Medical aid in dying and the story of Job

There’s an old joke about an older boy who tricks his younger brother into trading his dime for a nickel because “it’s bigger so it must be worth more!” What if the same trick has been played on those who take advantage of Delaware’s right to medical aid in dying?   

According to Gov. Meyer, the law promises to “relieve suffering and give families the comfort of knowing their loved one was able to pass on their own terms, without unnecessary pain, surrounded by the people they love most.”  

It may do some of those things, but what if it offers them at the expense of things that are far better? Consider the biblical story of Job. It begins by pulling back the curtain and revealing a conference in heaven between God and Satan. Satan is convinced that Job only loves and serves God because of the great wealth, large family and abundant life that he has been blessed with. “Take those away,” the Slanderer says, “and Job will curse you to your face.” The Lord allows it and, in a day, Job loses all he has. After another round of heavenly discussion, his health too is taken from him. Observing his misery, Job’s wife offers him the compassionate option. She suggests he throw off the authority of God who alone has the right to give and take life and end his suffering. Her words: “Curse God and die.”   

Those who read the story to its end and learn the lessons taught in it will be glad that Job did not. Though he struggled to understand why these things were happening, Job’s initial response was, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” As time wore on and although his symptoms did not abate, Job's persevering attitude was, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him.” In the end, his submission to God was rewarded with unimaginable blessings, not the least of which is the way his story has strengthened innumerable generations of faithful people to endure trials of every sort. 

As a local pastor, I have sat at the bedside of many individuals who are tasked with making difficult decisions about their own end-of-life care. A common refrain I hear from patients is that they are concerned about the burden that caring for them will place on others – a good impulse, to be sure. But what if it was through that very difficulty of caring for you that God intended to do his greatest work in the lives of your loved ones? Would you rob them of the opportunity to grow in endurance? To demonstrate the beauty of loving sacrifice to their own children? To experience the joy of coming to the end of their own power and receiving strength that comes from beyond themselves?   

In this way, medical aid in dying takes the dime and gives a nickel in exchange. It touts love while robbing loved ones.