We are all going to die someday. We hope it will be later rather than sooner. It is a subject we do not like to think about, let alone discuss. Sure, we are exposed to other people’s deaths. Some are very close to us, and some are just acquaintances. The death of a child is especially heartbreaking.
Then there are tragic accidental deaths that take people away too soon, such as auto accidents. We can only hope their souls were properly disposed of. I am not sure how other denominations handle sin, but if you have a mortal sin on your soul when you die, Catholics believe you will go to Hell. This is why confession is so important. Of course, it is not for us to judge whether any person is in Heaven or Hell. Jesus is the just Judge; we pray for them that they may see Heaven.
The Moral Question of Euthanasia
It is that thought, the state of our soul when we die, that makes Euthanasia so appalling to me. To think that your last and final act on earth is to kill. Albeit you are choosing it for yourself and not taking another’s life, you are still taking a life. You are telling God that he has no rights over you.
The pro-abortion crowd that rants “my body, my choice” would undoubtedly be in favor of euthanasia. It is their body, and if they want to leave the world because they do not want to suffer from any disease, they would be more than happy to ask for medication to take them out, just like a “simple pill” to abort a child. Though the truth of it is, in the case of abortion, the taking of the pill (swallowing) is simple, the effects are not, and to the contrary, quite painful.
Definitions and Distinctions
Is Euthanasia the same as assisted suicide? No. Assisted suicide is when a person takes the lethal dose themselves, usually a pill, given to them by a third party (a doctor).
In euthanasia, a third party, such as a doctor or nurse, directly administers a lethal dose of medication. It can be voluntary or non-voluntary. (When a person is unable to consent, family members must make decisions.) This occurs most often when a person is in a persistent vegetative state, an infant, or a person with severe dementia.
Passive Euthanasia and End‑of‑Life Decisions
Passive Euthanasia is the withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining treatment, allowing a person to die naturally (including the withdrawal of food and water). This is often legally and ethically distinct from euthanasia. The case of Terri Schiavo, a young woman who was in a vegetative state in a nursing home after a 1990 collapse, brought attention to end-of-life issues in the US.
A legal battle from 2000 to 2005 raised legal and ethical questions about end-of-life issues, as her parents wanted to keep her alive while her husband did not; he asked for a court order to remove her feeding tubes. It was reported that her parents felt she was trying to communicate. Doctors determined her movements were involuntary reflexes.
Hospitals will now ask for a signed directive when you undergo any treatment, outlining instructions for your care in the event you flatline. It is a difficult decision to make if the prognosis is unclear. This document is known as a “DNR,” or Do Not Resuscitate order.
Legalization and Expansion in Canada
So, where are we free to check ourselves out when the going gets rough? Canada has made it legal since 2016. They call it Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). This includes both forms, known as euthanasia and assisted suicide. To qualify, a patient’s death must be reasonably foreseeable (imminent within 6 months), the patient must be over 18, make a voluntary request, and be eligible for Canadian healthcare. Once requested (in writing, with an independent witness confirming it was done with free will), the patient is still free to decline. Two medical experts must sign off on it. The patient must also be informed of all possible treatments, including palliative care, before accepting it.
In 2021, an amendment to Canadian law allowed death when natural death was not reasonably foreseeable, meaning people with chronic or debilitating conditions would now qualify. Another reason accepted and added to the Bill is mental illness. However, this has been delayed and is being challenged in court, delaying implementation. There have been 76,475 MAiD deaths reported in Canada since its inception.
A 26-year-old Canadian man, Kiano Vafaeian, was euthanized in British Columbia on December 30, 2025, under the new criteria for chronic or debilitating conditions. He had been denied in 2022 but approved in 2025. He had Type 1 diabetes and blindness in one eye due to that illness. He also suffered from depression. His family opposed the decision, saying he had become obsessed with the idea of dying after losing his vision in one eye and was afraid of being totally blind. Critics called the case a “failure of ethics”.
This is a slippery slope, especially dangerous when the government controls the healthcare system. Are people going to be urged to end their lives because they are a “burden” to their families, or because they have no family to care for them? It would be the same reasoning used to encourage women to abort a baby because they cannot afford to care for it.
This reminds me of the 1973 movie “Soylent Green.” Set in the future (2022) and at the height of the real-life overpopulation scare of the 1970s, the film reflects the panic fueled by Paul R. Ehrlich, a Stanford University biologist, whose 1968 book, The Population Bomb, spread a false narrative. He stated that there would not be enough food to feed the population and that we must achieve zero population growth to correct it. The “threat” of overpopulation was another good excuse to legalize abortion.
In the movie, an elderly Edward G. Robinson is brought into a “Thanatorium,” a peaceful room where he is given choices of music and tranquil nature scenes to watch while receiving the death drink. His friend (Charlton Heston) tries to stop him, but he was too late. It is slowly revealed through investigation that the food is not what it was reported to be. Heston tries to alert the public that the bodies are used to create ‘Soylent Green’ food wafers. His famous line at the end of the movie is screamed: “Soylent Green is people!”
The American Landscape
Canada has taken a dark path. Is the US following? Technically, euthanasia is still illegal in the US. But several states allow the MAiD concept, Medical Aid in Dying. They prefer a more palatable term, calling it Death with Dignity. In these states, patients must be mentally competent, over 18, and have a terminal illness with six or fewer months to live. Again, the patient must administer the drugs themselves. These states include California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Illinois, Montana, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C.
States that have proposed legislation but not passed any law include Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. If enacted, roughly half of the US will allow assisted suicide.
The Importance of Advance Directives
Given the variety of medical conditions, circumstances, and medical interventions available in health care, it is important to talk with family and doctors to understand your rights and to let family know your wishes if you are unable to make medical decisions for yourself.
