the blog of First Things magazine comes a wonderful letter to the Prime Minister of the Australian state of South Australia against a proposed euthanasia bill. This letter is worth notice for two reasons. First, it was written by an author who is facing his own terminal illness and dealing with lasting, chronic pain. Second, at no point is a religious argument made, but rather shows the logical errors behind euthanasia, as well as the abuses that existing euthanasia laws fail to prevent.

As Catholics, we do believe that chronic suffering can be made beneficial for those suffering and for all humanity by uniting it with the suffering of Our Lord during His Passion, and for that reason alone should oppose euthanasia. We must also be concerned that the availability of euthanasia has given a door to medical personal and health insurance corporations to save money by merely terminating the lives of those who are facing a long-term, expensive illness. They treat life as worth saving only if the person can provide some material worth after the treatment is completed. This utilitarian view is contrary to the respect that all human life deserves, and treats humans as tools to disposed of when broken or worn out.

Humans are not tools, but are unique beings made in the image and likeness of God. We must oppose any law, any philosophy, any action that treats humans otherwise. This letter should be sent to every state and nation that has passed or is considering euthanasia laws.