What would you do?
Imagine this scenario: You’re standing beside a hospital bed. The prognosis is not good. The doctor gives you two options. Remove your loved one from artificial life support. Or keep them alive indefinitely with it.
What would you do? What is biblical? What is permissible? What is compassionate?
Many families are facing complicated decisions in this era of intensive-care medicine, and they need help navigating it. To that end, Dr. Kathryn Butler is our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “A Godly Perspective on End-of-Life Decisions.” She’s a former trauma surgeon with a decade of experience as a critical care specialist.
Critical care saves lives in many scenarios. But when an illness can’t be cured, aggressive interventions prolong dying, incur suffering, and rob patients of their ability to speak with loved ones and God in their final days.
Dr. Butler will help you navigate end-of-life decisions by decoding confusing medical jargon and by offering a great framework for navigating end-of-life decisions in a God-honoring way:
- Sanctity of Mortal Life. As beings created in God’s image, we each possess irrevocable dignity. God commands us to cherish life with the directive, “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)
- God’s Authority Over Life and Death. God can perform miracles. But He’s not obligated to yield to our will if we pray fervently enough.
- Mercy and Compassion. We should be wary of overly aggressive interventions that inflict side effects that exceed the benefits.
- Hope in Christ. Because of the Gospel and the assurance of renewed life, we need not fear death. For believers, death is an instrument of God’s grace as He calls us home.
Hear our full conversation on your local radio station, online, on iTunes, via Podcast, or on our free phone app. Dr. Butler gets to the heart of many questions people ask in the ICU, a lot them of a spiritual nature – how to honor God and live out your walk with Christ in your final days.
If you have special concerns you’d like to talk to someone about, we have caring Christian counselors on staff, and it would be their privilege to offer you a free consultation. Call us, leave your name and number, and they’ll get back with you just as soon as possible. The number during business hours is 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).
Dr. Kathryn Butler’s book Between Life and Death: A Gospel-Centered Guide to End-of-Life Medical Care is available for a gift of any amount. Visit our website for more information.
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Janet Chinners says
-How can I get end of life book from this wee
I can’t find it as an option
Jess1FOTF says
-We would be happy to help, Janet. At the bottom of the page of this article, you may click on the link of the title of the book called Between Life and Death: A Gospel-Centered Guide to End-of-Life Medical Care. When the link is clicked, the page will route you to the donation page. Once you select or enter in your donation, be sure to choose the gift of this book. We hope this helps. Blessings to you and your family!