report 2

Euthanasia is a topic of ethical, moral, and religious debate. Many people want to reduce a loved one’s suffering by putting them out of their misery, however, should people be allowed to willingly let someone die? This is an issue that has been around for awhile. It was brought to the United States attention during the great controversy of the Terri Schiavo fiasco. Her husband wished to take away her feeding tube, while her parents wanted her to keep her feeding tube in and let her survive. This ethical issue can have many points of view. In this essay I interviewed Jonathan Kinnick. Mr. Kinnick is the Youth Pastor of Archibald Ranch Community Church of the Nazarene (ARCC) in Ontario, California. I interviewed Jonathan Kinnick for the last report that I did and I really liked the way the interview went so I decided to interview him again. I was surprised by the responses of the abortion topic and I wanted to see what his answers would be about the Euthanasia issue as well.
Jonathan Kinnick runs “The Gathering”, the youth group, at ARCC. He gives youth a chance to be around people that share the same interest in God and be able to talk and learn about God and the Gospel. He has a Master’s Degree in Economics that he received from USC.
The previous interview I had with Jonathan Kinnick was not very formal. This interview was quite similar. He was not the only person there and it turned into more of a debate and conversation. I really enjoyed the environment of the conversation because it proves how controversial these topics truly are. It also gives a big point of view.
When it comes to the subject of Euthanasia the Nazarene manual of beliefs states that, “We believe that euthanasia (intentionally ending the life of a terminally ill person, or one who has a debilitating and incurable disease that is not immediately life-threatening, for the purpose of ending suffering) is incompatible with the Christian faith.” They believe that when a person tells someone else to take their live because they are in so much pain is immoral. It is not right for someone to willingly kill someone because they are suffering. Christians should not take their own lives into their own hands. In killing themselves sovereignty is taken away from God.
The patient giving consent is not the only way that a person can have euthanasia. Allowing someone to die by not giving people artificial technology to prolong a person’s life when they are in a vegetative state is also considered euthanasia. This was the case in the controversial incident of the Terri Schiavo. She was in a vegetative state and her feeding tube was taken away. In this case the Church of the Nazarene says that, “When human death is imminent, we believe that either withdrawing or not originating artificial life-support systems is permissible within the range of Christian faith and practice.” Christians should be able to accept death and God’s will. They trust in God and in the hope of eternal life.
Jonathan believes that people must trust in God and through prayer people can find guidance. Everyone has to endure different hardships, but God is always there for them and they must trust in Him.
Before walking into this interview, I did not believe in euthanasia in any circumstance. I believe that euthanasia where the patient willingly asks for someone to take their life is no better than suicide. People commit suicide when they are trying to escape life because of some hardship they must endure. Wanting to die, even when in excruciating pain, is the exact same thing. They want to take their own life away because they want to escape their present life. Suicide in all regards is wrong. If it is not acceptable to commit suicide over emotional hardships, it should not be acceptable with physical hardships either. The people that are willing to commit the euthanasia for the patients are in the wrong just as much as the patient that wants it done.
When I heard the church’s view on euthanasia for consenting patients I realized that it was similar to my own point of view. I understand that God is the one that controls life and death. People should not interfere and take death into their own hands. Killing a person is murder. One of the commandments is “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” There are no exceptions. A person should not want to consent to being killed and a person should not abide by this consent. Both persons would be committing murder.
When it comes to “allowing someone to die” I was not quite sure what to believe was right. I understand both sides of the argument. Jonathan acknowledged that Christians should not be scared of death and they should trust in God. I agree with this in every regard. I do not know whether God wants people to do whatever it takes to keep someone alive. I’m not quite sure. I am a Christian and a Catholic. I have a strong respect for God and trust in Him. In a situation such as that I would rely on prayer for His guidance. I think that I would feel guilty if I would let someone die.
Before this I thought that Terri Schiavo’s husband made a horrible decision. I thought that since she was his wife he would want to keep her alive. She was in a vegetative state and there was no way to know if she knew what was going on in the world around her. After discussing euthanasia I now have more of an open mind. I can see where he came from and why he would choose to let her go to heaven instead of keep her tied to a body that feels nothing and does nothing on earth. When I think of it like that it seems more peaceful to me. I can also relate with her parents. She was technically alive. She was breathing. Therefore why not protect her life?
I took a lot away from this interview. I left the interview and discussion with a more open mind and a greater understanding for the topic. I understand why people would want to stop artificial life support for people in vegetative states. If you love that person, you cannot imagine what they are going through, and you trust that God will be there and they will go to Heaven. This is only acceptable if the person’s death is imminent, of course. But Heaven is a much better place for your loved one to be than stuck like a vegetable or worse.
I still hold tight to my beliefs that euthanasia is wrong. In an ethical view, a person should not be allowed to ask or consent to euthanasia. It merely makes them decide on suicide if they choose it. This however cannot be suicide, it must be assisted suicide because the consenting patient is unable to do it on their own. Therefore someone is left to commit murder.