Should man have the right to take someone’s life

Mark Mast

Letter to the editor,
“That American woman” you refer to in “Our View Tough Choices Must Be Made” (March 22) has a name. She is Terri Schiavo, from Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida. She is being intentionally starved to death because certain individuals have determined that her “quality of life” does not measure up to their criteria.
“Should man have the right to keep someone alive?” is not the right question. The question begging an answer is, “Should man have the right to take someone’s life?” How we answer that question is of primary importance. Are we going to be a society that reveres and esteems life? Or, will we view life as something we can destroy and kill at random on the basis of convenience, expediency, whims and notions? Are we going to be a culture of “life” or a culture of “death”?
Keeping a person alive by means of a feeding tube is not an advanced or heroic life-saving measure. There is nothing technical about feeding someone. Each of us consumes food on a daily basis in order to survive. If an individual cannot lift a spoon to their mouth, we feed them, i.e. babies, the handicapped and the elderly. Should we force these people to starve to death because they cannot feed themselves?
Terri Schiavo is not in a persistent vegetative state. She is not brain dead. She is not in a coma. She is not on a respirator, heart pump, or even receiving kidney dialysis. She is loved by her parents, Bob & Mary Schindler, along with her siblings, who are more than willing to care for her and provide for her minimal needs. The only roadblock to Terri remaining alive is her estranged husband, Michael, along with a handful sympathetic tyrannical judges who have embraced a “death” mentality. By the way, Michael presently lives with another woman and has two children by her. He also stands to benefit financially from her death. Do you honestly think Michael has Terri’s best interests at heart?
Maybe we do become “meddlesome” with “strange ways of rationalizing our actions” (as you say). If it has occurred in this case, I believe it because we are observing a fellow person being deprived of the most basic necessity of life food. By virtually any definition, this is called “inhumane”. And, when inhumane actions result in death, we (and God) call it “murder”.
If Terri is forced to die from starvation, can you imagine how many other people in our society will fear for their lives because they possess a “quality of life” that is far worse than Terri’s?
There is a good reason why “we do not think twice about allowing pet owners to put an animal down when their quality of life degenerates.” God views human life from an entirely different perspective than He does animal life. He is the Creator, the giver of life... from conception to the grave. God created people in His image. He placed within all human beings a soul. He breathed into people the “breath of life”. He placed people in dominion over the affairs of the earth. He even went so far as to die on a cross in order to save people from hell. None of this provision was made for animals.
You and I can be thankful, that, until now, our society has distinguished between human beings and animals. However, just remember, even animals are ensured proper care and treatment. Try starving your dog when you feel its time is up... You will likely be reported, fined and possibly arrested for being “cruel to an animal” (inhumane).
Do you smell just a little irony in all of this? Terri Schiavo (a human being) is starved to death and we are supposed to applaud it as humane! To that, I say, “Give me a break!!”
Remember, human life is extremely precious to our Creator. As a society, we would be wise to reflect this mindset. We are already reaping a grim harvest of hate, violence, murder and bloodshed because of a cheapened view of life. We are seeing first hand what happens when we embrace a “disposable” attitude toward life.
If we leave the decision of whose life is “worthy” and whose is “not” to people, we can be assured that people will make that choice!
Sincerely,
Mark Mast
Rainy River, Ont.