The following comes from a Jan. 21 release sent by California Seniors Against Legalizing Euthanasia.
Clinical psychologist Mark Hoffman, spokesman for California Seniors Against Legalizing Euthanasia, today asked lawmakers to look more carefully at the idea of authorizing 3rd party agents to be involved in suicide.
“This practice has been discouraged and prohibited by law for centuries and for good reason. The abuses documented in Oregon, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland are but the tip of the iceberg.”
(See exhaustive documentation here: euthanasia.com)
The tragic personal story of Brittany Maynard and her husband Dan Diaz, actually illustrates how easily such actions can be romanticized, but fails to recognize the legal implications.
Mr. Diaz displays all of the classic symptoms of family members who may have ‘conflicted’ emotions and what psychologists have long underscored – the genuine risk of ‘conflicted motives.’
Advocates of sound hospice practice understand what the law has recognized for centuries, the very real risk of subtly-orchestrated, ‘manipulated suicide’. Such manipulation may not even be conscious. But will there be benefit that accrues to the ‘assistant’? Aside from, in the familial setting, probability of inheritance, the most immediate ‘relief’ granted to the family caregiver is ‘I won’t have to keep on doing this, I can get on with my life.”
Good hospice (as pioneered at St.Christopher’s Hospice in London) knows that with proper intervention, the resources are available to kill pain, both physical and emotional pain. That is the real goal and purpose of good hospice. One does not need to kill the patient to ‘kill pain’. The expert on death and dying Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was openly opposed to voluntary euthanasia for this very reason.
An express desire for suicide, as in all such requests, is the number one indicator of emotional depression. It is a cry for emotional help, which as Kubler-Ross’s book points out, is very much necessary and available with good counseling. Kubler-Ross’ book, On Death and Dying was written precisely to point out that classic depression is extremely common when given a terminal diagnosis. If there is physical pain, there are very good – even non-opiodal medicines available . You can kill the pain without killing the patient.
Mr. Diaz clearly did not receive proper hospice counseling. St Christopher’s training points out that often the surviving family members need emotional counseling – sometimes even more so than the patient – so that they don’t send the ‘wrong messages’ when patients express their depression.
Apparently neither Ms. Maynard nor Mr. Diaz had adequate counseling or the proper interventions. Instead Mr. Diaz actually went out and purchased the poison and encouraged the lethal action. He is being praised. but did he benefit in anyway?
Should we change the law based on this case; based on these facts? If so, we need to look at this case a LOT more carefully. It has many problematic earmarks of ‘assisted ‘cajoled’ suicide’ and we have seen this pattern before. The day before the killing (suicide is literally a ‘self-killing) Brittany publicly declared that she changed her mind. Who talked her back into it!
The change in the law being proposed today removes investigation of, and culpability for, outside agents’ involvement in ‘suicide’. This is an extremely dangerous loss of current legal protection from emotionally-motivated family members, as well as overworked physicians. Or in the case of Kevorkian-types, from an ideologically determined physician who killed psychosomatic patients.
Ultimately ‘assisted suicide” laws are not designed for those we care for, but for those we no longer wish to care for.
More information is available at euthanasia.com
First comes the seemingly compassionate “death with dignity,” then relatives who are caregivers may decide that the person isn’t getting any better and is unhappy and depressed and would be better off dead. And, with relatives, one or more of them may be anticipating an inheritance when the person dies. They may even suggest assisted suicide as a solution to the sick person, making the person feel guilty for being a inconvenience and burden to the family. Today physicians can give a sick person sufficient medication to relieve the pain, nausea and other unpleasant symptoms. Patients who are in hospice care can spend their last months in pleasant surroundings and receive religious and psychological counseling. Don’t be fooled by those promoting assisted suicide. What is their motive?
“Thou Shall Not Kill.” – GOD (Ex 20:13; Deut 5:17)
CCC: “2277 Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.
Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.
The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded. ”
Also see CCC: 2276, 2279; 2324; and regarding palliative care 2278.
Any Catholic who supports abortion or euthanasia or a politician who supports Abortion or Euthanasia may NOT receive Holy Communion.
“Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion, general principles”.
https://www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/bishops/04-07ratzingerommunion.htm
It is not clear to me why Diocese Bishops in California did not bring Euthanasia to the forefront in teaching
when in 2014 the California Democratic Party adopted in its’ Platform – EUTHANASIA “Death with Dignity” and posted it on the internet for all to see.
I don’t expect the Diocese Bishop to know all that is going on, but they each have Staff. If their Staff is not doing their job, and pointing out to the Diocese Bishops Intrinsic Evils and threats to the Faith from the public square – so that the Bishop can teach in an appropriate time frame – – – – FIRE your STAFF.
Susan,
In far too many cases, the Bishop would have to fire himself!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts!
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika and His Church!
Viva Cristo Rey!
Kenneth M. Fisher
” One does not need to kill the patient to ‘kill pain’.”
PALLIATIVE CARE – per the Catholic Church:
CCC: ” 2279 Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted.
The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable.
Palliative care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged. “
Everyone needs to respect God! Life is not for selfish personal pleasure, or for convenience, or for science to help people live a pain-free, burden-free kind of babyish existence! This is so immature! Life is a big responsibility! It is for God, and for His Divine Will for each of us! Does God want someone to suffer? No! However, His Will may have a meaning, and a purpose, in allowing suffering to occur, in a person’s life! We cannot judge our lives by our own selfish desires and needs! Instead, we must pray to God, and ask, “what is Your Will for me and for this situation?” God is also slow, natural, and has nothing to do with modern life or modern inventions! He does things according to His own, wise “Divine time” — not ours! Are we “inconvenienced” by our own or a family member’s illness and suffering? Really? Kneel and pray to God, and ask Him about things! This is the REAL LIFE you are asked to live– NOT some crazy, superficial, self-centered, convenient “modern concoction” of a life you dreamed up, or read about, or saw on TV!
I will add something to my above post. God can bring great good, out of all suffering, as St. Paul says! And if we patiently and humbly devote ourselves to Him, and follow His will for our lives, great good will come about, despite the worst events!
When we got the call that my mother had a stroke we were on vacation. While making the 5 hour trip back home we received calls from the emergency room doctor. He was not certain that she would make it. I now realize he was trying to get us to let her go. Feeling the loss I yelled save her effin life. Well, they did. That was the beginning of a long torturous ordeal. Mother’s bleeding in her brain increased and they doctors said there was no hope for her. Thus started the nudge to hospice care and to let her go a second time. All concerned felt it was the thing to do. Still it did not feel right to just let her slip away like that. After talking to a priest Mother was moved to a hospital from her death bed at a convalescence home. Again doctors, and two more priests nudged us to let her go. It was permitted by the Bishops health care directive. Mother was brought home and with morphine slowly died. I have gone to confession since because I still have reservations about how it was handled. Being her main caregiver the whole issue of my life being relieved of a great cross remains. I do trust in the forgiveness of the Lord, but every time I read something like this it all comes back.
…God bless you for your tender devotion and caring for your mother, Anonymous. I’m sorry for your loss and pray for your healing.
Let go of the guilt. As time goes by, it gets clearer what was right and what was wrong. You do some wrong and some right. Modern medicine has given people situations that our ancestors never had to deal with. Of course you wanted your mom to live. Of course it was very difficult to care for her in her last stage of life. Your mom understands. God understands. I’ve been through this 4 different times and each one is different. Eventually, in hindsight, you can forgive yourself and every one else. You ask forgiveness from the deceased and from God. You’ll never feel good about it but you get used to that.
I will pray for you and for your mom’s soul. Blessings and peace to you.
Annoymous, apparently you did not read the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition” either.
(Perhaps it was also the fault of your Diocese Bishop and Parish Priest for not encouraging the at home reading of the CCC – which contains the Doctrine of the Faith and is the best and most accurate reference you could use.)
On Euthanasia – CCC: 2276 – 2279, and 2324.
These paragraphs also include info on palliative care and what is and is not sinful.
Don’t lead your loved ones or yourself into Mortal Sin at the end of life.
What are you talking about?
We are talking about taking care of people until their natural death and dealing with the medical people and situations that leave you feeling uneasy. Although there was one where I will never know (until I die) whether the nurse hastened the death.
Your post of January 25, 2015 at 8:38 am
Not my post but I think the rebuke made it sound like you were chiding the people who were taking care of their loved ones until natural death