“Some people who may oppose my action,” Glassman says, “may say that I want dying patients to suffer, chas v’shalom.
Quite the opposite—we as physicians have ample tools to alleviate the
suffering for the living, even for the terminally ill, without the need
to license suicide.”
That Hebrew phrase he used, chas v’shalom,
means “Heaven forbid.” It reveals that just as Dr. Glassman is
religiously motivated not to kill, he’s also religiously motivated to
heal and to alleviate suffering. In his mind, being forced to kill not
only forces him to do what is wrong, it’s an obstacle to doing what he’s
called to do.
The good news is that a New
Jersey state judge has issued an order preventing the law from taking
effect until the religious freedom issues Glassman raised have been
adjudicated.
Still, Glassman’s case is a
reminder of the increasing pressure being put on medical professionals
to participate in the “Culture of Death.” No matter how often advocates
paint physician-assisted suicide and abortion as “compassionate” care,
many doctors rightfully want nothing to do with them.
This leaves the dilemma of to
what degree unwilling physicians should be coerced to participate. Even
if laws talk about “voluntary” participation, it’s nearly impossible to
avoid the machinery of death once it carries the force of law.
Thankfully, physicians like
Glassman are ethically coherent and willing to resist, and Jewish
organizations like Agudath Israel are monitoring new laws like the one
in New Jersey and are willing to help people like Dr. Glassman not
violate their faith.
More than a few Christian
pastors could learn from the moral clarity of Dr. Glassman and the
advocacy of Agudath Israel. No Christian should be coerced to
participate in the culture of death. And no Christian who refuses to
participate should find themselves alone in their courage. Chas v’shalom that Christians should be any less determined to fight against this “Culture of Death.”