Suicide Machine

Tony Nicklinson

Controlling their lives
Deciding when and how they will die
A victim of someone else’s choice
The ones who suffer have no voice

Manipulating destiny

When it comes to living, no one seems to care
But when it comes to wanting out
Those with power will be there

Prolong the pain
How long will it last?
Suicide machine
A request to die with dignity
Is that too much to ask?
Suicide machine

How easy it is to deny the pain
Of someone else’s suffering

Robbed of natural abilities
In death they now seek tranquility
In a confused state of mind
Extending agony, they must be blind

Manipulating destiny

When it comes to living, no one seems to care
But when it comes to wanting out
Those with power will be there

Prolong the pain
How long will it last?
Suicide machine
A request to die with dignity
Is that too much to ask?
Suicide machine

5 thoughts on “Suicide Machine”

  1. I met someone recently that was in constant pain and dying. He let me know that he wanted to die. He seemed like a good candidate for euthanasia however after listening to him for a while I realised his main reason for wanting to die was that he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone anymore.

  2. That’s a valid reason Reed. When death is certain, It would be hard to watch your families struggle to look after you in your illness. When times are tuff, Old Eskimo’s choose to wander off and die so that their Families have a better chance of survival. These are virtuous sentiments.

  3. I’m not against mercy killings but I am against killing someone because they feel they are a burden and I’m against killing someone because they are (or will be) a burden.

    NZ is not ready for euthanasia laws.

  4. This is a difficult issue. Compassion is a Christian virtue Richard, yet it is true that misguided humanitarianism is capable of gross errors/ evils (Eg Supporting Communism).
    It is important to understand the Dispensational covenant we As Christians have with God via Paul’s Gospel of grace.
    Our salvation does not depend upon us Keeping the Law/ remaining faithful/ enduring ‘unto the end’, as is required to enter the Kingdom when the Kingdom gospel was/ will be preached.
    We are Free from the Law.
    We are under God’s grace.
    Thus I put this scenario to you Richard.
    You are out in the wop wops, hundreds of miles from civilization, when you come across a car which has crashed and a man is trapped inside. He is terribly injured yet conscious. You try to free him, yet you cannot.
    You talk to him, and find out that he is a Christian.
    The Car catches fire and he begins to be burned alive.
    He is screaming in agony Mercy! “Kill me”…” Kill me”… Oh God!
    There is no way you can rescue him, yet you have a rife in your car.
    Do you shoot him Dead to relieve his agony, or do you just stand there and watch him being slowly killed in utter agony?
    This is a horrible scenario yet it has happened.
    I would Grab the Gun and Shoot him dead.
    Though I could not be certain that God would believe that, I had done the right thing, I would in my heart …by my own judgement believe I had done the right thing… because I would hope that man would do the same thing for me if the positions were reverced (Ie by shooting him I would have ‘loved my neighbor as myself’)
    And I would not fear Gods wrath. (Indeed I would more likely fear God’s displeasure if I instead just stood there and did nothing!)
    The reason I would not fear God’s wrath… even if what I did was wrong… is because I am under Gods grace, and know he loves me will forgive me for any foolish errors I commit… He will forgive me…for Christ’s sake.
    This is what it means to live under Grace.
    Now apply this scenario to the sufferer of ‘Trapped in syndrome’ …a person whom is being artificially kept alive… against his own will… and you will see that if I could aid him to end his misery… I would do it, if he asked me to.
    I would not consider this murder at all.
    I cannot say if I was in his predicament whether or not I would want someone to help me die… yet I suspect that I would.
    To Me Christianity says …
    “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” St Paul (1 Cor 13:2).
    Liberty from the Law makes us Christians free to follow our own conscience.

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