CLAIM:
If you choose to die in excruciating pain, that’s absolutely up to you. If you’d prefer to watch your loved ones die in excruciating pain, again, that’s for you and your conscience. What I, or anyone else, chooses to do isn’t your decision. But it is also the right of every human to make that choice. I am not saying it’s a good one, just that it is theirs to make. Not everyone wants to suffer through an excruciating death. This is not your choice.

REBUTTAL:
Someone once said:

Some so speak in exaggerations and superlatives, that we need to make a large discount from their statements, before we can come at their real meaning.

Claims such as this are packed with emotion and even an air of vitriol. The implication is that a Christian position against assisted suicide is advocacy not only that people should live in “excruciating pain” but that Christians, by their position on this issue, want people to experience an “excruciating death.”

There are two issues:

1. Great (excruciating) pain.
2. The right to self-terminate.

Great Pain
Christians are instructed to alleviate suffering, carry burdens, and comfort others (Matthew 25:35-36; Galatians 6:2). Death and suffering are unavoidable (Ecclesiastes 9:2; Hebrews 9:27; Genesis 3:16-19). A faithful Christian with the means to alleviate suffering would not allow someone to endure agonizing pain and death.

Medical literature acknowledges that death is inevitable. It also acknowledges that people tolerate pain, temperatures, and illness differently due to individual biology, making pain subjective and challenging to measure.

Research indicates that people in poorer areas often face more unmanaged end-of-life pain. Even those dying at home typically report more pain than those in medical or hospice settings. The primary variable for this disparity is access to quality pain management technology and expertise. There is a growing consensus that nearly all pain can be mitigated. Consider options that have appeared in the medical literature on pain management:

• Pharmacological Solutions: A range of medications designed to alleviate pain of varying intensities and types, ranging from over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers to opioids.
• Delivery Systems: Medication can be delivered topically, orally, rectally, intravenously, and intrathecally (via the spinal cord).
• Neuromodulation: Closed-loop deep brain stimulation adaptively targets multiple pain-processing brain regions.
• Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Using modified hallucinogenic components to reduce the pain experience.
• Psychotherapeutic Therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on the relationships among thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, has shown effectiveness in treating chronic pain. Hypnosis also falls into this category.
• Acupuncture: Using needles or applying pressure at specific points in the body to alleviate chronic pain, headaches, osteoarthritis, and nausea.
• Sensory Intervention: This therapy uses weighted blankets or other objects to apply pressure to alleviate chronic pain, like acupuncture.
• Chiropractic Care: The noninvasive manipulation of the spine directly affects the nervous system and addresses chronic pain.
• Digital Monitoring: Like the smart watches many of us wear, these are strapped-on or implanted sensory devices that help in the early detection of pain for quicker intervention.

Clearly, pain management is a rapidly evolving field with diverse therapies. Effectiveness varies among individuals. If you experience persistent pain, consider changing doctors to find one more familiar with your specific condition and biology, as expertise and available treatments continually advance.

Freedom to Choose
Some might argue that this would be much simpler if we let people decide for themselves. It is not that simple!

Christians live to glorify God, and we have the freedom to make all sorts of choices on how to do that. We do not, however, have the freedom to go contrary to the will of God. The Apostle Peter put it this way:

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:16–17)

Some may argue, “Non-Christians should have the option of self-termination, while Christians can choose to abstain.” Again, it is not that simple. Even our autonomous decisions must be subordinate to higher standards.

There are people who feel some races are superior to others. Some groups engage in sexual and human slavery. Some argue for sexual relations between adults and children or humans and animals. Why would we resist permitting these groups to enjoy their autonomy?

Even unbelievers have a code of conduct that cannot be crossed. The Apostle Paul talked about it this way:

Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. (Romans 2:14)

It is often referred to as “natural law.” We might liken it to a conscience or intuition.

Unfortunately, history has shown that people’s “inner voice” is unreliable. Scripture describes it as an “evil inclination” (Genesis 8:21; Romans 8:7). Many people prefer to believe that humanity is improving, but God’s word suggests otherwise (Matthew 24:12). Even God’s people can easily misinterpret their intuitions (Revelation 3:17).

Allowing self-termination, even to alleviate pain, risks a slippery slope. Initially promoted as a limited option for extreme cases, assisted suicide laws tend to expand over time, eventually encompassing psychological and emotional pain beyond physical suffering.

Our sinful nature seeks easy solutions to complex problems. We often debate rights that contradict God’s will rather than focusing on God-pleasing actions like improved pain relief. Emotional arguments are futile unless they ultimately serve to glorify God.