Euthanasia / Assisted Suicide
Facing the End of Life as God’s Child
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources I have been actively involved in end-of-life decision-making for more than four decades. This process becomes more complex with the advancement of technology. The easy answer to the...
Facing the End of Life as God’s Child
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources I have been actively involved in end-of-life decision-making for more than four decades. This process becomes more complex with the advancement of technology. The easy answer to the...
The Tension Between Preserving Life or Prolonging the Dying Process
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources The two most common questions I get about end-of-life care deal with resuscitation orders and obligatory care and treatment. You can read what I have written on resuscitation orders...
Extending Life or Prolonging Death
CLAIM: Assisted suicide should be considered an option when people cannot agree on whether treatment extends life or prolongs the dying process. REBUTTAL: Nothing gets us lost in the part like the ability to make decisions. We quickly presume to be masters of our...
Assisted Suicide as a Practical Issue
CLAIM: Elderly people who are terminally ill have a duty to die and get out of the way. Like leaves which fall off a tree forming the humus in which other plants can grow, we've got a duty to die and get out of the way with all our machines and artificial hearts, so...
Assisted Suicide Can Be Safe
CLAIM: I agree that it is murder if the person doesn't consent to assistance in dying. Signing legal papers to be assisted in suicide is entirely legal in more and more places. Those people also have to be mentally evaluated several times and have to say yes several...
Assisted Suicide and the Christian
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources Christians make mistakes. Consider these two quotes: When people’s sufferings are so great that they make repeated requests to die, it seems a denial of that loving compassion which is supposed to be...
Quality of Life and the Argument for Assisted Suicide
CLAIM: Assistance in dying is a merciful way for people to hold on to dignity as they see their quality of life disappear. REBUTTAL: “If you are the Son of God,” he [Satan to Jesus] said, “throw yourself down. For it is written…” (Matthew 4:6) I have been involved...
Experience and Passing Judgment
CLAIM: People who have not personally faced terminal illness or severe suffering should not pass judgment on those who consider assisted suicide. REBUTTAL: Claims of absolute autonomy always need greater scrutiny. We value experience. We value the right to do our own...
We Euthanize Animals
CLAIM: While we mercifully euthanize pets to end their suffering, we deny humans the same right to a dignified death. Assisted suicide represents a humane option for those facing inevitable death, allowing them to exit life on their own terms with the same compassion...
A Right to Relief
CLAIM: Adults diagnosed with terminal illnesses or debilitating conditions like ALS have the right to seek relief from suffering in their final days. These individuals should be empowered to request assistance from medical professionals to facilitate a peaceful...
Laying the Groundwork
Dying Ends Life When we talk about dying, we must begin with the obvious because you do not wade far into this issue before the obvious is obscured by euphemisms and specious rhetoric. The result of dying is death. Death is the lack of life and is irreversible. Death...
One Little Thing // Bible Study
Rev. Jeffrey L. Samelson “It’s just one little thing. What are you getting so upset about? Why should we care?” That’s the way a lot of people – even many Christians – have talked about one of the hottest of hot-button issues in our society. They can’t understand why...
A Peace the World Cannot Give
By Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27) When I was growing up, my most enduring...
The Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Conclusion
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann X. Conclusion End-of-life issues are complex in that they often call for the application of many different biblical principles complicated by the addition of strong and sentimental...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Anxious for Death
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann VIII. Anxious for Death We live in a time where society seems almost anxious to terminate the life of anyone who does not seem valuable or needed. In response, we strongly instill in...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Facing the Challenge of Suffering
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann VII. Facing the Challenge of Suffering Suffering, or the fear of suffering, is one important reason people have advocated the early termination of life. When I speak of suffering, I am...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Facing the Fear of Death
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann VI. Facing the Fear of Death It is a reality that as death near, fear increases for many people. When Barbara Walters hosted that edition of Nightline I referenced earlier with Derek...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Understanding the Purpose of Life
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann V. Understanding the Purpose of Life When counseling a family at a time of crisis a certain amount of spiritual building takes place. A challenge I face in these circumstances is...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Facing the Changed Quality of Life
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann IV. Facing the Changed Quality of Life Perhaps the most challenging issue to face when counseling on end-of-life issues is the changed quality of life. It seems characteristic of the...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Establish God’s Authority Over Life and Death
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann III. Establish God's Authority Over Life and Death In Deuteronomy 32:39 God says this about himself: "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: The Christian Foundation for Life Decision-Making
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann I. The Christian Foundation for Life Decision-Making When we pastors are called upon to guide a family in making critical medical decisions, we must not desert our own foundation for...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Introduction
Presented by Rev. Robert F. Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources In the early 1980s, I ran across an editorial cartoon depicting a minister standing in the pulpit of the Church of the Lukewarm. The caption read, "There is no the Christian position,...
