Euthanasia and the death penalty can be connected by taking a stand against both in your personal life. Opponents of these forms of killing have developed documents that anyone can use to assert that they don\u2019t want to be killed by \u201cmedical intervention\u201d or medical neglect, nor have anyone be executed in the event they\u2019re killed by criminal homicide.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The National Right to Life committee (NRLC) has put in the great amount of homework needed to create \u201cWill to Live\u201d documents for the United States.\u00a0 These are alternative versions of standard \u201cliving wills\u201d that unlike most of those documents, explicitly indicate a desire not to be euthanized. \u00a0NRLC presents reasons to take this approach<\/a>, and downloadable documents<\/a> for each state in the United States that take into account the differing state-by-state laws. People in other countries should also find this information useful in crafting their own documents that work with the laws of their own nation. The documents are designed to have legal status and to provide real protection to prevent anyone opposed to euthanasia, either in general or for him\/herself, from falling victim to this form of homicide.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To stand against the death penalty in a personal way, you can sign the \u201cDeclaration of Life\u201d. Originally drafted by the Cherish Life Circle (as shown in this <\/a>New York Times<\/a><\/em> article<\/a>), a group founded by a member of the Sisters of Mercy, the Declaration says, \u201cI hereby declare that should I die as a result of a violent crime, I request that the person or persons found guilty of homicide for my killing not be subject to or put in jeopardy of the death penalty under any circumstances, no matter how heinous their crime or how much I may have suffered.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A number of anti-death penalty groups are promoting the Declaration and have made it available for downloading or copying.\u00a0 These include Unitarian Universalists for Alternatives to the Death Penalty<\/a>, the Religious Society of Friends<\/a> (Quakers), and the makers of the film Where There is Darkness,<\/a><\/em> As can be seen on the last link, the filmmakers are also collecting names of folks who have signed the declaration.\u00a0 Their movie chronicles the true story of Fr. Rene Robert<\/a>, who signed the Declaration and who years later was murdered.\u00a0 The document was instrumental in keeping the perpetrator from being sentenced to death.\u00a0 Although the Declaration document doesn\u2019t have the same legal weight as Will to Live documents, Fr. Robert\u2019s story shows that it can influence court decisions in a life-saving way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Naturally, we encourage readers to download\/copy and sign both documents. Both authors of this post have signed appropriate versions of both of them. \u00a0For an added witness to the consistent life ethic, get them notarized at the same time, and keep them together with your will and other related documents as connected \u201cwills for life.\u201d\u00a0 It might give your friendly attorney and notary public something to think about!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another way to promote these potentially life-saving documents in a consistent-life context would be to make them available as a set at houses of worship and other gatherings of action-minded groups. If possible, have your friendly notary handy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Though all of us who \u201cexecute\u201d these papers hope they\u2019ll never have to be used, they represent a creative way to witness for life and against killing, educate others, and give yourself some comfort that you might someday prevent an unjust death \u2013 maybe even your own.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n by Tony Masalonis and Rachel MacNair This is an updated and expanded version of an article published in Peace and Life Connections on April 25, 2014. Euthanasia and the death penalty can be connected by taking a stand against both in your personal life. Opponents of these forms of killing have developed documents that anyone… <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/consistent-life.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/1-blog-writing.jpg\")
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