Our modern culture takes pride in twisting the meaning of words. Abortion is now “maternal healthcare,” and physician-assisted suicide is now “death with dignity.” Unfortunately, this disturbing change in semantics has real-life impacts, subtly changing our culture’s views on these issues and normalizing the devaluation of human life. As activists attempt to pitch physician-assisted suicide to the world, it has devastating consequences for our society.

A report from the Journal of Ethics in Mental Health found that when assisted suicides are present in a society, the number of non-assisted suicides increases dramatically. It should be obvious to many that when ending one’s own life in a hospital is seen as a solution to suffering, non-assisted suicide will become accepted as well. This is the sad truth of the situation, and it cannot be covered up with weak attempts to change the semantics.

The state of Oregon has long been a proponent of physician-assisted suicide. Death with Dignity, an organization devoted to the subject since 1989, “believe[s] individuals with terminal illness have a right to die with the same autonomy and agency in which they lived their lives.” Sadly, as Oregon has embraced a culture of death, they have seen a spike of youth suicides in recent years. In 2018, suicide was the leading cause of death for youths across the state.

The Death with Dignity movement is spreading to Minnesota as well. In 2015, the “Compassionate Care Act” was introduced but did not pass. Since then lawmakers have been pushing to see similar bills passed. We cannot allow Minnesota to become a state where life is devalued in this way. This is a great evil that will lead to even more disastrous consequences.

Last year, the Constitutional Court of Germany ruled in favor of legalizing “self-determined death” at any point in one’s life, essentially allowing suicide in any and all circumstances. Germany has set a dangerous precedent that we must not follow. Legally, any person could decide to contact their doctor and end their own life in a matter of days without any prerequisites or conditions. Their families would have no ability to intervene and may not even know that their son or daughter was planning on ending their life.

Suicide is not something to be taken lightly. The ending of one’s own life is the most tragic act a human can commit. As Christians, we know that suicide is wrong. We are given direct commands not to murder, and we are told to endure through life (Mark 13:13). This means that no matter what comes our way, we should hold fast to the life that God has given to us. No amount of suffering can remove or reduce the incredible value of a person’s life. We should stand against suicide, whether assisted or not, because life is precious. Let’s work on spreading the Gospel to those who may be considering ending their life.

We cannot let our children grow up in a world where suicide is viewed as a positive and painless way to get out of our present trouble. Suicide is destructive. Not only does it end a life, but it causes immense trauma to the victim’s loved ones. There is not a better time to reject the idea that suicide is good, and to stand up for life.