Bishop gives 6 reasons to say no to euthanasia or assisted suicide

A bishop in England offers six reasons to say no to assisted suicide or euthanasia, given a bill announced last week, which would recognize the right to “assisted dying” in the country; and encouraged Catholics to act “against this sinister proposal.”

In a message to his faithfulMons. Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth, referred to the project presented by MP Kim Leadbeater, which will mean that “in the coming weeks, we will undoubtedly be subjected to a barrage of emotional pressure from the media and euthanasia campaigners, such as Exit International, to persuade us to support a change in the law.”

As pointed out by the Catholic Heraldthis will be the first time MPs will have a free vote on assisted suicide since 2015, when a bill introduced by Labor’s Rob Marris was rejected by 330 votes to 118.

Currently, the Suicide Act 1961 punishes assisting a suicide with up to 14 years in prison, “although prosecutions and prison sentences are extremely rare.”

Given this panorama, the prelate offers six reasons to denounce that “introducing assisted suicide and euthanasia is seriously immoral and a danger to our society.”

1. “Intolerable pressure”

“The option of assisted suicide places intolerable pressure on the sick and elderly, and tempts them to feel like a burden – and a financial burden – on their families and others,” warns the English bishop.

“The right to die would inevitably become the duty to die and, over time, the right to make another die,” he warns.

2. The end of homes for the elderly

For the prelate, “legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide would undermine palliative care (Great Britain is a world leader in this field) and the work of nursing homes. “It would mean the end of nursing homes as we know them, as it would be cheaper and less troublesome to kill someone than to care for them.”

“Caring for the dying, taking care of them, is true ‘dignity in death’, not a lethal injection,” he adds.

3. Complicit doctors

Bishop Egan further indicates that “assisted suicide places an unacceptable and immoral demand on medical personnel, doctors and nurses. “It would make them accomplices to murder and undermine the trust we would normally have in them.”

4. Such a law would make everything worse

The bishop also states that “once the legislation is approved, as if it were a line in the sand, it will continue to move slowly, expanding to cover more and more categories depending on someone else’s point of view.”

“This fact is demonstrated in all other countries that have legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia. In Canada, 5% of deaths currently occur by lethal injection.”

5. Grave offense against God

“Suicide is a serious offense against God, against one’s neighbor and against oneself,” says Bishop Egan, highlighting that man cannot dispose of life, he must respect others and has the duty to “preserve and perpetuate his life.” .

6. Suicide is a mortal sin

“Suicide is not only a serious sin, but, if chosen freely, consciously and deliberately, as in the case of assisted suicide, it is a mortal sin. Voluntarily helping someone to take their life in this way is also a mortal sin,” explains the English prelate.

And he questions: “How would it be possible to offer the last sacraments? And what justification will the person present when he appears before the Lord to give an account of his life and his death?

The numeral 2277 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that euthanasia “is morally unacceptable” regardless of “the reasons and means for its application,” and specifies that “it constitutes a homicide seriously contrary to the dignity of the human person and respect for the living God, its Creator.”

“The error of judgment that may have been committed in good faith does not change the nature of this homicidal act, which must always be rejected and excluded,” the text adds.

A call to action

“As Catholics, we must mobilize. We believe in assisted living, not assisted dying. Investing in palliative care is a better way to support people suffering at the end of life,” encourages the bishop.

“Do not be seduced by the emotional discourses that the media will bombard us with. “Correct them when they use the doublespeak of ‘assisted dying’: call it what it is: ‘assisted suicide.'”

“Speak out against this sinister proposal. And pray fervently that our legislators and our society will have common sense, because once this line is crossed, our society will never be the same.”