The Issues and Controversy: Terri Shiavo

By Andrew Somers, Your Guide To Civil Liberty (about.com)
(Below is an a small section of Andrew Somers Story)
"…First, the question is does Terri have a right to die? If her brain was in fact dead, and she were unable to breath without artificial respiration, then there would be little question. Indeed the cessation of brain functions has long been held as justification for removal of life support.

But in the case of Terri, her brain is still functioning, though at a very low level - she cannot swallow food, or communicate with those in the room. Most doctors say she is in what they call PVS or Persistent Vegetative State.

Despite this, she apparently is still able to make eye contact and respond, though in primitive ways, to those in the room. - Or is she? There is great controversy over this. Terri's parents (who are fighting to prevent Terri's feeding tube from being removed) illegally made a video tape of Terri that appears to show Terri responding to outside stimulus…"

What Biblical Principles Apply to Living Wills?

          No matter what the issue or technology, the Christian must always ask the question, “What does the Lord say?  Are there precepts, principles or examples in the Bible that help us understand our Heavenly Father’s will on the matter?”  While it is true that living wills are not mentioned in the Bible, it is not therefore true that the Bible has nothing to say about them.  The Bible has much to say about life and death.

          First, the Scripture says that human beings are made in the image of God, and He has invested our lives with sacred value (Gen 1:26-27).  Human beings have a value and a unique place above all other forms of life on the earth.  “To sanctify,” means to “set apart” as special.  The psalmist declares that we are “made a little lower than the angels” and are “crowned…with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5) the sanctity or sacredness of human life is a biblical doctrine that must be considered in any application of the Bible to medicine or science.

            Second, the Bible teaches that God Himself is the giver and taker of human life.  As Paul puts it in Romans 14:7-8: “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.  For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”  The Lord Himself is the giver of life and the one who takes life (Job1:21).  What ever we decide about end-of-life issues, we must understand that we do not possess ultimate authority over life and death.

          Third, the Bible everywhere condemns unjust killing.  There is no warrant in Scripture for active euthanasia or the intentional killing of another person because his or her condition appears terminal.