Cornerstone University Scholar Challenges Right-to-Die Laws in a National Op-Ed
Dr. Douglas Groothuis, distinguished university research professor of apologetics and Christian worldview at Cornerstone University, recently published an op-ed in LifeNews titled “There is No Right to Die.” He argues that as assisted suicide laws expand and public opinion rapidly shifts toward “right to die” as a moral standard, safeguards meant to set limits erode quickly. More fundamentally, he outlines that such laws cross a moral line because they deny the God-given intrinsic worth of human life, integral to America’s founding Judeo-Christian principles.
Groothius expresses concern for citizens about this moral erosion as New York joins 12 states and Washington, D.C., which protect assisted dying by law. He cites The Economist, which reports 30% of Americans may soon live in states that allow doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs — similar to Canada and the Netherlands.
While the New York law and a similar law in Oregon include safeguards intended to prevent abuse, he points to Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program, which initially was limited to terminal cases and now includes broader eligibility.
Over 60,300 Canadians, roughly one in 20 deaths, have died through assisted suicide nationwide, surpassing Alzheimer’s and diabetes related deaths combined.
For Groothuis, this is a predictable result, urging citizens to carefully consider these realities,
“Once you violate a fundamental moral principle, you slide into a moral abyss. That principle is that human life has intrinsic, incomparable, and unique value that should not be violated,” or “disposed of at will.”
Drawing distinctions between Euthanasia (where a doctor administers the drug) or doctor-assisted suicide (where a doctor assists the patient in administering the drug), Groothius maintains that human life retains its worth. Advances in palliative care are now common, and yet, even in great suffering, death can be “stewarded well” and should not be intentionally ended,
“… the fact that anyone at all is legally allowed to choose to die with the assistance of a doctor is, in itself, morally wrong. Because of our human dignity, we have the right to life. This implies the right not to be murdered. But suicide, whether assisted by a doctor or not, is self-murder.”
As America celebrates 250 years since its founding, Groothius’s op-ed exposes the fallacy that there is “dignity in death” as human life has unique value created by God. And it is fundamental to the nation’s strengths and must be preserved, saying,
“This view of human dignity is based on the uniquely Judeo-Christian ideal that we are made in the image of a personal and moral God. It is one of the greatest gifts that Western civilization has given the world…”
Read Dr. Groothius’ full article published by LifeNews.
About Dr. Douglas Groothius
Dr. Groothius is a best-selling author, Christian philosopher, apologist and public intellectual. As Cornerstone University’s first distinguished university research professor of apologetics and Christian worldview, he works with undergraduate students and prepares Cornerstone Theological Seminary ministry students in an orthodox Biblical worldview. His mission is to inspire all students to know Jesus more deeply and exemplify His character spiritually and professionally.
For more information about Dr. Groothius or Cornerstone University’s Christian apologetics and Christian worldview integrated curriculum and programs, contact admissions@cornerstone.edu.
