Does Human Life Matter?

“It’s my life and I can do with it what I want to” is a common mantra in Western society. Yet, in recent years that mantra has taken on a grave twist. With the legalization of euthanasia—what some have called “mercy killing”—people are increasingly allowed to commit legal suicide with the help of their doctor. And in some countries, the reasons legally allowed to justify this seem increasingly trivial.

In 2002, the Netherlands became the first nation in the world to allow doctors to kill patients who desired suicide as long as the patient satisfied certain “strict” conditions (AP, June 28, 2023). But those conditions have become increasingly loose and fuzzy, allowing suicide by individuals with autism or intellectual disabilities, merely “because they said they could not lead normal lives.” And in 2020, the Dutch government moved to allow euthanizing children under age 12 with terminal illnesses (BBC, October 14, 2020). One must ask—just what is the primary goal here? Benefitting the suffering child, benefitting the suffering parents, or reducing the medical burden on society?

Mankind has a strong tendency toward playing God. Yet, the Bible makes clear that God, not man, is the Life-giver. He alone has the power and authority to give and to take life. When human beings take the life of another human being, it is called “murder”—something God strictly forbids (Exodus 20:13)—and suicide is essentially self-murder. Watching someone suffer is very difficult, but it never warrants taking God’s prerogatives into our own hands. Suffering reminds us that we do not live in God’s world, we live in a world currently ruled by the “god of this age,” Satan the Devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). However, there is a world coming in which suffering will cease: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain” (Revelation 21:4). That is the world we seek, not the panacea provided by assisted suicide. But that world requires the return of Jesus Christ to make it a reality. To learn more, be sure to read “What Is the Value of Human Life?”