Last month, I attended a symposium on palliative care and assisted suicide, sponsored by the Canadian bishops, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Tag: euthanasia
March for Life in Washington, D.C., continues for 47 years
To the editor:
January 24, 2020, marked the 47th Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. The theme was “Pro Life Is Pro Woman.”
A higher standard than for cats and dogs
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Sometimes people will point out: “We euthanize our pets when they suffer, and they are clearly creatures of God, so why can’t we euthanize a sick and suffering person who wants it? It seems like we treat our dogs and cats better than we treat our suffering family members.”
The way we treat animals, however, should not be the measure of how we treat fellow human beings. We keep animals as pets, but we don’t do the same with humans. We use animals to make clothing and food, but we don’t do the same with humans.
Differences between humans and animals
For all our similarities to the rest of the animal kingdom, we are aware of a fundamental difference in kind between ourselves and our furry friends. We are not meant to die just as animals do, or be euthanized as they are. The death of a human is a more complex event that has other important realities associated with it.
Care for the dying: We must resist efforts to legalize physician-assisted suicide
Often when we speak of respecting all human life, we talk about the full spectrum of life from “womb to tomb.” However, it seems as if more of our energy and attention seem to focus on the beginning of life rather than the end of it.
That’s probably because most people don’t like to think about death and dying. Even though we will all die sometime, we usually prefer to put off any discussions about dying until we’re forced into it.
Physician-assisted suicide
However, we should be concerned about issues involving care of the sick and dying, particularly in light of increased efforts to pass laws legalizing physician-assisted suicide.
Who gets to decide when to let go of life?
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As a child I idolized my grandfather. One of my fondest memories is of him taking us to a neighborhood restaurant that had a little juke box in each booth. He would give my sisters and me a few quarters and we’d flip to the oldies to play Grandpa’s favorites.
From time to time I still hear those classics playing in my memory from “Moon River” and “Doctor Zhivago” to “Love is a Many Splendored Thing.”
Speaker addresses why — and how — to fight moral relativism
Abortion. Euthanasia. Pornography as art. We are constantly debating issues we know to be objectively wrong. Yet, time and again in our discussions, we hit a brick wall: “Well, that’s what you believe, but don’t force your opinions on me.”