In this book, Joni Eareckson Tada does not give us a list of rules for deciding when it is time to die. What she does is just the opposite. She exposes the fact that there are no clear-cut rules while emphasizing the point that life always has dignity and that God has a purpose for every person he has gifted with life.

Our culture places a lower value on those who are disabled or who require extensive medical care. Is it because our society's general lack of faith makes people uncomfortable with images of imperfection and examples of our mortality? Is it due to the great value with which we hold our wealth, that makes us not willing to spend it on 'useless' people? I am not sure, but the people who choose to die or are encouraged to make that choice are not only people whose death is eminent. They are disabled children, the middle-aged and under-insured, the depressed, and the chronically ill. They are people who have the potential of many years of life ahead of them.

No one understands this better than Tada, which makes her the ideal spokesperson for this issue. A quadriplegic for more than half a century, Tada has lived a life that has touched millions - despite of and because of her journey through disability. It is not easy to discount the opinions of a woman who would qualify under most people's definition of 'right to die.' She gives many other examples that convinced this reader that the right to die is one that people are claiming too enthusiastically.

Without judgment, Tada outlines some considerations that people need to make when facing extreme disabilities and end of life issues. She openly admits that decisions will vary for each person, family, and situation. What she desires is for every family to go into these crisis situations with the knowledge and faith to cope with them to the best of their ability. Sometimes, there is not one right and one wrong answer, and we need to be prepared to handle that.

An informative and thought-provoking read.

EDITOR’S PICK: WHEN IS IT RIGHT TO DIE? – JONI EARECKSON TADA

Twenty-five years after addressing to the subject for the first time, Joni Eareckson Tada returns to euthanasia as the main focus of this updated edition of When Is It Right to Die?. She felt the need to come back after learning of the tragic case of Nancy Fitzmaurice, a young 12-year old girl from England who, by the court’s order, had her tube feeding taken away. She died fourteen days later… of starvation.
Over the course of the years, especially the most recent ones, Joni has followed closely any story or initiative carried out by “pro-life” activists or  those who defend “the right to assisted suicide,” as behind it all there is a family just like hers. Despite her paralysis, she has found an answer to make life worthwhile. And that answer is “hope.”
But why not die? Joni delves into the subject from the point of view of the human being that suffers. When is it right to die? “It’s none of your business!” “When the pain becomes unbearable!” “When it’s too expensive!” “When you don’t want to live with all these limitations!”  “When it’s easier to die than to continue living!”
Joni raises the question and, from the cases exposed and their inherent outcomes, it’s not just about knowing “when,” but who wants to die, how and why! One can notice a complex interpretation when it comes to the  distinct conditions in which the patients find themselves, even though all  is oftentimes reduced into a “terminal situation.” And it’s usually not so.
From the athlete that is confined to the life of a quadriplegic who, even with the support of her spouse and kids, refuses to eat; to the woman dependent on life support for fourteen years, in a standstill  between her family, who wants her to stay alive, and her husband, who wants to “pull the plug.” Which side should have the power to decide? Who was freed from the terminal condition of “dependency” – the sickly woman or her husband?
With her vast experience of suffering and dependency but also of struggle and nonconformity for her condition, Joni dissects the numerous approaches to the subject, whether it is euthanasia per se, voluntary, involuntary, non-voluntary, or assisted suicide; as well as “death with dignity,” the “right to die,” “quality of life” and relative/absolute value; even considering the approach to the subject from the outside, though stating that the current tendencies in society is what influences public opinion.
Dr. C. Everett Kopp explains euthanasia in this way: “The whole thing about euthanasia comes down to one word: motive. If your motive is to alleviate suffering while a patient is going through the throes of dying, and you are using medication that alleviates suffering, even though it might shorten his life by a few hours, that is not euthanasia. But if you are giving him a drug intended to shorten his life, then your  motivation is for euthanasia.
But the book is not all about final moments. Larry McAfee, a civil engineer, suffered a bike injury, becoming paralyzed from the neck down and relying on a ventilator to stay alive. Prevented from moving outside the nursery and not being able to breath on his own, Larry  appealed to the court in order to shut off his ventilator and die. Though she didn’t hesitate writing to him, Joni read on the papers that the judge had allowed Larry to end his life.
However, Larry then opted not to turn off the machine right away, being transferred to another institution, with Joni eventually losing his trail. Years later, and to her joy, she found his whereabouts and reached out to him. They exchanged brief words about the paralysis, and before it was over she questioned him about what made him go back on his decision to  proceed with the assisted suicide and what motivated him to keep on living.
The reply was somewhat astounding: “Because I’m not forced to live in an institution or hospital anymore. I’m living in a little independent-living house with two other guys in wheelchairs. It’s a lot more enjoyable with a lot less pressure, less rigid. You can set your own schedule. As long as I’m not forced to live under the conditions of the state, then I consider life worth living.”
Viktor Frankl, the author of Men’s Search for Meaning, a psychiatric and survivor of Auschwitz, comforted thousands in despair. In his words, “suffering can have meaning.”
Joni E. Tada has done an extensive work of analysis to the multiple branches of this conundrum. This includes the differences  between “vegetative state” and the “minimally conscious state,” as well as what the Bible has to say about euthanasia and dying, and the  Hippocratic Oath, along with the wise comments of Christian authors such as Eric Metaxas and J. I. Packer. When Is It Right to Die? is clearly an essential work to better understand this subject from a biblical point of view.