When God Is Calling
By Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources Margaret entered the intensive care unit by way of the hospital’s emergency room. For over two decades, Margaret, or “Maggie” as her friends call her, wrestled with cancer. It began as a lump in a...
Don’t Just Sit There!
By Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources The legalized killing of unborn children through abortion has been a part of the American landscape since January 22, 1973. The death toll has surpassed 62 million babies. Now you know. You cannot...
Q&A on Euthanasia
QUESTION: What's the difference between voluntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia? ANSWER: Voluntary euthanasia involves a competent and stated desire for someone to have his or her life terminated. Non-voluntary euthanasia pertains to the termination of...
Transformed
By Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources “I sure miss kindergarten.” I know you have heard or read these words from me before. The older I get the more I miss the simplicity of life that I enjoyed in kindergarten. I enjoyed how my...
Whose Pain Is It Anyway? – A Look at Pain Management
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources A while back I attended an ethics seminar in which the speaker said that 50% of pain medication requests come from family members, not the patient. In another survey, nurses estimate that 80% of pain...
Charlie Gard Has Died
By Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources On July 28, 2017, one week before his first birthday, Charlie Gard died. Charlie was at the center of a controversy that resonated throughout the world when the British High Court ruled in April...
Carrying Burdens and Euthanasia // Bible Study
Rock of Ages Lutheran Branch, Madison, TN Importance of This Bible Study 1) Life issues are broadening or shifting to each end of the life spectrum: beginning of life through end of life. 2) Personally we are not victims of abortion, yet we are all going to have...
The Great Physician at My Bed // Devotions
Devotions: The Great Physician at My Bed On Entry "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) We go to doctors because we need help. Our bodies hurt. In our suffering, Jesus invites us to come to him. He is the Great...
Q&A on Suffering
QUESTION: My mother has multiple sclerosis and has been given only a few years to live. Our family is concerned about Mom spending the last few years of her life suffering. What can we do? ANSWER: The fear of pain affects many decisions in life. As a loving...
Life Worth Living
By Ben Berger On June 22, 2015, Simona De Moor of Belgium was euthanized. She was a healthy 85 year old who saw her death as her only reprieve from the grief of losing her daughter several months before.[i] On September 11, 2015, California lawmakers passed bill...
Christian Life Resources’ Euthanasia Position Statement
This Christian Life Resources Position Statement on Euthanasia was adopted by the organization's National Congress to state its position on issues that are addressed by CLR, in this case, on the subject of euthanasia. Christian Life Resources Position Statement on...
Burdens and Christian Optimism
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, CLR National Director Despairing elders may come to the conclusion to terminate their own lives. Their acts of self-killing are often shrouded in euphemisms about wishing to “die with dignity” and “ceasing to be a burden” on others. On the...
Q&A on a Christian’s Concern about the End of Life
QUESTION: What is the God-pleasing attitude I should have as I approach the final days of my life or that of a loved one? ANSWER: You have asked the right question when you ask about attitude. Even though God reveals his will in many specific ways in his Law, he also...
Myths and Wisdom About End-of-Life Decisions
Sue Fink, Bereavement and Volunteer Coordinator for HFM Hospice, Manitowoc, WI Have you discussed your end-of-life preferences with your loved ones yet? A blessing that came from the Terri Schiavo tragedy is that end-of-life issues have led to better planning...
On Assisted Suicide Laws – What You Can Do to Be Pro-Life
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it did not find a constitutional right to assisted suicide. The Court allowed for the matter to be addressed individually, on a state-by-state basis. In...
The Value of Human Life
Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources It is becoming more difficult to know what to do in life and death situations. Advancements in medicine, challenges in the court, and changing opinions have raised questions about when life...
God’s Word on Life
The Bible teaches that life is a gift from God, our Creator. For example, Job says to God, "Your hands shaped me and made me...Remember that you molded me...Did you not...clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life" (Job...
The Problem is the Altar
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources (Leviticus 18:21) "Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God, I am the LORD." The story of children being sacrificed to Molek has...
Q&A on Abortion, Euthanasia Position Terminology
QUESTION: I've heard many different terms describing the positions of those who either oppose or favor abortion and euthanasia (pro-life, pro-choice, anti-abortion, death with dignity, etc.). What is CLR's position on all of these terms? ANSWER: The position of CLR is...
