For many years people from all over the world have been arguing whether assisted suicide should be legalized. Assisted suicide is when a doctor or medical staff person prescribes a lethal amount of medication with the intent of helping a person commit suicide. The patient then takes the dose or turns the switch (Gregory). Groups of Americans believe because we are free, we should be allowed to make the choice of what we do with our bodies and lives. Their thoughts suggest that nobody has the right to tell them when they can end their life. I firmly believe that just because we were given life, doesn't mean we should be allowed to end it when we meet with hard times, loss of faith, illness, or boredom.
Christians and people of other faiths stand behind the belief, no one should be allowed to seek suicide for any reason. It has been preached for decades that life is a gift from God, and that each individual is its steward. Being a Christian and a follower of God, I trust that his teachings have prepared us to deal with life and the uncertainties we face. At times we forget our way until we encounter some dismay. Our first instincts, as we meet with a hardship, is to pray to our God for support and help to get us through this rough time. We pray for forgiveness each time we sin. These acts show we believe and need to remember this by letting God make the final decision on life's end. In my mind, I feel our lives are borrowed and are not ours to end. If we follow our belief in God during the prime of our life and good times, then we must also trust that he will be there for us until the end of life as he chooses. Bishop Wilton D. Gregory said it best by his comments, "Human life is a gift from God to be cherished and respected because every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. Our Church teaches that we are stewards of life and in heeding God's command, "Thou shall not kill", we recognize that we cannot dispose of life as we please" (Gregory).
