Terri Schiavo & the right to die
The Terri Schiavo case has been a hot news story these last couple of weeks. For those who have not been keeping up with the news, Terri is a woman who suffered severe brain damage 15 years ago and has needed a feeding tube for nourishment ever since. On Friday, March 18, a Florida judge ordered that Terri’s feeding tube be removed, at the request of Terri’s husband. Terri’s parents have desperately tried to have that decision overturned, but to no avail. It appears that legal options are running out for Terri’s parents. In fact, Terri may very well have died before you read this.
Issues of death and dying are very difficult, not only because it is often hard to determine the right course of action, but also because such issues hit so close to home and can affect those we love most. In the issues of life, especially the difficult ones, it is vitally important that we learn to ask the right questions. Only then can we hope to determine the course of action that ought to be taken. The Terri Schiavo case is no exception.
Perhaps you have asked some questions of your own as you have sought to determine if you think Terri’s feeding tube should be removed or not. Is she in pain? Might she eventually recover? Does she have a sufficient ‘quality of life’? Or, as the two sides in this case are asking – What does Terri want?
Knowing the right question to ask, however, requires an awareness of who has the ultimate authority (and the rights) in our lives. The simple, though unpopular, fact is that we are all under the authority of a King – and that King is Jesus. “But I am not a Christian,” you may say. “I don’t recognize Jesus as my King.” I am aware, of course, that there are many who do not acknowledge Jesus as their King, and I do not pretend to be able to convince them otherwise here. I simply wish to proclaim what Jesus himself proclaimed after his death and resurrection: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Those words, found at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, mean that Jesus is your King, whether you were aware of it or not.
So the decisive question in every situation in life must be “What does my King require of me?” As we seek to answer this question, we must go to where the King has spoken – the Bible.
In Deuteronomy 32:39, the King says, “There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life.” In this statement, God is claiming that he alone has the right to give and take life. When God says “I bring to life,” this means that we do not have the right to take human life outside of what He has authorized. When he says “I put to death,” this means that when someone is dying (and there is no way to heal them) we must let them go.
So the relevant question becomes, Is Terri dying? If she is, and there is no way to heal her, we need to let her go. But if she is not dying, we have no right to take away the life that God has given. It is interesting to note that, while the two sides in this case are arguing over what Terri would want, neither side is claiming that she is dying. In fact, she clearly is not dying. Though she is severely brain damaged, her body is fine in terms of her ability to continue living. Her organs are not failing. She does not need machines to artificially keep her body alive. She just needs food, like you and me.
Since the King clearly states that we have no right to take the lives of those who are not dying (outside of what he has authorized), and since Terri is clearly not dying, the right course of action becomes clear. We must reinsert Terri’s feeding tube and preserve her life.
Sincerely,
Rev. Christopher Daniel, M.Div.
Reformed University Fellowship
Chris is campus minister for the Reformed University Fellowship, which meets 7 p.m. Tuesdays in the Commons Theater. Visit www.vcu.ruf.org for more information.