A Culture of Death or a Culture of Life?

{This post is a revised speech I presented two years ago as a Senior in high school to a local Right to Life group. I am afraid that the statistics presented have only increased, favoring the pro-choice movement. "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13, KJV}

   

"Courageous. Inspirational. Dignified." These were words used to describe a 29-year-old woman that chose to end her own life to escape a battle with cancer.

   "Selfish. Stupid. Cruel." These were words used to describe a young mother that made the choice not to abort her disabled baby.

   In a recent Gallup poll, 7 out of 10 Americans said that they believed physicians should be able to legally end a patient's life. Over 50% of Americans polled believe abortion should be legal for a baby with physical or mental disabilities. How have we become a society that celebrates death and devalues life?

   Perhaps you remember when the news was in a flurry over the story of Brittany Maynard. This 29-year-old woman was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She lived in California and wished to end her life by pursuing the so-called “death with dignity” path but her home state didn’t provide such options. After moving with her family to Oregon, where prescription euthanasia is practiced, she ended her life. In an interview with CBS News, she shockingly referred to her suicide as a “healthcare choice” and the newscasters claimed her decision was courageous. She was celebrated as a hero and pasted on all of the tabloids. We can all see that this young lady felt the chance of life she was given was not worth the suffering. Sad as it is, she did not see the value of life as a God-given blessing.
 
   In contrast, we have the lesser known story of Lacey Buchanan. This young mother was elated to find out halfway through her pregnancy that she and her husband were having a boy. Later, they received the devastating phone call that something was wrong. Christian was born with a severe cleft lip and palate as well as no eyes. He has had and will undergo multiple surgeries to reconstruct his face, but he will always be blind. Due to his abnormalities, the family received several stares and disheartening comments. She was asked by strangers in public, “Why didn’t you just abort him?” Lacey was accused of being a horrible mother for not aborting Christian.

   Why is it that we are promoting and celebrating death in our culture? Those who are fighting for the right to life are pushed out of the headlines and a positive light is shown on those that seem to oppose this idea.

   As disgusting as it seems, the popular media is pushing this agenda. Books and movies such as The Hunger Games and television shows like The Walking Dead are promoting death and murder in society.
 
   Studies are showing that viewing repeated acts of violence are desensitizing young people to human suffering and the value of human life. Statistics show that by the time a child is 18 years-of-age; he or she will have witnessed an astounding 200,000 acts of violence, including 40,000 murders!
 
   Let’s consider the video-game industry. Video games are used in the military to teach strategy and make soldiers immune to the thought of shooting or blowing up another human being. These same games are then inappropriately marketed to children and brought into homes.

Is it any wonder that as a society we have become desensitized to killing and have lost our respect for life?

   A woman who did respect life never made it to the headlines. Just like Brittany Maynard, Kathie Cooper was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She underwent two brain surgeries, two years of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. Over ten years later, she is still alive and enjoying life with her husband. He said, “If she’d given up the fight for life, she wouldn’t be here. It gives hope to those who struggle to the very end.” That is what I would call courageous.

   Currently, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, New Mexico, and Montana have passed death with dignity laws with many states, including Tennessee, bringing such suicide legislation to their assemblies. A Health Division report of assisted suicides in Oregon documented that not one patient had reported uncontrollable pain. All of the patients who requested assisted suicide claimed psychological and social concerns as their primary reasons for following through with the procedure. We need to help these people see that dying with dignity is appreciating every minute of life we are given and being there for our family, even if we are afraid.

   Not only are we forgetting the worth of our own lives, we are depreciating the value of our unborn babies. With an average of over 1 million, 60 thousand abortions performed in the U.S. per year and 21% of pregnancies ending in abortion this is an area of large concern. Most proponents of abortion claim it should be available in the case of developmental issues. Out of all the causes for abortion in our country, abortions due to fetal abnormalities fall at only 0.5% while 74% of women seek an abortion because they felt their baby was an inconvenience.

   Lacey Buchanan and her family were crushed by the hurtful statements made to them, but used their situation to glorify God and began speaking up for the value of life. Their son, Christian, is now a bubbly 4-year old that meets people’s stares with a gush of giggles. It is obvious to all that meet him that he has a full and happy life.

   Will we allow the United States to become a culture of death or a culture that embraces life, even those we may not consider to be ideal? Movies and T.V., magazines, games, and even the comments people shout out are revealing the heart of the United States.

   We should be a society that values life and appreciate the blessings that come with it. Just a few years ago, Tennessee celebrated life with the passage of Amendment One. However, this is just the beginning. There are many laws currently being considered to protect the lives of the unborn in Tennessee. Our legislators need our support to help carry these bills into law and our encouragement to vote no on bills that don’t respect life.

   We also need to help others in America join the party. Whether it is honoring dignity through life or reveling in the giggles of the children around us, we, as a country, can celebrate the blessing of life.