#2409 (8/22) "When Children “Choose” to Die - Sacrificing Babes on the Altar of Autonomy"

"WHEN CHLDREN  "CHOOSE” TO DIE - SACRIFICING BABES ON THE ALTER OF AUTONOMY" - by John Stonestreet and Roberto Rivera , Breakpoint.org, August 21, 2018; http://www.breakpoint.org/2018/08/breakpoint-when-children-choose-to-die/ [AS I SEE IT: It is one thing when adults make tragic, ill-informed  decisions - such as to have an abortion, to have "gender reassignment" surgery, or to end their life. But for society to grant such "freedom" to children is forgetting that children are children and that even the most "mature" of them are still not fully-informed about the life consequences of their choices. When parents "choose" (there's that word again!) to abandon their responsibility to help their children make right choices, the consequences will often be tragic for all. When society abandons it's responsiblity to see that children are protected, the consequces are almost always tragic. - Stan]

        All must be sacrificed for the demon-gods “autonomy” and “choice.” This is why they are killing children in Belgium.

    In 2014, Belgium, which already had perhaps the most permissive euthanasia laws in the world, amended those laws to permit doctors to euthanize children. As is always the case, the rationale was a mixture of wooly thinking: a professed desire to alleviate suffering and a belief that children, some as young as nine, have the requisite emotional and intellectual capacity to choose to end their lives.

This is lethal nonsense, as Charles Lane of the Washington Post has repeatedly pointed out.
Lane’s most recent column on the subject was prompted by a July report issued by the Belgian agency that regulates euthanasia. according to the report, between the start of 2016 and the end of 2017, Belgian doctors euthanized three children, one of them only nine years old and another eleven years old. A member of the commission told Lane the law was strictly followed. He said, “I saw mental and physical suffering so overwhelming that I thought we did a good thing.”
     Actually, as Lane pointed out, the gentleman didn’t see anything. He was “relying on reports by the anonymous physicians who participated in the euthanasias.” The simple fact is there’s no way to independently verify the physicians’ assertions about the hopelessness of these children’s conditions, or how close they were to natural death. We simply have to take their word for it.

In Belgium, euthanasia is, to borrow an expression from science, a “black box.” We can see what it does—kill people, old and young—but we have no real idea about how it really works.
There are several things that make euthanizing children especially repugnant. As Lane writes, “Everywhere else in the world, the law reflects powerful human intuitions, moral and practical: that it is wrong to abandon hope for a person so early in life, no matter the illness . . .” This is why the death of a child is so devastating, spiritually as well as emotionally. It’s why the parents of children with disabilities, both cognitive and physical, are fierce advocates for their children and those like them.
    The 2016 book, “In a Different Key: The Story of Autism” is filled with stories about the parents of autistic children who refused to abandon hope for their children and instead persuaded the rest of society not to abandon hope, either.

But not only is Belgium turning its back on this noblest of human intuitions, it’s also turning its back on the responsibility to protect children from themselves. As Lanes writes, “it is absurd to grant ultimate medical autonomy to someone too young to vote or legally consent to sex.”
    Think about it: In Belgium if a fifteen-year-old girl expresses a desire to have sex with a 20-year-old boy, the answer is “no!” Her parents can’t write her a note exempting the “relationship” from the country’ laws against statutory rape. They can’t “consent” on her behalf. And yet, in Belgium a request from a nine-year-old to end his life is taken seriously. While his parents can intervene and veto the request, absent such a veto, the same black box that has ended the life of more than four thousand adults will consider his request.

An analogous dynamic is on display here in the U.S. Children who can’t legally consent to having sex under any circumstances, somehow are still taken seriously when it comes to the life-changing decision to begin taking puberty blockers. There’s even legal advice about how to get around recalcitrant parents, by invoking what’s called the “mature minor doctrine.”

All of this is an assault on the highest calling parents have: to protect and cherish our children. But this is what happens when people make autonomy their god: They end up sacrificing children on its altar.


[italics and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES - As John highlights, the cost we pay for our culture’s choice of autonomy is paid by the next generation in a chilling way. Pray for God’s mercy to be poured out and for Christian voices to be His advocates, calling societies back to protecting and cherishing our children.
"Belgian lawmakers vote on euthanasia for kids" - Bernd Riegert | dw.com | February 13, 2014; https://www.dw.com/en/belgian-lawmakers-vote-on-euthanasia-for-kids/a-17245525
"Children are being euthanized in Belgium" - Charles Lane | Washington Post | August 6, 2018; https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/children-are-being-euthanized-in-belgium/2018/08/06/9473bac2-9988-11e8-b60b-1c897f17e185_story.html

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:To learn more, please go to -https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

Praying for Central Asia- In countries like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan And Kyrgyzstan, a Bible is a treasured gift—and in some places, a hard thing to come by. These believers rely on the Word of God to help them face increasing persecution. Throughout August, we’ll be focusing on bringing Scripture to this part of the world, and we ask you to join us.
August 22 | NIGER - A church in Tokarawa was attacked by radicals. When the leader
took the case to the village chief, he refused to act. Pray for God’s protection and encouragement.
*Names changed to protect identities

STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.  2 Tim.y 4:16                                                 

SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO SUFFER

The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves “brothers” and “sisters.” A former colleague who has done considerable travel among the persecuted says, “It is hard to believe that Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today. But it is even more difficult to believe that this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services. More Christians know the names of their favorite actors than their fellow believers who are in prison.”

He continues, “With every trip something in my heart breaks as I hear the echoes of suffering:

I remember the echoes of an Egyptian mother as she shared how her young boy was stuck in a haystack because she refused to deny Jesus.

I remember the sounds of weeping as fellow students in Indonesia shared how Sariman, their co-student, was hacked to death.

I remember the cries of anguish as we walked from church to church that was burned to the ground on the island of Lombok.

I remember the tears of Rebecca in Iran as she showed the picture of her father who was stabbed to death for sharing the gospel.

I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam as he shared how he was chained to the ground for six months.

I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan as she shared how her church was attacked and her friend was shot through the head.

Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea as he shared with tears how two dear friends were executed in front of him because of their faith.

And I remember the tears of Joy in the southern Philippines as she shared how her fiancé was shot to death in their church in Mindanao.

But, most all, I remember the deafening sounds of silence every time I return home.

RESPONSE

How can I be silent today? How can I not speak on behalf of those who suffer? How can I desert those that belong to the same body that I belong to and who desperately need the encouragement of my intervention on their behalf?

PRAYER
Lord, broaden my awareness of the needs of my suffering brothers and sisters. May I not be known for my silence