LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

12 LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW IX
living in peace; rather, it is between living in pain and not living at all. To be
in pain, or not to be: that is the question.
If we say that extinguishing a life which is terribly painful has more
value than sustaining that life, we must ask a further question: For whom
does it have the greater value We can scarcely answer, “For the man who
dies,” for he exists no more. Can the extinguished life enjoy its painless
state
However, if we hold the first presupposition, our question becomes
even more acute. Are we confident that the conscious state that he will enter
will be an improvement upon the one from which he now yearns to find an
escape Waiting for death has at least the virtue of allowing a person more
time to ponder his destiny and “make his peace”, where that seems right.
Before we decide to kill ourselves, let us give it some thought. And
before we decide to help other people kill themselves, let us give it even
more thought. Here are at least six questions that we ought to address before
we decide to help someone out of this life, or before we endorse a law which
will sanction such behaviour. 14 EUTHANASIA
Voluntary:
Non-Voluntary:
Involuntary:
Passive
Patient—“Let me die.”
Physician—“I’ll let you die.”
Patient—unconscious
Physician—“I’ll let you die.”
Patient—“Let me live.”
Physician—“I’ll let you die.”
Active
Patient—“Kill me.”
Physician—“I’ll kill you.”
Patient—unconscious
Physician—“I’ll kill you.”
Patient—“Don’t kill me.”
Physician—“I’ll kill you.”
Gary Colwell is Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University College of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
14 Thanks are due to John O’Callaghan, Thomas Boogaart, and Sydney Page for their
helpful comments on an earlier draft.