When Religion Hurts :: Suicide Death Medical Essays

When Religion Hurts "The question is do I have a God complex? †¦I have a MD from Harvard. I am board certified in cardio-thoracic medicine and trauma surgery. I have been awarded citations from 7 different medical boards in New England and I am never, ever sick at sea. So I ask you, when someone goes into that chapel and they fall on their knees and they pray to God that their wife doesn’t miscarriage, or that their daughter doesn’t bleed to death or that their mother doesn’t suffer acute neuro-trauma from post-operative shock, who do you think they are praying to? Now you go ahead and read your bible Dennis. And you go to your church and with any luck you might win the annual raffle, but if you are looking for God, he was in operating room number 2 on November 17th and he doesn’t like to be second-guessed. You ask me if I have a God complex, let me tell you something, I am God." (Becker, 1993) This quote was taken from the movie Malice. A doctor removed an ovary that he thought was necrotic and the lab result came back that it wasn’t. Unfortunately he removed the other one prior due to having a cyst on it. He was sued for malpractice and during his questioning he was asked if he had a God complex. A God complex is when a doctor believes that he has the power to save a person’s life when God might intend that person to die. The doctor then plays God by trying to undermine the plan that God has created for the patient. Many battles are fought in our society today over who actually controls our destiny. Although euthanasia is not a new concept, it is receiving more attention today. The main advisory for euthanasia is the same one as it was from the start of euthanasia. This advisory is our religious belief. Religion is said to be the key to our salvation, but it also puts blinders on our ethical values. Although religion gives us hope for a better life after death, it is this same belief that prolongs our suffering while still in this p lane of existence. Euthanasia is defined as "The act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.