Rick Warren publicly opposes legalizing assisted suicide in California
By Dave Andrusko
I have talked directly with families trying to grapple with the death
by suicide of a family member. I know how devastating the toil can be
to the survivors.
However, never have I ever seen a more honest, candid, and courageous discussion than the one Pastor Rick Warren and his wife Kay had with CNN’s Piers Morgan in 2013 about the suicide of their son Matthew.
They told Morgan that Matthew had battled depression most of his life and struggled with borderline personality disorder. Their pain–but their ultimate hope–was palpable.
They’ve also spoken many times at their Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. I have used those resources when counseling families who have lost a loved one to suicide.
Even if you are not an Evangelical Christian, you’ve probably heard of Warren’s mega-best seller, “The Purpose Driven Life.” And if you are a veteran pro-lifer, you remember the adroit question he posed to then candidate Barack Obama at a 2008 “Civil Forum on the Presidency” where he asked Obama and his opponent, John McCain, “At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?”
Given all this, and his role as a pastor, it comes as no surprise that Warren adamantly opposes California Senate Bill 128 to legalize assisted suicide. The Orange Counter Register ran a piece this week under the headline “Rick Warren, Bishop Vann join faith groups in urging defeat of bill allowing terminally ill to take their lives.“
The reporter, Deepa Bharath, offered some powerful personal testimony from Warren who spoke last weekend at a conference titled “Dignity and Courage at the End of Life.” Here is an excerpt:
According to Bharath, Roman Catholic Bishop Kevin Vann spoke of the death of his father
The publication Christian Today wrote about a document the Roman Catholic diocese of Orange has produced which outlined the reasons for its opposition:
On Friday National Right to Life News Today will be posting a
story on the nationwide battle against the campaign to legalize
assisted suicide. As is the case in California, the driving force is the
assisted suicide of Brittany Maynard.
NRL News Today has written many posts contrasting Maynard’s death with the brave response of Lauren Hill, most recently here. We also posted a story today on Lauren’s memorial service.
Rick and Kay Warren spoke in 2013 with CNN’s Piers Morgan about the suicide of their son, Matthew.
However, never have I ever seen a more honest, candid, and courageous discussion than the one Pastor Rick Warren and his wife Kay had with CNN’s Piers Morgan in 2013 about the suicide of their son Matthew.
They told Morgan that Matthew had battled depression most of his life and struggled with borderline personality disorder. Their pain–but their ultimate hope–was palpable.
They’ve also spoken many times at their Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. I have used those resources when counseling families who have lost a loved one to suicide.
Even if you are not an Evangelical Christian, you’ve probably heard of Warren’s mega-best seller, “The Purpose Driven Life.” And if you are a veteran pro-lifer, you remember the adroit question he posed to then candidate Barack Obama at a 2008 “Civil Forum on the Presidency” where he asked Obama and his opponent, John McCain, “At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?”
Given all this, and his role as a pastor, it comes as no surprise that Warren adamantly opposes California Senate Bill 128 to legalize assisted suicide. The Orange Counter Register ran a piece this week under the headline “Rick Warren, Bishop Vann join faith groups in urging defeat of bill allowing terminally ill to take their lives.“
The reporter, Deepa Bharath, offered some powerful personal testimony from Warren who spoke last weekend at a conference titled “Dignity and Courage at the End of Life.” Here is an excerpt:
Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren, who spoke on a panel at the event, warned people not to be apathetic about the issue.
“I oppose this law as a
theologian and as the father of a son who took his life after struggling
with mental illness for 27 years,” he said.
Matthew Warren, 27, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 5, 2013.
Warren gave several examples of
episodes in the Bible where Moses, Elijah, Jonah and Job begged God to
take their lives and put them out of their misery. But, Warren said, God
denied each of their requests because he had bigger and better plans
for them.
“The prospect of dying can be
frightening,” he said, his voice cracking. “But we belong to God, and
death and life are in God’s hands. … We need to make a radical
commitment to be there for those who are dying in our lives.”
who passed away peacefully in
hospice care at home surrounded by his loved ones. He urged those
present to “become missionaries for the dignity of human life” and
register their opposition to the proposed legislation, which is making
its way through the California Senate.
“The claim to a right to assisted
suicide raises many questions, not the least of which is this: if there
is a ‘right to assisted suicide’, why would such a right be restricted
only to those in the throes of terminal illness? What about the elderly
person suffering a slow but non-terminal decline? What about the
adolescent or young adult in the throes of depression, demoralization,
or despair? What about the middle-aged man who is alone and simply tired
of life?”
NRL News Today has written many posts contrasting Maynard’s death with the brave response of Lauren Hill, most recently here. We also posted a story today on Lauren’s memorial service.
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