We have seen a surge in the anti-life agenda in the U.S. in recent months.
It has been going on for decades here, as well as in increasingly liberal nations all over the world where unborn children are quickly losing all protections.
We don’t seem to hear as much progressive rhetoric from nations in Central and South America, but now one country’s law has crossed a horrific new line.
Columbia is a heavily Christian nation, with most of its citizens adhering to Catholic or Evangelical Christian values.
In fact, nearly 80 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, and the Catholic Church is still a powerful social and economic force in the country.
It is also a nation steeped in traditional family values, and despite unresolved issues about government involvement in its health care facilities, it is thought to have some of the most quality care in Latin America.
But its history and quality of medical care seem to be at odds with a legal issue that began decades ago.
In 1997, Columbia’s government ruled that euthanasia in certain circumstances was not illegal, but there were still enough grey areas to keep people from going through legal loopholes for fear of prosecution.
Then, in 2014, the issue was again brought before the Constitutional Court, and euthanasia and assisted suicide were legalized for adults.
But last year, a final nail was placed in the moral and ethical coffin of this Christian nation.
It is now legal to euthanize children over the age of six.
A portion of the original 1997 discussion included the words: “Nothing is more cruel than to force a person to survive in the midst of shameful suffering, in the name of other people’s beliefs,” as reported by Life News.
In other words, preserving life due to the belief that God alone is the sole authority over life and death is “cruel.”
It gets worse.
The law is intended to “guarantee the right to death worthy of children and adolescents” by allowing children as young as seven to choose to die with their parents’ permission.
After age 12, a child only needs one parent’s permission. We can only imagine the family trauma in this case when one parent agrees to “end the child’s suffering” and the other parent is desperate – but helpless – to stop it.
And at age 14 – a young, confusing age when children are just entering into puberty, are full of self-doubt, questions, and fears – when they’ve barely begun to figure out who they are – no parental permission is needed at all.
Dr. R. Luque Nunez who advises this issue, as well as being an advisor to the Columbian Ministry of Health makes the shocking comment that, “Doing this for children is a whole new world,” as reported by the Globe and Mail.
He argues that children under six don’t understand the concept of death, from six to 12, children understand that everyone dies at some point, and at age 12, he believes that children are morally and emotionally developed enough to make the decision to die.
Unbelievable.
And, of course, Columbian citizens have had no ability to vote in opposition to this horrific legal precedent.
The Ministry of Health based its original euthanasia and assisted suicide laws on those of Canada, which allows it for citizens over the age of 18. But even Canada says that it is too difficult to determine the level of understanding of children to even consider extending the law to include them.
But other nations like Belgium and the Netherlands allow for children to choose assisted suicide with parental consent.
Criteria for all of these nations include the child having an incurable illness involving intolerable pain and meetings with psychiatrists and other medical professionals to make sure they “understand” their choice.
But they’re missing the point. No child, or even a teen nearing adulthood, has the emotional maturity to understand the moral and ethical consequences of such a decision.
Not to mention that – just like with the international debate over legalized abortion – only God alone has the authority to choose who lives and who dies.
Official records claim that “only” about 40 people have used the law to commit assisted suicide or euthanasia of children in Colombia, but the numbers are likely much higher.
Many families are thought to go through private doctors who advocate for the “right to die” and one claims that he has “provided euthanasia” to hundreds, including dozens of children, according to Life News.
Critics of the law are extremely frustrated and disappointed that there was no national debate on the issue.
Many physicians – just like physicians who refuse to perform abortions – will not assist any patient seeking euthanasia.
And overall, the majority of medical professionals, churches, and the predominantly Christian citizens of the country are opposed to the regulations, with a widespread belief that we are not promised a life without suffering – and that God, not man, should make these decisions.
We pray for those in Colombia who are fighting to change this anti-life agenda, especially for vulnerable children who can in no way understand what they are requesting.
What do you think of this horrific law allowing for euthanasia of children as young as six? Leave us your thoughts.