Originaly Published at:
Biblion Online Magazine (PT): http://www.biblion.pt/escolha-do-editor-when-is-it-right-to-die-joni-eareckson-tada/
Biblion Online Magazine (EN): http://www.biblion.pt/editors-pick-when-is-it-right-to-die-joni-eareckson-tada/
Biblion #9 Digital Edition (Jul-Sep2018 – Portuguese): http://www.biblion.pt/biblion-9-edicao-digital-pt/
Biblion #9 Digital Edition ( Jul-Sep2018 – English version): http://www.biblion.pt/biblion-9-digital-edition-en/

Tada's book is as relevant as when it first came out in 1992, if not more so. Just this weekend, newspapers reported on a 104 year old scientist who chose to end his life. This is of necessity a dividing question. Tada makes it clear that she is against any measures to end a person's life. At the same time, she speaks compassionately about how suffering leads many to contemplate doing just that, as she herself has been in that place.

She talks about the difference between actively ending a life and deciding against interventions to prolong the process of dying. I wish she had spent more time on this last subject, as this is an area where many of us who agree with her basic premise still struggle. Where does the line fall between choosing to end a life and choosing not to prolong it?

Whether or not you agree with her, I do recommend reading Tada as someone who speaks eloquently from a place of personal experience. Review based on an ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley.

TRIGGER WARNING: Death and suicide. Please read with care if you are sensitive to these topics.
I can't fairly review this book in its entirety because I didn't finish it, but I will use this space to explain why I abandoned it.

This book looks at the ethical questions (mainly from a religious standpoint) that surround the idea of medically-assisted suicide and dying, in general. Without getting into a philosophical debate about life or when one's should end, I will just say that I believe in and support this practice if it is the desire of the individual in question. I believe it is a slippery slope and that there is a lot of gray area in the specifics of who and when should decide it's time for someone to die. This is more on the end of someone with a disability or who is incapacitated in such a way that they are unable to make their will known and less about people who are of sound mind and can voice their wishes.

Over the course of my life, I have known a handful of people and have watched many of them suffer for years from various medical and mental ailments, many of whom would have taken steps to end their lives in a medically-assisted environment. A few of these people took matters into their own hands, leaving their family with questions and a lot of pain, along with the shock of the image of whatever method was used to end their life. A few others have elected to continue in their suffering until their local law allows for them to seek medical assistance because they want to give their loved ones closure.

The author, Joni Eareckson Tada knows about suffering. In 1967, she had a diving accident which left her paralyzed from the shoulders down. She also found worldwide fame when she published her autobiography about her experience. I still remember watching her paint with the brush held between her teeth on television when I was a child.

