Dying with Dignity

My Facebook feed has been 50% politics and 50% Brittany Maynard for the past four days. Normally, I'm one to stay away from these subjects because I hate debating on social media. I know this isn't hunting related, but I just wanted to voice my opinion on the matter of euthanasia.   In the 8th grade, we had to a "controversial" essay in literature class. This essay was to be accompanied by a speech supporting your case. At the age of thirteen, I wrote my essay on human euthanasia. For me, this has always been an easy decision and one that I support strongly. I feel everyone has the right to do what they want with their life, no matter what. If they really want to end  it, they're going to end it. They can either end it with drugs, or with a .45, the end result is the same. There are very few things that I support "politically" as strong as this, and if you want to debate it with me, I'm more than receptive. Before you do, let me give you some input as to why I feel the way I do.   I know the Lord holds the world in His hands. I know He knew what's going to happen in my life before I was even thought of. I believe in the Lord with all my heart. I see Him work in my life in so many ways, and I am so blessed to serve such a wonderful God. Using the defense "God chooses when we die, not us" is completely and absolutely contradictory to everything I believe. The Lord knew Brittany Maynard was going to end her life on November the first; long before she was even born. To say that He didn't would be saying that our Lord is not an all knowing God. People saying that Brittany Maynard is in Hell right now needs to read the bible. All sinners who asked the Lord to save them have been saved, no matter what they do in their life, they are going to Heaven. Whether Brittany Maynard was saved or not, no one knows but her and God, but I will not condemn her nor judge her. 1 Corinthians 10:13 "..but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."   Many people say she is a coward with no faith. By cutting her life short, she cut of the Lord's plans for her. Once again, the Lord knew what was going to happen. The Lord is not "surprised" by our decisions. We don't cut God's plans short, He cuts us short. She may be a coward to some, but deciding to end your own life is something that I'm terrified of. There's a lady in our church right now who is dying. She's experiencing things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Her husband has to rush his best friend to the hospital on almost a weekly basis, always wondering if this is finally it. If that woman went outside right now and shot herself in the head to end the pain, would people consider her a coward? Would that say she has no faith? Her condition is terminal, 100% there is no coming back. Is the situation that much different? Yes, Brittany may have not been going through the worst of her illness yet, but once she got to that point, would they let her make that decision? Probably not. They would consider her not lucid enough to make a decision like that, and she would have been forced to die a very painful death. While one woman may be strong enough to fight it till the end, the other was strong in a completely different way.   I've seen people on their deathbed. I've known people who begged for a gun to end the pain. Shouldn't we be allowed to make a decision? Our bodies are temples, as said in the bible, but has that stopped people from getting tattoos? How about having your ears pierced? Leviticus 19:28 "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." . How can we take a verse and so adamantly use it against tattoos, while having our ears pierced?  It's not fair to twist a bible verse to suit what you believe. Yes, biblically its wrong for her to end her life. But screaming that while having tattoos or piercings or being drunk on Saturdays is wrong, too. We are all sinners. Saved or not, we sin every single day in so many ways. To say that Brittany's sins is greater than your sins is not how Christians should act. Be a light unto the world, not condemning others because their light shines differently than yours.   I worked at a vet clinic in the past. Every, single day, I had a call from a disheartened pet owner. "Fluffy is getting old. He's 15, and in so much pain he cant even stand anymore." Do we value animal's lives over humans? I don't. An animal is an animal, a person is a person. I love my animals, but I've  also made the decision that I love them enough o stop the suffering. The principle is the same. If I get diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and I know there is nothing lying ahead of me other than dementia and forgetting everyone I love, I want a way out. I want to be able to save my family as well as myself the pain of dying a death like that. "But what ifs they find a cure but you killed yourself so you missed out on it?"  I'll be with Jesus, because I'm saved. Do you really think I'll care what happens on earth once I'm in Heaven?

I'm beginning to ramble, so I'll end with this. It was Brittany's life to end, not yours. Lauren Hill, another terminally ill cancer patient, pursued her dreams of playing a college basketball game. I've seen a lot of people making remarks along the lines of "see, Brittany, Laurens the REAL brave one. She didn't give up." That's low. Maybe Brittany's goal was to spend her life lucid and surrounded by her family. Why condemn one girl's goal for another's just because it goes against your personal belief. Everyone is different, that's what makes America wonderful. We need to remember that diversity isn't just in our favorite foods, it's in our life goals, too. You never know what battle someone is facing. Above all things, you should pray for someone rather than judge them.   **DISCLAIMER** In this post I am not saying that we should make euthanasia a norm. I'm stating why I feel Brittany Maynard should not be condemned for what she did with her life.