In multiple states, and across Europe, we are witnessing an abandonment of a culture of life. Assisted suicide is only the latest indicator of this shift, and its wide adoption should give us serious pause.

Admittedly, the libertarian portion of my brain is at war with my heart on the matter of assisted suicide, now labeled as the more palatable “medical assistance in death” (MAID). If one is dying a painful death – perhaps cancer – why would I want to mandate they suffer for a longer period of time?

What troubles me the most about the push to expand assisted suicide in Colorado and elsewhere isn’t so much the cases such as the one I mentioned above, it’s the natural trend we see to expand access to those who are not in extreme pain or terminally ill.

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The Free Press recently reported on the case of Zoraya ter Beek, a 28-year-old living in the Netherlands who has decided to undergo euthanasia. Ter Beek has not been diagnosed with what the medical field would deem a “terminal” illness, and instead struggles with being on the autism spectrum and with depression. Believe it or not, this is legal and performed under the supervision of a licensed doctor.

The United States – and the state of Colorado – have put a great deal of effort and dollars toward mental health and more specifically suicide prevention. This is a worthwhile effort. But how can we, as a society, work to convince individuals to seek assistance and understand they are loved all while simultaneously informing them of their options to end their lives with the assistance of a doctor?

Autonomous, ailing individuals deserve freedom to choose death terms | POINT

Perhaps unfairly, I am asserting the trends seen in other nations such as the Netherlands, Canada and other parts of Europe will soon be seen here. In Colorado, there is no such notable effort to expand “death care” to those suffering from depression, autism, or blindness. But the reliability in which we see these laws expanded to include folks neither suffering from extreme pain or terminal illness is tragic. Depression shouldn’t be a death sentence, and death certainly shouldn’t be on the menu of treatment options.

Putting death on the table as a viable option is a dangerous game – one that distorts incentives for governments, families and even medical professionals who have taken an oath to first do no harm. It’s even more concerning coming from a political party embracing a government takeover of our health care industry more and more. We have witnessed how this plays out overseas and we’ve reached the end of the “slippery slope” rather abruptly.

It reminds me how, as a society, we’ve moved from “safe, legal and rare” on abortion to shouting in support of it from the rooftops. It is also reminiscent of the efforts of some nations to “eradicate” individuals with Down Syndrome via abortion. Nearly 100% of mothers who test positive in prenatal screenings for it in Iceland terminate their pregnancies. All of this indicates a departure away from a culture that celebrates life as sacred and worth protecting at all cost.

We are suffering through a crisis of the soul in this nation. We should strive, in all we do, to cure, heal and help. Assisted suicide has now evolved into a cultural and political waving of the white flag that should serve as a wake up call to those who value life.

Sage Naumann is a conservative commentator and strategist. He operates Anthem Communications and was previously the spokesman for the Colorado Senate Republicans. Follow him on Twitter @SageNaumann.