The Way of Suicide,Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia,or Evangelium Vitae's Way of Mercy and Compassion?

Aquinas St Thomas Summa Theologicae, Blackfriars Edition. Thomas Gilby (General Editor), Vol 34 (2a2ae. 23-33), “Charity.” R.J. Batten O.P. (Trans.), London: Blackfriars, 1974.

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Homebush: St Pauls/ Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1995.

Australia Catholic Health Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health and Aged Care Services in Australia. Canberra: Catholic Health Australia, 2001.

Congregation for the Doctrine or the Faith. Declaration on Euthanasia, May 5, 1980. Retrieved from the Internet at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia

Dostoyevsky Fyodor The Idiot. Translated with and introduction by David Magarshack, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd, 1955.

Paul John II Evangelium Vitae: Encyclical Letter on The Value and Inviolability of Human Life. Homebush: St Pauls, 1995.

- Salvifici Doloris, Apostolic Letter on the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering, February 11, 1984. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1984.

- Veritatis Splendor: Encyclical Letter on Certain Fundamental Questions of the Church's Moral teaching. Homebush: St Pauls, 1993.

Jones David “The Encounter with Suffering in the Practice of Medicine in the Light of Christian Revelation,” in Issues for a Catholic Bioethic, edited by Gormally Luke , London: The Linacre Centre, 1999, p. 166.

Finnis John “A Philosophical Case Against Euthanasia,” in Euthanasia Examined: Ethical, Clinical and Legal Perspectives. Ed. Keown John , Cambridge: CUP 1995, p. 23–35.

Fisher , Anthony O.P. “Theological Aspects of Euthanasia,” in Euthanasia Examined: Ethical, Clinical and Legal Perspectives. Ed. Keown John , Cambridge: CUP 1995, pp. 315–332.

Grisez Germain “Death in Theological Reflection,” in The Dignity of the Dying Person: Proceedings of the 5^th Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Feb 1999, edited by de Dios Vial Correa Juan , and Sgreccia Elio . Vatican City: Liberia Editrice Vaticana.

Hauerwas Stanley Suffering Presence: Theological Reflections on Medicine, the Mentally Handicapped and the Church. Notre Dame IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986.

Meilanender Gilbert Bioethics: A Primer for Christians. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.

Pellegrino Edmund “Physician-Assisted Suicide: John Paul II's Dialogue with the Culture and Ethics of Contemporary Medicine,” in Choosing Life: A Dialogue on Evangelium Vitae, Kevin W. , Wildes S.J. , and Mitchell Alan C. , eds. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1997, pp. 236–253.

Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, Charter For Health Care Workers, Vatican City, 1995.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot. Translated with and introduction by David Magarshack, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd, 1955, p. 397.

Paul John II. Evangelium Vitae: Encyclical Letter on The Value and Inviolability of Human Life. Homebush: St Pauls, 1995.

Having already affirmed Church teaching that the direct killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral (n. 57.), Evangelium Vitae clearly states that “…euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person.” (n.65) Suicide too, when viewed objectively, is described as a gravely immoral act, and to assist in suicide is to cooperate in an injustice which can never be excused, even if it is requested. (n.66)

Here, euthanasia is to be understood as “…an action or omission which of itself and by intention causes death, with the purpose of eliminating all suffering.” (n.65) By this account, therefore, euthanasia must be distinguished from decisions to forego or withdraw burdensome or futile medical treatment, or the administration of analgesic or sedative medication in the terminal stages of illness where the intention is to relieve undue pain or agitation. Although it may be foreseen that these acts may hasten death, this is not euthanasia as the intention is not to end life, but to relieve symptoms and the burdens of disproportionate treatments.

Paul John II. Evangelium Vitae: Encyclical Letter on The Value and Inviolability of Human Life. Homebush: St Pauls, 1995.

EV n. 23.

EV n. 36

EV n. 22.

EV n. 23.

Thus, John Paul II writes in Evangelium Vitae: “The choice of euthanasia becomes more serious when it takes the form of a murder committed by others on a person who has in no way requested it and who never consented to it. The height of arbitrariness and injustice is reached when certain people, such as physicians or legislators, arrogate to themselves the power to decide who ought to live and who ought to die.” EV n.66.

David Jones writes: “It is right for us to rail against our sufferings and recoil from the evil that they represent. This may not seem very pious, but it is the attitude of Job, Jeremiah and many of the Psalms. Jesus himself did not welcome suffering but shrank from it, praying ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me’ (Mat 26: 39). If we are to imitate Christ then we too should accept suffering as our lot only when it cannot be avoided or when it is for some great good.” Ref: Jones, David. “The encounter with suffering in the practice of medicine in the light of Christian revelation,” in Issues for a Catholic Bioethic, edited by Luke Gormally, London: The Linacre Centre, 1999, p. 166.

John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris, Apostolic Letter on the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering, February 11, 1984. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1984, n. 18.

By “mysterious” permission, I imply that there remains a very clear limit to the extent to which we are able to explain why a loving God continues to allow suffering. David Jones’ helpful essay points out that while it is possible to give a very general metaphysical account that shows that the reality of suffering is compatible with the reality of a single source of all that is good, and to recognize the love of God in creation and redemption, it is not possible to explain why God allows suffering despite loving us. Ref: Issues for a Catholic Bioethic, pp. 159-165.

