Life: The Battle over my Right.

Where does life begin? When does government decide to end it indiscriminately?

A sonogram is taken on an unborn child and the helpless parents discover a terrible defect which will surely leave this child with a lifetime of pain, sadness, and hopelessness. There are two choices; end the pregnancy or bring the newborn into a life filled with love, compassion, and a willingness to seek God’s presence in a never-expected cross for parents who believe and trust the Lord.

Your spouse reaches an obvious point in their struggle of aging and the diagnosis is dementia or the early stage of Alzheimers Disease. Do we continue to care for them in “For better or worse” or look for the easiest way to institutionalize them? I understand that some cases may require that but never just drop them off without loving concern; be there for them.

Perhaps another family member receives the diagnosis of a terminal disease and there is no easy way to deal with the final stages of cancer or another untreatable life-ending prognosis. Sit beside them and show you love and care for them as long as their life exists, or put them in a hospice where you won’t need to watch them slowly die. Hospice is a necessary element and we should be thankful for the existence of those dedicated souls caring for our loved ones in their last hours of life.

The point of this discussion isn’t so much about what most loving people would do to and for their loved ones, as much as what is beginning to occur in some European Countries where government agencies are beginning to relegate responsibility to the ending of life when those lives are; too weak for life, too old, too sick to live, too far removed from cognitive abilities, or just too non-contributing for society. One time, many years ago, there may have been concerns regarding the possibility of these scenarios coming to fruition, but not many people took this to heart.

It’s here! The time in this 21st century where abortion statistics are overwhelming and the thoughts of Euthanasia are no longer an afterthought. More and more areas around the world are already involved with euthanasia and think nothing about its impact on moral values and who really has the moral authority to take the lives of innocent people.

We are aware of Dr. Kevorkian as the death doctor in assisted suicides and it appears his tenets were mild compared to what is just around the corner of life’s impending realism. There once was an adage that abortion would become the mother of euthanasia, and what is worse when governments decide who will live and who will no longer fit into a new-age world where only those chosen can remain. This is not hyperbole but reality on our doorsteps.

Adolph Hitler attempted to create a master race, using genetic engineering, annihilation of many peoples, and might have succeeded if not for the United States and Allied forces ending World War II.

I can only wonder where the courage of good-minded people is today. God, the Church, people of faith, and common sense are several places to begin. Get back to relying on God’s Holy Spirit in guiding our Church leaders. Get back to church and use our God-given gifts of Baptism and all that means, use the gift of faith through God’s Loving Grace, and common sense; where has that gone?

I’m 81, in excellent health, and my mind is still functioning, now. My concern lies not too far into the future if some of my abilities slow down or completely disappear. Remember the movie; Soylent Green? Not a joke if you can recall its effects. Teach your children about that.