You Can Change the World! – A Look at Ways to Show Christian Concern for Others
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources When I turned 40, a friend of mine told me that a person reaches middle age when realizing he or she can no longer change the world. If that were true I suspect I might live well past 100 years!...
Pro-Life Bible References
God is the creator of life Genesis 1:27 - "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." Job 33:4 - "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Psalm 95:6 - "Come, let us bow...
A Culture of Caring | A Look at Teaching Children to Care for Others
Tim Snyder, Media Services Coordinator, Wisconsin Lutheran College It's been more than one year since "Mrs. Marge" sold her home and moved in with her son. "Mrs. Marge," an elderly widow who lived alone, used to be our next-door neighbor. Her son would come by on a...
Does the Right to Life Include the Right to Die?
Let's take a look at the main arguments for or against assisted suicide: 1. Suicide is an inherent right or liberty. The rights to life, liberty, and happiness are assumed by our nation's founding fathers. But never did they intend that liberty to include suicide....
Bible Passages Regarding Suicide
Acts 17:25: “...[He) himself [God] gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” Deuteronomy 32:39: “There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life...” 1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And...
Standing Between Life and Death
John C. Johnson, Ph.D. A Gospel-Law-Gospel Approach to Helping Christians Who Are Suicidal Introduction (1 Cor. 13) If I speak in the tongues of man and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and...
Q&A on Whether or Not a Person Who Commits Suicide Can Receive a Christian Burial
Rev. Armin Schuetze Question: Why is it we so completely condemn a Christian when he has committed suicide? Doesn’t Matthew 7:1 say: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged"? Answer: The Significance of Christian Burial What is the significance of Christian burial?...
Key Points for Debating Assisted Suicide
A request for assisted suicide is typically a cry for help. It is in reality a call for counseling, assistance, and positive alternatives as solutions for very real problems. Suicidal intent is typically transient. Of those who attempt suicide but are stopped, less...
They Shoot Horses… – A Look at Compassion at the End of Life
Rev. Mark Braun True Confessions: Forty years ago I took a first date to see the movie, “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” Based on a 1930s novel, the movie was technically well done and received nine Academy Award nominations, but it was depressing from its opening...
Suicide Facts and Statistics
Most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to compile the following list of suicide facts: General Statistics (USA) Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages. (CDC) Every day, approximately...
Trained to Live Forever: End-of-Life Resuscitation Orders
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources People don’t want to talk about dying. In 2015, according to the Funeral and Memorial Information Council, 69% of adults over the age of 40 indicated they would prefer to pre-arrange their funeral...
Who Assists with Suicide
By Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director of Christian Life Resources The exhausting effort to legalize assisted suicide is like so many other ill-conceived notions of our times. The persuasive forces of video and social media advocates for “aid in dying” not only...
CLR’s Official Positions and Thoughts to Ponder on Life and Family Issues
Abortion Human life exists already at conception. It is a gift from God. He also reserves for himself the authority to take human life. Aborting an unborn child for any reason, other than to preserve a human life, is a practice condemned by the Word of God and...
‘With Friends Like These’ – A Look at Comforting Others in Crisis
Pastor Jon D. Buchholz When you are called upon to touch someone's life with comfort, share the genuine comfort of the cross. "When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come...
Who Will Take Care of Mother?
Rev., Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources In 1907 Anna Jarvis began a nationwide campaign for the observance of Mother's Day. In 1908 it began with a service at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, honoring the...
My Life: Not My Own But God’s
Rev. Michael Plagenz Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic. As confessional Lutheran Christians, we know that any kind of suicide or mercy killing is against God's will. Yet all the controversy prompts us to ask this question: "Whose life is this...
End of Life Terminology
Christian ethics: The only value system in which motive rooted in the Christian faith is the first determinant of right and wrong. Christian medical/ethical decision making: A way of approaching tough decisions with the question: is God still holding out the gift of...
Living Choices: Alternatives to Euthanasia
Life is full of choices that range from the trivial to the critical. Every day one must choose such things as what clothes to wear; or whether to buy the 87 octane or the super-charged gasoline. Is tartar control toothpaste really better than the kind that gives you...
Living Wills vs. Advance Medical Directive
A great emphasis has been recently placed on the need for medical directive statements. Yet, there is also a great deal of confusion regarding these legal documents. Here is a summary to explain the roles of these documents and to also show the differences between...
