{"id":488,"date":"2014-10-08T14:56:44","date_gmt":"2014-10-08T18:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/pursuedbytruth\/?p=488"},"modified":"2014-10-09T15:31:14","modified_gmt":"2014-10-09T19:31:14","slug":"pray-for-brittany-her-death-is-scheduled-for-november-1st","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pursuedbytruth\/2014\/10\/pray-for-brittany-her-death-is-scheduled-for-november-1st.html","title":{"rendered":"Pray for Brittany, Her Death Is Scheduled for November 1st"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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\"pills-384846_640\"<\/a>When I first read about Brittany Maynard on People.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0I gasped. Brittany\u2019s smile is beautiful and her life circumstance so tragic.<\/div>\n

At 29-years old Brittany has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given months to live. She has moved to Oregon where assisted suicide is legal so she can end her life as she says \u201con her own terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

The article about her story has already been shared almost 100,000 times.<\/p>\n

After reading the piece, my mouse hovered over the comments section as I wondered if I should make the plunge. I usually don\u2019t read comments online; they are so often too ugly, too inhuman but I clicked, wondering what the pulse of the nation was on this issue.<\/p>\n

Comments were mostly along these lines of argument:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have a right to choose to die if we have a terrible disease.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we allow our pets to die without suffering, why can\u2019t we allow humans to die without suffering?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWho are we to judge someone else\u2019s choice to die?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I was glad to see that most people were compassionate and promised prayers for Brittany but I was dismayed to see that very few people questioned her decision to die on November 1st<\/sup>, the day after her husband\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n

One comment that did question Brittany brought tears to my eyes. The woman said that she did not judge Brittany but she did want to say that she visited a woman once who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She was going to sing for her funeral. The woman was in bed preparing for her death. The funeral never came. The tumor disappeared and the woman went back to her normal life.<\/p>\n

Another comment came from a woman who was diagnosed with the same disease as Brittany and given a year to live. She was writing the comment six years later.<\/p>\n

I have already written a blog post<\/a> detailing some of the rational arguments against legalizing assisted suicide. Diagnoses can be wrong, patients are often depressed<\/a> and are not thinking clearly. Most doctors are against<\/a>\u00a0assisted suicide and disability groups overwhelmingly oppose it<\/a>. States that have legalized assisted suicide have\u00a0suicide rates<\/a>\u00a0that are going up,\u00a0etc, etc. I wrote the post in response to the \u201cDeath with Dignity Act<\/a>\u201d that was barely defeated\u00a0recently\u00a0in Massachusetts,\u00a0thanks mostly in part to efforts by the Boston Archdiocese.<\/p>\n

But the organization behind the movement to legalize physician assisted suicide is still on the move. The group that used to go by the name The Hemlock Society<\/em>\u00a0has become more shrewd with slick web sites<\/a>, heart-string tugging campaigns<\/a>,\u00a0and its now much more palatable name of \u201cCompassion and Choices.\u201d The group is at work at this moment campaigning to legalize assisted suicide in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey.<\/p>\n

So, the point of this blog post?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pray!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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  1. Please pray for Brittany. Pray that she chooses to live the rest of her life rather than cut it short. If she chooses to go ahead with her suicide, please pray for the repose of her soul.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    1. Pray for the effect Brittany\u2019s decision will have on others. Pray for those who do not see anything wrong in ending life prematurely. Pray that in this age of relativism, laws for assisted suicide will not continue to pass. Pray for a change of minds and hearts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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      1. Pray also for those affected by these laws or who will be affected by them in the states that have legalized assisted suicide; pray especially for the poor and vulnerable, all those who are considered a burden.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        If you are interested in learning more about this issue or possibly donating to organizations that fight assisted suicide, check out:<\/p>\n