Brain Dead? Think Again!

This weekend the Catholic Media Coalition (I'm the president.) is having a meeting to discuss the false definition of "brain death" and the corruption of palliative care from preserving and protecting life to hastening death. While researching for the meeting I came across one more example (There are many!) of a man described as brain dead who was actually in a locked in state. After twelve years he "woke up." So was he dead for twelve years and "came back to life?" Of course not and his case shows exactly how pernicious and dangerous the brain dead designation is.

Extreme Cases Make Bad Law

An English stroke victim, Tony Nicklinson, is fighting for the right to have his wife kill him with a lethal injection. He says he has no quality of life and wants to be dead, but as a stroke victim in "locked in" state, he cannot do anything for himself. He cannot kill himself or even participate in his own suicide. He needs to be directly killed. He is challenging the law to make it possible, seeking the assurance that his wife will not be charged with murder. The irony of the news story below is its ending, where the reporter talks about death releasing Tony from a "living hell." But what if the "release" results in his plunging into eternal hell, the unquenchable fire?  Is it worth trading 20 years of suffering for an eternity's worth?

 

We do not belong to ourselves; we belong to God. Suffering has value. My own brother (55) who suffered a debilitating stroke last summer and has also contracted a seriously debilitating condition called recurring transverse mylitis also has limited quality of life. But rather than focusing on his own suffering, John has been offering his suffering for others and praying and keeping his sense of humor. Granted, his condition is less severe, but terrible nonetheless.

The worst scenario will be the result if the Nicklinsons are successful in changing the law. Every handicapped individual will be at the mercy of caregivers who may believe they are better off dead. Legalizing the murder of Tony Nicklinson would endanger millions of sick and suffering people. Look at the euthanasia laws in the Netherlands where people are being offed without their consent. Will England be next?