News Alert: Euthanasia is at our Doors

From the Catholic Organization for Life and Family 18 April 2013

In Quebec, the Marois Government has announced its intention to submit, by June, a bill that will define “medical aid in dying” as a form of healthcare and a right. WHAT EXACTLY IS “MEDICAL AID IN DYING”? Let us neither play with words nor camouflage reality. “Let's Call a Spade a Spade. Medical aid in dying is Euthanasia” (Dr. Yves Robert, secretary of the College of Physicians of Quebec, quoted by l’Actualité Médicale,  January 29, 2013). WHAT IS EUTHANASIA? Euthanasia is killing a person intentionally and directly, with or without that person’s consent, for reasons of compassion. The Criminal Code of Canada sees this as a homicide. There is nothing human in killing another person. EUTHANASIA  KILLS. EUTHANASIA IS DANGEROUS. EUTHANASIA  IS NOT NECESSARY. We already have the right to refuse or to discontinue treatment. We already have the right to say “no” to overtreatment. We already have the right to receive palliative sedation which aims solely at reducing pain. KILLING IS NOT CARE (Physicians’ Alliance for Total Refusal of Euthanasia, La Presse, February 19, 2013) LET’S ELIMINATE PAIN, NOT PATIENTS. We must keep our hospitals safe. QUALITY PALLIATIVE CARE IS WHAT WE NEED. We MUST protect the weakest and most vulnerable. “At this final stage of life, the time left to live is immensely valuable. Even if they are mere hours, these moments of sharing can be incredibly meaningful to friends and relatives; the simple fact of being able to say goodbye is invaluable. These moments can make a difference in the lives of others. (...) Suicide Action Montreal, whose mission is to prevent suicide, calls for assistance to people who suffer to the point of considering committing suicide. The Committee is of the opinion that SAM cannot be in favor of assisted suicide or euthanasia.” (“ Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia - Position of Suicide Action Montreal”, June 2012). “An end of life with dignity through palliative care accessible to all, not euthanasia.” (Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec, January 18, 2013). WE MUST NOT GIVE ANYONE -ESPECIALLY  OUR PHYSICIANS- THE POWER TO KILL. Only then will we be able to keep our trust in them. WE ARE BEING PROMISED SAFEGUARDS… We are told that people will have to meet certain criteria to obtain the “right” to be euthanized. But let’s look at what has happened in Belgium, where euthanasia has been legal for 10 years. In a report entitled “Ten Years of Law Enforcement in Belgium” (April 2012), the European Institute of Bioethics reports an “undeniable slippery slope” and the ineffectiveness of the Audit Committee. Thus, the annual number of reported euthanasia “is constantly rising”: it rose from 235 in 2003 to 1133 in 2011. The report stress that... “while the text of the law decriminalizing euthanasia requires compliance with conditions that wanted to be very strict (...), we see an undeniable slippery slope today (...). Euthanasia is gradually becoming a normal and commonplace act that patients are entitled to have”. The pro-euthanasia lobby now demands euthanasia for children and for people with dementia. WHAT IS THE POSITION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ? “Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick or dying people. It is morally unacceptable.”(Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2277). “I confirm that euthanasia is a grave violation of God's law, as it is a deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person.” (John Paul II, The Gospel of Life, No. 65). WE MUST GET UP AND SPEAK UP!       _ “We very much appreciate the commitment and contribution of all those citizens (...) who act in solidarity with the most vulnerable et who aim at building a culture of life and compassion » (AECQ, January 2013) 1. We need to educate ourselves. 2. Let us join the social network “Living with Dignity” (www.vivredignite.com and www.vivredignite.blogspot.ca) 3. Sign the declaration of the Physicians’ Alliance for Total Refusal of Euthanasia . Their motto: “Caring, Not Killing” (www.totalrefusal.blogspot.ca) 4. Consult the “Euthanasia Prevention Coalition” (www.epcc.ca). 5. Let us contact our MPs (write them or pay them a visit) 6. Let us be present in traditional and social media. 7. Educate our families, our friends, our colleagues regarding this threat to our fellow Quebec citizens and to ourselves. 8. Let us mobilize and participate in public demonstrations or marches. 9. For more information, consult the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) which proposes a series of documents that can guide our reflection on this topic (www.colf.ca) 10. Pray incessantly. REJECT OVERTREATMENT. REJECT EUTHANASIA. DEMAND  PALLIATIVE CARE UNTIL NATURAL DEATH. It is a matter of public safety and social justice. It is a question of dignity, of genuine compassion and solidarity.