Escaping Death

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12, ESV).

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Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

On October 27, 1997, Oregon became the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Many Americans were shocked and dismayed at this development. Over time, more and more people have accepted physician-assisted suicide, and it continues to gain momentum.

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MAiD in Canada

Free trade between Canada and the United States has been a reality since the 1980s. Thaddeus Pope, on his Medical Futility Blog, recently posted a video that shows a Canadian female physician who obviously wishes to export a dangerous idea to her southern neighbor. Although Canada does not hold the corner on the market of assisted suicide or euthanasia, Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) in Canada is not an import we need in the United States.

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The “H” in Hospice Stands for “Hope”

When I asked him if there were any other hopes he had at this stage of his life, he just shrugged and said, “Nope, all my hopes are in you guys – the medical profession.” He died three weeks later tragically clinging to tomorrow’s news.

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A Biblical Perspective on End of Life Issues

How should Christians come to the end of life? What is the appropriate use of technology to prolong life? How can we assure that when our time to die comes we will do it in answer to the call of God rather than because all of the technology of modern medicine has been exhausted?

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Standing Against Physician-Assisted Suicide in Family Medicine

The American Academy of Family Physicians’ (AAFP) Congress of Delegates recently voted during their annual meeting to change their Hippocratic position on assisted suicide to a position of “engaged neutrality.” In this week’s blog post, Dr. David Stevens discusses how dangerous this decision is, and what you can do to get involved.

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How Big Are Your Rocks?

Did you have a sling shot when you were a kid? I did, and I used to pick up rocks and pebbles from our driveway to use as ammunition when I plinked tree trunks, scared birds away from eating our garden and knocked cans off a stone wall.

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Council on Judicial and Ethical Affairs

Compassion & Choices uses every trick in the book to get physician-assisted suicide legalized in individual states, and they never give up. They fund polling with leading questions in the vein of, “Would you like to die in terrible pain hooked up to a machine by doctors who won’t let you die or should physicians aid you in dying?” They then tout the results as overwhelming support for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide to the media and anyone else who will listen.

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California Judge Overturns Assisted Suicide

Bristol, TN–The nation’s largest faith-based organization, the 19,000-member Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA, www.cmda.org), today hailed a California judge’s ruling in its lawsuit against assisted suicide in California.

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Christian Doctor’s Digest – February 2014

Discussions with Walt Larimore, MD about his book Ultimate Guy’s Body Book, with Kennon Vaughn about evangelism through Downline Ministries, and an update on Physician Assisted Suicide in Montana with David Hafer, DDS.

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Christian Doctor’s Digest – January 2018

In this month’s episode, Dr. David Stevens chats with Laurence G. Worthen about physicians and dentists who share a common goal to fully integrate their Christian faith with professional practice and an update on Physician-Assisted Suicide in Canada. Also, Nathan D’Jiim discusses his work for the Lord.

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10 Reasons DC Assisted Suicide Should Be Overturned

Eleven members of the District of Columbia Council decided in November 2016 to legalize assisted suicide, paving the way to providing DC citizens with lethal pills to kill themselves. Because assisted suicide represents a deadly danger to vulnerable patients, to the medical profession and to society, Congress is moving to overturn the DC law through a disapproval measure-a seldom-exercised authority but an imperative action with lives at risk.

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Engage Your Government

By the time you read these words, America will have finally chosen a new president after seemingly endless years of primary races, campaigning, debates and grudge matches pitting candidate against candidate. Chances are, whether you voted for the eventual winner or not, you shoulder at least some measure of concern for the future of our country.

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Slip Sliding Away: Death By Organ Donation

Proponents of physician-assisted suicide/euthanasia adamantly maintain the slippery slope does not exist. The U.S. is not like the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and now Canada, they claim. They point out how well assisted suicide is working in states here.

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Political Parties Contrasted on Life Issues

Both major political parties recently issued new platforms that communicate contrasting core values to the American people. Following is a breakdown of where each party stands on the life issues of particular concern to readers of this blog: abortion, sex education, embryos and stem cell research and assisted suicide.

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The Court of Last Resort

Though I have two in my extended family, I never wanted to be a lawyer. But I admit, I have desired more legal knowledge over the last few months as CMDA has taken legal action as a last resort to deal with threats to our members and our patients.

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Alliance Defending Freedom Files Suit on Behalf of CMDA

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed suit in federal court against officials in the Vermont Board of Medical Practice and the Office of Professional Regulation on behalf of health care professionals who wish to abide by their oath to “do no harm.”

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Tennessee Amici Curiae Against Assisted Suicide

John Jay Hooker vs. the State – Brief to uphold the fundamental values of the State of Tennessee, the history and tradition of this State and Nation, and universal, enduring notions of human dignity and to reaffirm Tennessee citizens’ intereste in life, safety, sound public policy and medical integrity.

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Care, Not Killing: The Most Excellent Way

Calling me over to her bed in the ICU, she fumbled to grasp the lapels of my white coat. With surprising strength she drew me close to her face and said vehemently, “I don’t care what my doctor says, or what my family says, I just want to be kept comfortable until such time as I am no longer alive.”

