Living in a Death Culture

Thirty years ago, the phrase “culture of death” entered mainstream vocabulary. In 1995, Pope John Paul II used the term in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). At the time of the publication, Pope John Paul II had been Pope for 17 years and was 75 years old. In that same time span, he was the most recognized religious leader in the world and was one of the loudest, most visible advocates for the relief of human suffering. He spoke and wrote in the vernacular. There were defenseless, innocent, and sometimes inconvenient people who were being exterminated from society. His papacy by 1995 had witnessed the HIV/AIDS epidemic, ethnic cleansing in Serbia, Croatia, and Rwanda, and an explosion in the number of abortions in 1990. In 1990, there were 50.4 million babies aborted around the globe. From 1990-1994 the abortion rate was 40 per 1000 pregnancies globally. The impact of his encyclical in the proceeding 10 years, coupled with the diligent work of Mother Teresa, is worth noting. Abortion rates worldwide dipped to their lowest recorded levels at 35 per 1000. Pope John speaking out and Mother Teresa’s tireless work with advocacy, direct services, and calls to action brought human suffering to the forefront and into our homes. Global relief efforts during this time were at their peak.

Using the same source, NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information or National Library of Medicine), euthanasia worldwide also increased. In 1990 euthanasia and physician assisted suicide reporting rates steadily increased from those surveyed. The reporting rate in 1990 was 18%, 1995 was 41%, 2001 was 54%, and in 2005 was 80%. These numbers show the medical community and society in general had sanitized language in a way that there was an increased comfort in the mere reporting from the medical community. The shift of acceptance was taking shape, paving the way for doctors to move away from “do no harm” to allow people to have a “soft landing out of suffering”. In Canada and the Netherlands 5% of all deaths are a result of medically assisted dying. Belgium, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and now 10 states in the US along with DC are swiftly following suit. The common threads between abortion and euthanasia are the growing acceptance and the decrease in the value of human life from some of the most progressive and developed countries in the world.

It seems the higher the GDP, the higher the education level, and the highest levels of access to resources and healthcare are leading the charge to prey on the most vulnerable. I may be naïve, but I have not observed under-developed poverty ridden countries embracing self-inflicted death the ways those mentioned above have. If you are poor, inconvenient, minority, diseased, disabled, or elderly, you have a deflation rate of value to those around you. That is the message! Your life hinges on the worth of the individual on the open market of human capital. Being pro-life is more than having concern for the unborn.

Yes, the life of those that have yet to truly live is sacred, but so are the lives of every person born into the human family. PJP II was spot-on in his assessment that the world view of life prioritizes individual autonomy and convenience over the sanctity of human life. Legalize then expand is the blueprint that has led to the erosion of respect for human dignity.

What are our next steps? What can we do on the local level? We should speak up and out to our elected officials and clergy. During a non-presidential election cycle, the average turnout for state and local elections hover around 11%-12%. We can be more intentional in making every one of our votes be cast and counted. We can use financial incentives (or the lack of) to leverage a pro-life message to political candidates, healthcare providers, and businesses. We should not vote for a politician, visit a medical provider, or attend a church that does not use their platform to advocate or defend those during all stages of life. We should only support stores, shops, banks, churches, and healthcare centers who support the unborn, disabled, infirmed, or terminally ill. We should give our time, talent, and treasure to our pregnancy resource centers and palliative care agencies that put life before death. I am by no means calling for a “walk-out” or boycott of things such as doctors or places of worship. But I am calling for your voices to be heard, your stance to be seen, and your hearts devoted to God in more diligent prayer. We should provide more education opportunities and when available attend workshops that help us be more informed about how to care for those facing the end of life.

I call for us to be united in the message there is a life worth living, a life worth sharing, and a life worth preserving.

To learn more about your rights as a patient, or to help a loved one battling with end of life care, visit the Institute for Patient Rights.

Damon Sexton, president, Right to Life of Central Kentucky