By Judie Brown
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger once wrote, “The gift of life which God the Creator and Father has entrusted to man calls him to appreciate the inestimable value of what he has been given and to take responsibility for it.”
St. John Paul II reiterated this fundamental truth, saying, “The commandment ‘You shall not kill’ thus establishes the point of departure for the start of true freedom. It leads us to promote life actively, and to develop particular ways of thinking and acting which serve life. In this way we exercise our responsibility towards the persons entrusted to us and we show, in deeds and in truth, our gratitude to God for the great gift of life.”
And yet we see far too many people who look at the lives of people with disabilities in a way that is indeed very sad. This was most recently brought to my attention when Alex Schadenberg told the story of Liz Carr, who authored Better Off Dead and is confined to a wheelchair because of a debilitating illness.
When we read the stories of people like Carr or Melanie Reid, or see movies such as Me Before You, we feel sadness for the tragic situations that render someone unable to live life on their own terms. But at the same time we want to help assisted dying advocates see that in such lives there is the spark ignited by God that enables others to learn, to become more humane in their dealings with others, and to become witnesses for the beauty of the gift of life. Yes, there are times when life is terribly difficult, but it is always a gift to be affirmed and embraced, not tossed away, as so often happens in today’s culture.
Headlines about contraptions like the suicide pod are designed to entice those who are ill or suffering in some way to believe that taking one’s life is an ethical thing to do. In fact, some folks have signed up to use the machine in an effort to control when and how they will die. One 64-year-old woman did use the machine and did die. However, there are legal warnings that those who use the machine to help others end their lives will face serious charges.
And this is where the story really goes off the rails.
In a world where human beings are too often tossed in a trash can before they can breathe on their own as newborn persons, we have become a people awash in the language of death as a way of life. Far from being ideal, such thinking is deadly for the vulnerable and often marketed as an easy way out when life gets hard or challenging. It seems that living has itself become a curse, easily solved by killing or suicide.
So when we hear about young people like Josh, a 19-year-old man with a wonderful smile who survived a traumatic brain injury and is doing well because of love, we celebrate life! As the report explains, “Josh’s story has a happy ending because of his wonderful family’s unconditional love, nonstop prayers, and doctors who were willing to give him a chance. There are countless stories, like Josh’s, of individuals who are given the opportunity to recover.”
It is this sort of inspiring life lesson that should underscore the story of every person and teach that life is a gift from God. But such is not the case in our scarred world, as we see from those who advocate death as a solution for problems from the undesirable pregnancy to the challenging life.
In the Better Off Dead documentary, Paula Peters, a disability rights activist, opines, “Society is terrified of becoming us.” And that really says it all.
Rather than respecting the inherent dignity of every person regardless of age, health, or condition of dependency, we have become a self-absorbed cadre of people who place self-interest and comfort ahead of everything. When this happens, the needy, the disabled, the preborn, and the elderly become collateral damage to be rejected by any means possible.
Such cruelty cannot go unnoticed by the Lord of heaven and earth.
This is why pro-life people strive to teach this lesson to the born: Cherish your life!
Join us in the effort to defend and protect every person’s life from her first cell until death. Cherish every life!
