One of modern day societies great problems is abortion, or termination, which is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy. Many people terminate unwanted new life because of inconvenience or the infaliability of the foetus.
Some groups of people such as OneWorld are working to pass laws in the UK. These people feel they are fulfilling God’s word, that all life is sacred and should be allowed to enter his kingdom, regardless of health or family circumstance.
In death people are also extremely vulnerable. Old and terminally ill people are vulnerable to many people who are willing to take advantage of them. Some people are also willing to commit so called ‘mercy’ killings as they feel it is in the interest of the ill or elderly.
We have recently seen the case of Diane Pretty, a terminally ill, motor neurone disease sufferer who tirelessly fought to have her husband assist her in suicide. She told the country of her life of pain, misery and lost dignity. Diane took her fight to The European Court of Human Rights, but permission was not granted to her and her husband.
Many people object to this kind of death as it is thought that the ill or elderly person is not in the right state of mental health to question the worthiness of his or her life.
We have also recently seen several cases of involuntary euthanasia, or as many may put it, Murder. Dr Harold Shipman a ‘trustworthy’ General Practitioner. Dr Shipman was convicted of the murders of several elderly people in his practice in Preston. He was thought to have injected many elderly patients with the deadly drugs ‘morphine’ and ‘pethidine’ killing them nearly automatically. This outraged everyone who heard
Anna Hamilton
of his crimes and Shipman is still regarded as one of the UK’s most notorious serial killers!
Several protection groups for the elderly. Such as Age Concern have been set up, but who is really responsible for the vulnerable in out society?
Mother Teresa selflessly helped many ill people in her lifetime, offering her whole life to God, and to his work. She aided many ill people, she took them into her hospitals, and cared for them until they died or became better.
Today, many ill people are taken to hospices to die. Hospices are places where patients are able to feel at home, while still be closely monitored by medical professionals.
It is thought that the parents of a new baby should look after it, nurture it and nourish it, physically and spiritually, and if the infant is ill it should be cared for by medics who will care for the child and not take death into their own hands.
The vulnerable cannot protect themselves, this means that foetus’ and babies, the old and terminally ill, would suffer without God’s guidance. God tells us we should respect people’s dignity all the way through life (John 11: 1-44) and we should treat these people as we would wish to be treated if we were in their situation.