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Questions Arise in Brittany Maynard’s Suicide

The fact that she ultimately took her own life the next day, just 24 hours after saying she wasn’t really ready, is still one of the most perplexing twists in the saga surrounding her life and death. Now, a psychologist who is affiliated with a group working to stop a bill in the legislature in California, Maynard’s home state, from legalizing assisted suicide, is asking some serious question about whether Maynard may have been pressured by her family to commit suicide before she was truly prepared to do so.

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The Point Blog – February 2015

Commentary and update on the state of legislative activities in Washington involving CMDA member interests. In this issue: Measles outbreak raising national concerns, The death of physician-assisted suicide in Colorado, and Illinois approves child use of medical marijuana.

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Christian Doctor’s Digest – November 2014

Dr. David Stevens’ guests on this edition of Christian Doctor’s Digest include John Stonestreet about a thoughtful approach to same-sex marriage, Jonathan Imbody on the healthcare right of conscience and Drs. Charles Smith and John Elsen with a walk down memory lane.

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The Point – November 2014

Commentary and update on the state of legislative activities in Washington involving CMDA member interests. In this issue: In this edition: Terminally ill patient ends her life, Tennessee passes abortion amendment, and Public supports quarantine for Ebola health workers.

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Physician-Assisted Suicide

Dr. Stevens and Kara discuss the recent profile story of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman with terminal brain cancer who supports assisted suicide and plans to end her life on November 1, 2014. In response to Maynard’s plans, Kara challenges the medical community to consider whether or not they are walking away from the Hippocratic Oath by participating in assisted suicide.

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Why Physician-Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Legal

The statement above is the foundational moral principle of medicine, pledged by doctors for centuries as they attempt to cure and relieve suffering without injuring the patient. It’s a principle being eroded by the movement to legalize physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia. When combined with an impersonal and technological healthcare system, the movement to support PAS has proven lethal.

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The Point Washington Update – April 2014

Commentary and update on the state of legislative activities in Washington involving CMDA member interests. In this edition of The Point: Researchers harvest stem cells from cloned human embryos, Assisted suicide advocates make their case in JAMA, and SCOTUS hears case on free speech re: abortion in Obamacare.

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The Point Washington Update – March 2014

Commentary and update on the state of legislative activities in Washington involving CMDA member interests. In this edition of The Point: CMDA religious freedom commentary on Fox News, Supreme Court hears religious freedom, contraceptives cases, and Quebec election 2014 may speed euthanasia legalization; doctors protest.

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Christian Doctor’s Digest – October 2013

Exploring difficult situations. Matt Anderson, MD shares his story of being fired for presenting a Christian talk at his hospital and the Right of Conscience battle that ensued. Byron Calhoun, MD discusses perinatal hospice and the difficult journey of losing a child. Then Rob Moll shares from his book The Art of Dying.

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The Point Blog – October 2013

Commentary and update on the state of legislative activities in Washington involving CMDA member interests. In this edition of The Point: New Poll Results on Physician-Assisted Suicide, Obamacare May Trigger Exodus of Christian Doctors, and Doctors Look For A Way Off The Medical Hamster Wheel.

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The Point Blog – May 2013

In this edition of The Point: CMDA physicians on human cloning study revelation, Vermont to legalize physician-assisted suicide, Use Of Embryo Donation As A Family Building Option.

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Montana vs. Baxter

Legalizing assisted suicide would have drastic public policy implications. The question whether some citizens (doctors) should be allowed to kill other citizens (patients) is a decision with profound ramifications for the safety and well­ being of the whole community, not least its most vulnerable members.

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Preachers of Righteousness

I never planned to be a “preacher of righteousness,” as Peter described Noah in 2 Peter 2:5. It all started a few weeks after I became the CEO of CMDA in 1994. The most common comment from graduate members in those days was, “CMDA was great when I was in training, but what does it do for me now?”

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Christian Reflections on Dementia

Betty had served God well for years as a missionary in Africa. She was a strong believer and had a passion for the glory of God. At 80 she began to lose things and had difficulty remembering recent events. By 83 she was no longer able to care for her invalid husband and was placed in a nursing home. For the last five years of her life she sat and babbled incoherently.

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Cloning Name Games

Proponents of therapeutic cloning seek to clone human embryos, but don’t want them implanted into women. Instead, they want to use them to produce stem cells that might some day be developed into therapies. These stem cells and resulting tissues would be immunologically compatible with the person from whom they were cloned, thereby overcoming the risk of rejection that plagues tissue transplantation from other people.

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Ministry Through End-Of-Life Care

A generation or two ago, when medicine was primarily low-tech, a majority of patients died quickly of acute illness, usually in their own homes, cared for by families, neighbors, and church friends. But things have changed. Now, 90 percent of North Americans die slowly from debilitating disease (organ failure, malignancy, dementia, etc.).

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Testimony of Richard M. Doerflinger

Testimony offered by Richard M. Doerflinger about physician-assisted suicide before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution regarding the Pain Relief Promotion Act.

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