Joni's experience is unique and one that many people facing disabilities and chronically incapacitating conditions don't get to experience. So, when I read that she equated medically-assisted suicide to murder in the preface of this book, it turned my stomach more than a little. She knows suffering, but she doesn't know everyone's suffering and for her to believe and advocate that everyone should choose to live because that's what has worked for her, is disappointing. I knew that continuing to read this book would just make me angry, so I decided to set it aside.

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Joni Eareckson Tada is such an inspiration to me. Her books are poignant/thought provoking/ real. She tackles this subject w/ grace/honestly/scripture. Classic Joni.

Joni Tada has written a timely update to her classic book. I remember reading it when it first came out many years ago. Although euthanasia was a hot topic in the media, with Doctor Death and all, the book seemed to be unnecessary for the Christian. We all knew that all life was precious, even the ones that were dying.

However, times have changed, and even staunch Christians are debating the moralities of life. And the media? It’s no longer an issue. Assisted suicide is even considered a right by many, a personal choice we are not supposed to judge.

The book is wholly expanded to address the pertinent issues of today, and bring it back to questions of “What is life?” and “Who is the author of life?” It’s worth a read even for the second time, because it prepares you to intelligently answer others and also have a firm grasp of what the issue means for oneself. I highly recommend it.

Joni always writes to the heart. Great book for someone aging, or seriously ill, or facing a serious life crisis , will be handing out as felt appropriate

More and more a very important message. Joni has been paralyzed most of her life, and so she can speak from her own experience.

Joni Eareckson Tada has long been a hero to many Christians and disabled individuals. Paralyzed in a diving accident as a teen, she has been, for decades, a tireless advocate for people with disabilities and an inspiring witness to Christ. She has updated her 1992 book When Is It Right to Die?: Suicide, Euthanasia, Suffering, Mercy. The updated edition, When Is It Right to Die?: A Comforting and Surprising Look at Death and Dying, is even more timely than it was in 1992. The growing acceptance of euthanasia demonstrates that "the unthinkable became tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And now, God help us, applaudable."


Tada addresses a variety of scenarios: otherwise physically healthy individuals who, due to depression, life's circumstances, or general disappointments with life; disabled individuals who, while not in immediate danger of death, nevertheless struggle with day-to-day living due to their disabilities; and terminally ill individuals, who, in the opinions of their health care providers, will die inevitably and soon.


None of these scenarios is easy, and we have perhaps known or heard of people in each of these categories who have chosen to end their own life or choose an assisted suicide. Tada writes of her own struggles, but, more than that, writes about how she has been able to help others see the value in continuing to live.


One source of inspiration for Tada was Victor Frankl, a psychiatrist who was sent to Auschwitz, where he saw the worst of humanity and witnessed the depths of desperation. Prisoners felt like there was nothing more to expect from life. But he wrote that helping them was a "question of getting them to realize that life was still expecting something from them." Someone's decision to die is just a decision for himself or herself; it will powerfully impact many people around him or her.


For that third group, those whose lives are coming to an end, Tada does not believe that extending life is always the right choice. "Allowing a person to die when he or she is, in fact, dying is justified." She continues, "Dying begins when a person rapidly and irreversibly deteriorates. This is a person for whom death is imminent, a person who is beyond reasonable hope of recovery. Such people have a right to not have death postponed. The line of distinction is not so much between life and death as it is between life and dying." The details vary for every individual, but I appreciated Tada's sensitivity and her helpful perspective on end-of-life decisions.


Tada writes that she longs for heaven, that she longs for the whole, healthy body she will have. Yet she knows that God expects more from the life he has given her. The millions of lives touched by her writing, songs, films, letters, and testimony attest to her giving all that life expects of her.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Very good book on dying and preparing to die. This is a good book for everyone. I really enjoyed the questions that the author posed at the end of the chapters. This is a good book on beginning a discussion on death and our/and or loved one's wishes at the end cycle of our journey. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of the book in return for my honest review.

