Some things in this fallen world can’t be dignified, no matter what language we use. Death is a gruesome enemy of humanity. The ultimate solution to it can only be found in the resurrection of our lord.

On December 12, 2025, amid the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, Deb’s Law (SB 1950) was quietly signed into law in Illinois. The law will take effect in September 2026; it legalizes self-administration of “aid-in-dying” pharmaceuticals by individuals with a terminal diagnosis who are predicted to have six months or less to live.

The language used to describe assisted suicide sounds compassionate and dignified—even noble. And certainly, compassion is needed in end-of-life scenarios. Those who’ve spent long hours by the bedside of a suffering loved one know how excruciating final moments can be. Sometimes, prayers for healing turn to prayers for God to mercifully end the suffering.

Yet in the fog of sorrow and difficult decisions, Christians should resist the cultural tide of euthanasia that undermines the value of human life. Instead, we should value God’s gift of life even amid suffering.

Incorrect Diagnosis

Years ago, I visited an octogenarian church member, Joan, in the hospital. She’d just been told by doctors that her time was short. Her family had been called in to say their final goodbyes. I left the hospital room that day thinking it’d be the last time I saw her this side of glory.

I was wrong. She rebounded. Not a little but a lot. Seven years after I thought I’d seen her for the last time, I went to visit her at her assisted-living facility. When she wasn’t in her room, I was astonished to find her down the hall in the exercise room lifting weights.

Joan ended up enjoying 10 more years. She was such an encouragement, often writing notes and prayers to her church family. Thankfully, the well-meaning doctors were wrong about Joan’s remaining time. It’s a good reminder that only God knows the future.

Improper Anthropology

Support for assisted suicide relies on a distorted view of humanity. Though it’s often cloaked in compassionate language, assisted suicide is, at its heart, an attempt by humans to “be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Since the first temptation in Eden, humanity has sought to seize authority over matters of life and death.

By God’s design, we’re dependent, contingent creatures. Human beings weren’t designed to be in control. It’s God who numbers our days (Ps. 139:16). When an individual seeks to end his own life, it demonstrates his unwillingness to submit to the Author of Life.

In our culture, assisted suicide blurs the distinction between humans and animals. As many pet owners have experienced, sometimes it’s tragically necessary to euthanize an animal. Yet humans are distinct from all the other animals in creation, because we bear the image of God (Gen. 1:27).

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