To live in a manner worthy of our human dignity, and to spend our final days on this earth in peace and comfort, surrounded by loved ones – that is the hope of each of us. In particular, Christian hope sees these final days as a time to prepare for our eternal destiny. Today, however, many people fear the dying process; fear experiencing pain and suffering, losing control over bodily functions, or lingering with severe dementia. They worry about being abandoned or becoming a burden on others. Our society can be judged by how we respond to these fears. A caring community devotes more attention, not less, to members facing the most vulnerable times in their lives.
When people are tempted to see their own lives as diminished in value or meaning, they most need the love and assistance of others to assure them of their inherent worth. The healing art of medicine is an important part of this assistance. Even when a cure is not possible, medicine plays a critical role in providing “palliative care” – alleviating pain and other symptoms and meeting basic needs. Such care should combine medical skill with attention to the emotional as well as spiritual needs of those facing the end of life.
Today there is a campaign to respond to these fears in a radically different way. It uses terms like “death with dignity” to describe a self-inflicted death, generally using a drug overdose prescribed by a doctor for the purpose of suicide. This campaign to legalize physician assisted suicide has been rejected by most policymakers in our society. A few states permit it. The claim of a constitutional right to assisted suicide was firmly rejected in 1997 by the U.S. Supreme Court and last year by the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts. With expanded funding from wealthy donors, assisted suicide proponents are renewing their aggressive campaign through legislation. States like Massachusetts, where most legislators and a new governor are supportive, are being targeted. Jewish and Christian moral traditions have long rejected the idea of assisting in another’s suicide. Catholic teaching views suicide as a grave offense against love of self, one that also breaks the bonds of love and solidarity with family, friends, and God. To assist another’s suicide is to take part in “an injustice which can never be excused, even if it is requested” (John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, no. 66). Most people, regardless of religious affiliation, know that suicide is a terrible tragedy, one that a compassionate society should work to prevent. They realize that allowing doctors to prescribe the means for their patients to kill themselves is a corruption of the healing art.
Nature and dignity 