EV n. 15.

EV n. 15. See also EV 11.

EV n. 12.

Stanley Hauerwas makes an insightful comment along these lines. “Suicide is not first a judgement about the agent, but a reminder that we have failed to embody as a community the commitment not to abandon one another. We fear being a burden for others, but even more to ourselves. Yet it is only by recognizing that in fact we are inescapably a burden that we face the reality and opportunity of living truthfully.” Stanley Hauerwas, Suffering Presence: Theological Reflections on Medicine, the Mentally Handicapped and the Church. Notre Dame IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986, p 106.

EV n. 19.

A clear affirmation of “natural law” morality can be found at the very beginning of Evangelium Vitae: “Even in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness can, by the light of reason and the hidden action of grace, come to recognize in the natural law written in the heart (cf. Rom 2: 14-15) the sacred value of human life from its very beginning until its end.” EV n.2.

St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, 1,1.

EV n. 25.

Paul John , Paul John II Veritatis Splendor: Encyclical Letter on Certain Fundamental Questions of the Church's Moral teaching. Homebush: St Pauls, 1993, n.35. 25. EV n. 96.

EV n. 18.

EV n.66. See also: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on Euthanasia, May 5, 1980, n. I; and Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn. 2281-2283.

Finnis John “A Philosophical Case Against Euthanasia,” Euthanasia Examined: Ethical, Clinical and Legal Perspectives. Ed. Keown John , Cambridge: CUP 1995, p. 34.

EV n. 48.

This is one of the main reasons against voluntary euthanasia proposed by Stanley Hauerwas in his book, Suffering Presence, p. 106.: “For our creaturely status is but a reminder that our existence is not secured by our own power, but rather requires the constant care of, and trust in, others. Our willingness to live in the face of suffering, pain, and sheer boredom of life is morally a service to one another as it is a sign that life can be endured and moreover our living can be done with joy and exuberance. Our obligation to sustain our lives even when they are threatened with, or require living with, a horrible disease is our way of being faithful to the trust that has sustained us in health and now in illness. We take on a responsibility as sick people. That responsibility is simply to keep on living, as it is our way of gesturing to those who care for us that we can be trusted and trust them even in our illness”. Stanley Hauerwas, Suffering Presence: Theological Reflections on Medicine, the Mentally Handicapped and the Church. Notre Dame IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986, p106.

Pellegrino Edmund “Physician-Assisted Suicide: John Paul II's Dialogue with the Culture and Ethics of Contemporary Medicine,” in Choosing Life: A Dialogue on Evangelium Vitae, Kevin W , Wildes S.J. , and Mitchell Alan C. , eds. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1997, p. 243.

EV n. 39.

EV n. 52.

Salvifici Doloris, n. 18.

EV n. 67. See also Salvifici Doloris, n 14-24.

In this context, Evangelium Vitae states that: “Moreover the act of euthanasia appears all the more perverse if it is carried out by those, like relatives, who are supposed to treat a family member with patience and love, or by those, such as doctors, who by virtue of their specific profession are supposed to care for the sick person even in the most painful terminal stages.” n. 66.

Veritiatis Splendor, n. 95.

St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, 2a.2ae. 30,2. Blackfriars Edition. Thomas Gilby (General Editor), Vol 34 (2a2ae. 23-33), “Charity.” R.J. Batten O.P. (Trans.), London: Blackfriars, 1974.

Veritiatis Splendor, ST 2a,2ae. 30,3.

Grisez Germain “Death in Theological Reflection,” in The Dignity of the Dying Person: Proceedings of the 5th Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Feb 1999, edited by de Dios Vial Correa Juan , and Sgreccia Elio , Liberia Editrice Vaticana, p. 158.

Pellegrino, in Choosing Life, p. 244.

Pellegrino, in Choosing Life, p. 159.

EV n.66.

EV n. 67.

EV n. 88.

Jones David Issues for a Catholic Bioethic, p. 161.

John Paul II comments upon this in Salvifici Doloris n.9, and notes that this “why” does not only “…accompany human suffering, but it seems even to determine its human content, what makes suffering precisely human. It is obvious that the pain, especially physical pain, is widespread in the animal world. But only the suffering human being knows what he is suffering and wonders why; and he suffers in a humanly speaking still deeper way if he does not find a satisfactory answer.”

Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, Charter For Health Care Workers, Vatican City, 1995, n. 116. Catholic Health Australia's Code of Ethical Standards, states that: “In receiving physical, psychological, social and spiritual support, patients may need help to make the most of what remains of their lives, not only by the alleviation of their suffering but also by the respect accorded their personal dignity and the quality of their being. Vulnerable patients many need to be protected from pressures which lower their self esteem or encourage self-abandonment. They may need help not only with the many symptoms of illness such as pain and discomfort and its psychological sequelae such as anxiety, fear and distress, but also with its spiritual effects such as crises of faith, hope and love.” Catholic Health Australia, Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health and Aged Care Services in Australia. Canberra: Catholic Health Australia, 2001, n 5.5.