E U T HANASI A : R E F E R S T O T H E P R A C T I C E O F E N D I N G A L I F E I N A M A N N E R W H I C H R E L I E V E S PA I N A N D

S U F F E R I N G .

T H E P R E C I S E D E F I N I T I O N O F E U T H A N A S I A I S A D E L I B E R AT E I N T E R V E N T I O N U N D E R TA K E N W I T H T H E E X P R E S S I N T E N T I O N O F E N D I N G A L I F E , T O R E L I E V E

I N T R A C TA B L E S U F F E R I N G .

E U T H A N A S I A I S C A T E G O R I Z E D I N D I F F E R E N T W A Y S , W H I C H I N C L U D E V O L U N T A R Y, N O N -V O L U N T A R Y, O R

I N V O L U N T A R Y A N D A C T I V E O R PA S S I V E . E U T H A N A S I A I S U S U A L LY U S E D T O R E F E R T O A C T I V E E U T H A N A S I A , A N D I N T H I S S E N S E , E U T H A N A S I A I S U S U A L LY C O N S I D E R E D T O B E C R I M I N A L H O M I C I D E , B U T V O L U N T A R Y, PA S S I V E

E U T H A N A S I A I S W I D E LY N O N - C R I M I N A L

Euthanasia: What is it?

Types of Euthanasia

Voluntary Euthanasia: The ending of a person’s life that entails their full consent, and enlists the help of another (usually a doctor). Legal in Belgium, Holland and some states such as Oregon.

Non-Voluntary Euthanasia: A form of Euthanasia where the consent of the patient or victim is unavailable. An example of this would be child euthanasia which is legal only in Holland and has many restrictions on it.

Involuntary Euthanasia: A form of Euthanasia carried out directly against the patient’s wishes. Illegal internationally.

Passive Euthanasia: The withholding of treatments necessary to the person’s survival in order to end their life. This may include antibiotics or feeding tubes, as well as extraordinary treatments such as surgery. The church strays away from this terminology when defining its position.

Active Euthanasia: The use of lethal forces or substances to end a patient’s life.

THE TEACHINGS ON THE MORALITY OF EUTHANASIA…

Assisted Suicide and the Catholic Church

What the Catechism of the Catholic church Says:

Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.(2324)

Suicide is seriously contrary to justice, hope, and charity. It is forbidden by the fifth commandment. (2325)

Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Declaration on Euthanasia Vatican May 5, 1980

The rights and values pertaining to the human person occupy an important place among the questions discussed today. In this regard, the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council solemnly reaffirmed the lofty dignity of the human person, and in a special way his or her right to life. The Council therefore condemned crimes against life "such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful suicide" (Pastoral Constitution "Gaudium et spes," no. 27).

The Church defines Euthanasia as such at the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith, ”Euthanasia is understood as an action or an omission which of itself or by intention causes death, in order that all suffering may in this way be eliminated. Euthanasia's terms of reference, therefore, are to be found in the intention of the will and in the methods used. It is necessary to state firmly once more that nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying”.

Euthanasia or not?

There are several issues that come up when discussing the churches stance on Euthanasia, here are some things not considered Euthanasia by the Catholic church:

Withholding of Treatment: If treatment is withheld that would merely prolong someone’s life by extraordinary means it is not considered wrong or even Euthanasia at all by the church. The Church contends that basic needs such as food, water, warmth etc. are mandatory things a patient should always be given and denial of these is wrong. It is things such as giving medication that will help people cope with their pain while shortening their lifespan that are acceptable. Also life support is not something that must be continued and is not considered Euthanasia by the church.

Intention: The intention of the treatment and or the withholding of such treatment is where the Church’s position resides heavily. If someone is given an extreme amount of drugs far beyond what is needed to supplement their pain and done so to hasten their death this is considered murder and greatly against God’s will. Likewise if an overdose occurs accidentally with the intention being pain management that is not a Euthanizing act. As the Church sees it God is the giver of life and only he has the right to end it.

Value of Suffering

The Church and Human Suffering: The Catholic Church sees value and oppurtunity where suffering exists. This is not to say that doing everything within our means to control peoples pain and limit their suffering is a bad thing. It only means that through suffering (such as Christ himself experienced) we may draw closer to God and offer up our pain for a greater good. Comfort and constant happiness were not tenets of Jesus life and as God’s children we are called to follow in his footsteps.

The Value of Human Life: Human life in all its stages is a valued commodity under Church doctrine and belief. Therefore elevating the life of someone deemed “normal” while speaking negatively of the quality of life of someone with a disability or a defect is seen as evil. God’s children come in many shapes, sizes, and capacities and every human life is considered of equal value and should have full rights. Under the Catholic Church this is from the moment of conception until a natural death and does not discriminate upon mental or physical disability.

Questions

Robert Latimer, who euthanized his severely handicapped daughter on October 23 1993, was slapped with a second degree murder charge despite the fact that it was premeditated and carried out with a sound mind and a purpose. The judge later gave him an exemption, allowing him to not have to serve the minimum 25 years and 10 without a chance of parole. This was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court who ruled in favor of holding him to the minimum. Latimer was released on March 13, 2008. Latimer was described as a loving father during his daughter’s life and still maintains to this day that he did “the right thing”. Many people saw this sentence as to light and others viewed it as to heavy. Their has been a strong backlash from those with disabilities who view the Latimer sentence as to light and as setting a negative precedent about the value of the life of someone with a disability.

What do you think about this case? Was Latimer right in what he did and if not was his sentence justifiable? Should this have been 1st degree murder? Was it to short or to long? Does it set the handicapped up as less important than the rest of society?

What do you think about the Church’s position on Euthanasia?