One of today's most difficult topics is dealt with in a thoughtful and insightful manner. For most of us, it is still a question for the future, but for the author, it is a question she deals with often.. She offers guidance and a biblical perspective to consider.

In this book, Joni Eareckson Tada compassionately examines the subject of euthanasia (or whatever other “death with dignity” term you prefer). She isn’t primarily a theologian or philosopher, but a lovely Christian woman and advocate for the disabled who has spent the last 50 years as a quadriplegic.

She speaks gently, making use of examples from her own life (both personal struggles & advocacy experience) and the lives of others who have reached out to her, stories that garnered national headlines, medical data, legal decisions, and spiritual guidelines from the Bible. She asserts that the intrinsic value of human life calls for “sustaining life, but not prolonging death,” and freely acknowledges that often “knowing the difference isn’t easy.” Her overall approach is both wise and compassionate, overflowing with empathy and concern for the emotional and spiritual well-being of those who are suffering and offering practical advice in approaching difficult potentially-end-of-life situations.

Overall, you might be able to find more theologically/philosophically rigorous books advocating the same position, but the personal element in this book makes it a good place to start.

From the preface: The last twenty-five years have brought a lot of change. When I first penned the words to When Is It Right to Die? much of what I discussed was theoretical. We had begun to see the first signs of the soul-chilling societal acceptance of physician-assisted suicide, but we had to travel abroad to find places where such acceptance of murder had become commonplace. Twenty-five years ago, my hope had been to provide a primer of sorts to readers whose only exposure to euthanasia was the occasional headline. But in the last twenty-five years, I’ve ached as I’ve seen more and more people stand behind the idea that a person has the “right to die.” And it gets worse. It is no longer a matter of merely “supporting” a person who has decided that his or her own life is not worth living. No, we are witnesses to more instances where the “right to die” has been given to a person with no say in the matter.

Joni Eareckson Tada's When Is It Right To Die is a must read in my opinion. Why? This book is literally a book about life and death, living and dying, right and wrong. It asks questions--tough questions--and provides some answers. But perhaps more importantly than providing all the answers, it shows readers how to go about finding the answers yourself--by digging deep into the word of God.

The book is divided into three parts: "A Time to Live?", "A Time To Choose," and "A Time To Die."

One of the questions asked is: Do we have the right to die? Does a person have the right to choose how he/she dies? when he/she dies?

"Is it right to die when a person sees no hope? Is it right to die when the pain becomes excessive, the medical costs prohibitive, the personal dignity shattered? Is it right to die when life becomes too burdensome? Where should the line be drawn? And who has the right to draw it? When is it right to say, “This much I can take, and no more!” Of this much I am certain: There is for each of us a time to die, and when that time comes, we should be prepared to go. But the problem remains: Exactly when is it time?"

Another question asked is: Does having a "low quality" of life mean that life is no longer worth living?

"Some say a society that measures people in terms of quality of life will preserve those who have a potential to function . . . and will neglect those who don’t. Oddly enough, society will ascribe to physically fit and intellectually capable people a very high quality of life, despite the fact that they are sometimes the most miserable, and a very low quality of life to people who are poor and disabled, despite the fact they are sometimes the most content. “Quality of life” is generally used as a counterbalance to the term sanctity of life."

The first part focuses mainly on current issues and culture. It is good. It is important. It is foundational. But the second and third parts are where the book enters greatness. The second part has some great spiritual gems. The third part is very practical.

My favorite quote from the second part, "You were made for one purpose: to make God real to those around you. Don’t think He has left you without any means whatsoever for fulfilling that end just because you are confined to bed or struggling with pain."

My favorite quote from the third part, "We would communicate a far more compassionate message to those who are terminally ill and dying—and to be honest, even to those for whom dying is a long way off—if we focused our energies on helping people die right. To die right. That’s what it’s all about. Unfortunately, euthanasia has become a popular topic because people are led to believe that death by suicide or homicide is more dignified than dying naturally."