Christian organization ADF International has launched a campaign to raise awareness on the perils euthanasia laws bring to people and society.
The group initiated the “Affirm Dignity | End Euthanasia” campaign to provide information about what euthanasia, promoted as “death with dignity,” truly means to individuals and their families, reports Premier.
The legalization of euthanasia implicitly tells the most vulnerable that they are a burden. With this campaign, we want to send the opposite message. —Robert Clarke, director of European Advocacy for ADF International
The campaign highlights two countries of concern—Belgium and the Netherlands, where there’s a spike in the number of people who opted to hasten their deaths.
“According to the most recent government report, more than six people per day are killed in this way, and that may yet be the tip of the iceberg,” said Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International. “The figures expose the truth that, once these laws are passed, the impact of euthanasia cannot be controlled.”
Coleman noted that euthanasia laws in Belgium send a message that vulnerable members of society, especially the elderly, are a burden to the family and the country. In 2014, the European nation amended the laws to also include terminally-ill children.
According to the ADF’s website, it is also legal to euthanize terminally-ill children in Canada and “much has been paid to child euthanasia.”
The United Nations reported that “1 in 6 older people experienced some form of abuse in the past year,” and believed that this number is expected to rise in the future.
ADF International said human societies are expected to care for both the young and old. It pointed out that legal euthanasia “implicitly tells society’s most vulnerable citizens, who are often elderly members of the community facing health issues, that their lives are not worth living.”
The Christian charity also explained that normal signs of aging, such as difficulty in mobility, poor eyesight and hearing, should not be used to justify euthanasia.
The Affirm Dignity | End Euthanasia campaign wants people to realize that euthanasia is not the compassionate route. ADF International said those who decide to end their suffering soon through euthanasia are the ones whom society should be caring for.
“The legalization of euthanasia implicitly tells the most vulnerable that they are a burden. With this campaign, we want to send the opposite message,” said Robert Clarke, director of European Advocacy for ADF International.
