♱ Euthanasia – The Secular World Position
Euthanasia, also referred to as “Mercy Killing,” “Assisted Suicide” or “Doctor-Assisted Suicide” is the intentional ending of a person’s life. The term “Right-to-Die” can also be used by the medical or legal establishment to reference cases of voluntary euthanasia, either passive or active. “Passive” voluntary euthanasia describes a person who dies after refusing or withdrawing their consent for lifesaving medical intervention.
This is legal in many countries, including the United States following Cruzan v. Missouri Department of Health, where the Supreme Court decided that a competent person had “a constitutionally protected right to refuse lifesaving hydration and nutrition.” The term “active” voluntary euthanasia generally occurs when a person is administered large doses of painkilling medication.
This term includes assisted suicide, where a patient is provided with the medication to end their own life. The term also includes physician assisted suicide, where a medical professional administers the end-of-life medication. Active voluntary euthanasia is legal in some countries and In the United States some states have legislated voluntary euthanasia through so called “Death-With-Dignity” statutes.
The process of euthanasia may involve a physician prescribing drugs in strengths and combinations that are designed to quickly end someone’s life. Or it may involve the intentional stopping of medically necessary life support machines, such as a ventilator. Family members may be consulted to make this decision if the If the patient is unconscious or “unresponsive.”
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♱ Euthanasia – The Catholic Position
In its two-thousand-year history, the Catholic Church has always affirmed that human life must be defended from conception until natural death. Thus, according to the CATECHISM OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT, published by the Decree of Pope St. Pius V, 1566:
“It (the 5th Commandment) also forbids suicide. No man possesses such power over his own life as to be at liberty to put himself to death. Hence we find that the Commandment does not say: Thou shalt not kill another, but simply: Thou shalt not kill. Finally, if we consider the numerous means by which murder may be committed, the law admits of no exception. Not only does it forbid to take away the life of another by laying violent hands on him, by means of a sword, a stone, a stick, a halter, or by administering poison; but also strictly prohibits the accomplishment of the death of another by counsel, assistance, help or any other means whatever.”
The Catholic understanding of Euthanasia is reiterated in the document DECLARATION ON EUTHANASIA by the Sacred Congregation For the Doctrine of the Faith, May 5, 1980:
“No one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for another person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent to it, either explicitly or implicitly. nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action. For it is a question of the violation of the divine law, an offense against the dignity of the human person, a crime against life, and an attack on humanity.”
