Comments on: A Pastoral Statement on Euthanasia and Imposing Death by Starvation and Dehydration

By: Dorothy R.

Dorothy R. — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 04:40:40 +0000

Gary,
Thank you for your quick reply. After I posted my initial comment, I had read some other thoughts, especially from a Hospice website, that said that it is wrong the “force-feed” someone who is dying and had a natural cessation of eating and drinking. It said that this may even cause them more suffering. I understand what you are saying about God ultimately being in control, but do you believe that someone should be allowed to die naturally, or should we always be in the mode of preserving life?

By: Gary

Gary — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:43:41 +0000

Dear Dorothy,

I am sorry to hear about your husband’s grandmother.

Without being directly involved I would first think it important to know why your relative is unresponsive, you have mentioned the stroke of course but in addition is she being heavily sedated through Hospice? Here is a place where we have to be careful in terms of judging unresponsiveness, often a patient might be responsive at least at some level but because of sedative pain medication they may be kept from showing any signs.

One would wonder what harm could be done in making sure someone is hydrated at least? If the body is not going to receive nutrition the rejection will become obvious.

When you mention prolonging her death I do think that a primary premise of the Pastoral Statement is important which is, who determines the moment of death, is it us with our decisions and actions or lack of actions or God?

As a matter of faith I think we must believe that if God has determined that a person’s life is going to end it is going to end whether or not we medicate, hydrate or feed.

It is this conviction that God is in control that should lead us to make sure we have done all that we can, not neccearily to bring about someone’s healing for it may be their time to die but to make sure that we are not imposing their death and putting them through the terrible process of starving and dehydrating.

For all our good intentions so many of our actions in this realm are based upon a belief or actually lack of belief that God determines the moment of our death. We believe we are prolonging, yet we cannot prolong if God has determined to end. As my exposure to these things grows I wonder why we do not want to make sure a person receives this most basic provision (food and water)? How do we know that they do not sense hunger and thirst?

If I seem to sound like I think I know it all, please believe me when I say I don’t think I know it all. I do know something very simple though: God is in control of of the beginning and end of our lives and for this reason our providing someone with the basic provisions for life can only be a good thing for it will ensure that they do not suffer.

Deuteronomy 32:39
“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”

Psalm 31:14-15
“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand…”

By: Dorothy R.

Dorothy R. — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 02:59:31 +0000

I read this posting with mixed feelings. My husband’s grandma is terminally ill and has been in the care of Hospice. She recently suffered a stroke and had been steadily declining, but most recently, she stopped eating on her own and became less and less responsive. She then slipped into a coma and has not been given anything for a week, not even an IV. Everyone sits by her bedside and just waits for her to die. Is this wrong? Should she have been given a feeding tube and IV to prolong her death, even if she remained unresponsive? Or is it just her time to die? She has been in a coma for 6 days with no major changes. I don’t know how to feel about this. Was the family wrong in their choice to not provide nutrition and fluid via IV and feeding tube?

By: Jeff Rakes

Jeff Rakes — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:43:25 +0000

Jeff Rakes, Assistant Pastor, Grace Church (PCA), Dover, DE

By: Dave Lort

Dave Lort — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:32:05 +0000

Gary,

Thanks for you work on this.

Rev.Dave Lort, Townsend DE

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:36:03 +0000

Thank you for this!

I especially like when you said, “Human suffering is a reminder of our need of the Savior Jesus Christ and the eternal life that comes through His atoning death and resurrection.” I think a lot of this happens because people are afraid and don’t know what to do with suffereing. But it has a purpose, and as humans, we are all pretty much guaranteed to suffer.

By: Pastor Doug Perkins

Pastor Doug Perkins — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:42:36 +0000

Add me as another signatory:

from Heritage Pres. Church (New Castle, DE)

By: sheila

sheila — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:47:29 +0000

i was so happy to read a pastor perspective on the removal of feeding tubes. this has been an extremly emotional issue with me since the terri schiavo case. i have become more active in the cause. it saddens me terribly to hear so many cases of euthenasia by removing a feeding tube. we certainly live in a culture of death. you would think we would have learned from the nazi, but, we didnt, or we forgot awfully quickly.
one can only imagine what the heavenly Father is feeling as He watches in our eternal homes, His children deciding whose life is worth it or whose life isnt. never mind that He has stated all lives are worth living. everyone.

By: Gary

Gary — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:01:01 +0000

Gary Knapp
Pastor, East Gate Presbyterian Church
Millsboro, DE