Suffering at the End of Life
Many fear the unknown, especially at the end of life. We do not know when the end will come. We will not know what loved ones will do without us. We do not know if we will suffer or not. The words of King David strike terror in the hearts of those who face the...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues
Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources Introduction The Christian Foundation for Life Decision-Making Begin with Faith Establish God's Authority Over Life and Death Facing the Changed Quality of Life Understanding the Purpose of Life...
Bible Study: Issues of Life and Death
Issues of life and death are often consumed with discussions and decisions involved with making correct medical decisions near the end of life. Amidst the confusion of tube feeding, ventilators, dialysis and a host of other medical care mechanisms we often overlook...
Dealing with a Euthanasia-Minded Friend
How do you deal with a euthanasia-minded friend or acquaintance? The issues are so emotional, and the arguments sound compassionate. Nevertheless, we are considering ending a person's life. Obviously, it is critical that you know the issues and how to respond to the...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Begin with Faith
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann II. Begin with Faith The challenge of training fellow Christians in the way they should go is a life-long endeavor to create the Christian mindset. This mindset includes moral absolutes...
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues: Practical Matters in Counseling on Death
A Practical Approach to End-of-Life Issues Presented by Rev. Robert R. Fleischmann IX. Practical Matters In Counseling on Death I have outlined for you some of the basic principles that have helped me address death with fellow Christians. I believe strongly that it is...
Care, Not Suicide: Choosing a Medical Directive That Witnesses to Your Faith
You can choose a medical directive statement that will witness to your faith. Sooner or later you will face the question, "Do you have a medical directive statement?" Or more specifically, "Do you have a living will?" These are routine questions for anyone entering a...
Q&A on ‘Pulling the Plug’
QUESTION: Do you really consider “pulling the plug” to be euthanasia? ANSWER: Deuteronomy 32:39 tells us that God alone has the right to begin or end life. Exodus 20:13 and Genesis 9:5-6 command that we preserve and protect human life. We do not have the right to...
Q&A on Terminal Sedation
Question: What is terminal sedation? Is it the same as physician-assisted suicide? Answer: Physician-assisted suicide is defined as a physician's act that is meant to intentionally end the life of a patient. Terminal sedation is practiced when a patient is drugged...
Facing Eternity – Saying Good-Bye
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources Clarence had been married 51 years when he lost his dear wife, Clarice. “It was cancer that took her,” he said, as he clenched his jaw and tears filled his eyes. Like a bitter enemy, cancer took from...
Facing Eternity – Ready and Willing
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources Ellen began to experience the slow passing of a generation. Her father died when all three of her children were in high school. It was sudden – a heart attack while he slept. It was hard to believe...
Learning to Face Death
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources We are victims of our culture. Despite knowing better from God’s Word, we find ourselves sucked into the thoughts and practices of the world. This is evident when discussing death. On the one hand,...
Facing Eternity
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources Although a first impression is certainly important, it is the last impression that sticks! Without a doubt, the first impression is important –in this world. Mind you, I said, “in this world.” Take,...
The Impression You Leave – A Look at Suffering and Burden Sharing
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources When abortion became legal in 1973, many called it the beginning of the slippery slope. In the middle 1980s then-U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop spoke at a Christian Life Resources convention...
Making the Most of Time in End-of-Life Matters
Mr. Timothy Snyder It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, and the temperature is in the upper sixties. Spring in Wisconsin can be unpredictable. Today’s taste of summer might be followed by a reminder that winter is still visible in the rear view mirror. How will I...
A Teen’s Thoughts on Euthanasia
Sarah Klammer I met Beverly two years ago. She sat slumped in a wheelchair by a hallway window in the nursing home where my sisters and I volunteer. Beverly, a frail and motionless woman, just stared off into space as people walked by her. When my mom approached and...
Deprived of the Chance – A Look at the Quality of Life and a ‘Duty to Die’
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director of Christian Life Resources My travels throughout North America have given me countless opportunities to meet some rather incredible people. One of those people is Lisa Van Drese. Her attitude, optimism and unrelenting faith...
When Life Holds No Dignity
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources Advocates for assisted suicide have often marched under the “death with dignity” banner, but what does that word, “dignity,” mean? When did we get it, and how do we lose it? Some say they lose...
A Primer on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
QUESTION: What’s the difference between voluntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia? ANSWER: Voluntary euthanasia involves a competent and stated desire of someone to terminate his or her life. Non-voluntary euthanasia pertains to the termination of someone’s...
Questions and Answers on Euthanasia
QUESTION: What's the difference between voluntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia? ANSWER: Voluntary euthanasia involves a competent and stated desire for someone to have his or her life terminated. Non-voluntary euthanasia pertains to the termination of...
