Mount Saint Peter Parish, New Kensington, PA 15068

Assisted Suicide / Euthanasia

“Love is the only thing that can ease the suffering of the terminally ill and it is the only worthy response of those who value the life that is ending. Christians must have the courage to say publicly and clearly that "euthanasia is a false solution to the drama of suffering, a solution unworthy of the human person."

Benedict XVI, Angelus address,
February 1, 2009

The Value of Human Life

Human life is the basis of all goods, and is the necessary source and condition of every human activity and of all society. Most people regard life as something sacred and hold that no one may dispose of it at will, but believers see in life something greater, namely, a gift of God's love, which they are called upon to preserve and make fruitful. And it is this latter consideration that gives rise to the following consequences:

No one can make an attempt on the life of an innocent person without opposing God's love for that person, without violating a fundamental right, and therefore without committing a crime of the utmost gravity.

Everyone has the duty to lead his or her life in accordance with God's plan. That life is entrusted to the individual as a good that must bear fruit already here on earth, but that finds its full perfection only in eternal life.

Intentionally causing one's own death, or suicide, is therefore equally as wrong as murder; such an action on the part of a person is to be considered as a rejection of God's sovereignty and loving plan. Furthermore, suicide is also often a refusal of love for self, the denial of a natural instinct to live, a flight from the duties of justice and charity owed to one's neighbor, to various communities or to the whole of society--although, as is generally recognized, at times there are psychological factors present that can diminish responsibility or even completely remove it.

Euthanasia

By euthanasia is understood 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. Furthermore, 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.

Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Declaration on Euthanasia (1980)

Click here to read a reflection on “Assisted Suicide: Death by “Choice”?

Click here to read the complete Declaration on Euthanasia by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Click here to read the complete Statement on Euthanasia by Administrative Committee of the US National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Click here to learn what is at stake with assisted suicide.

Click here for additional resources.