With our American population getting older and people living longer, we are already starting to see economic pressures to ration health care among the elderly and the terminally ill. This, in a culture that already too much judges a person’s “worth” on the basis of what the person can “produce” economically. So people are afraid. Their fears are legitimate and they need to be addressed.But euthanasia advocates are exploiting these fears — in legislatures and courtrooms, in ad campaigns and in the popular media. They use deceptive language to present euthanasia as a humane solution for individuals and a sensible policy option for the common good of society. We need to be clear. What they call “death with dignity” means basically giving people the permission and the means to kill themselves by a lethal overdose of prescription drugs. Euthanasia advocates want to answer people’s fears by killing the person who is afraid. And if they succeed in their efforts to legalize physician-assisted suicide, they would change American society forever. Legalized euthanasia would involve doctors and nurses — healing professionals — in helping to kill people. It would lead to a society in which the government — in the name of maximizing health care resources — would essentially decide which lives are worthy of living, and which people would be better off dead.Already in America, legalized abortion has made it “routine” to kill unborn children. About a million babies are killed this way each year. That is scandal enough. We cannot now allow the killing of the elderly, terminally ill and disabled people to be become “routine” also.That’s why the U.S. bishops have published a new statement on the euthanasia movement, “To Live Each Day with Dignity.” It is a good statement of our moral principles. I hope every Catholic will read it and get more involved in this crucial public debate. We especially need participation from Catholics in the health care profession. In our Catholic faith we have a beautiful message to share for the common good. And right now, our society really needs to hear this message. When there is no hope for any life beyond the grave, people live with a kind of hidden despair. That’s one reason our society treats death and illness like enemies — to be feared and fought at all costs.American society has grown too secular. For the most part, our society functions as if God does not exist. As if there is nothing more to our human lives than this earthly, material existence. Today, more and more people believe they only have one life to live. They think all they can hope for is contained between the span of years from their birth to their death. When there is no hope for any life beyond the grave, people live with a kind of hidden despair. That’s one reason our society treats death and illness like enemies — to be feared and fought at all costs. But we know the beautiful truth. That Jesus Christ rose from the dead and destroyed the power of death forever! That every human person has an infinite value in God’s eyes! We must tell our society that our lives are more than biological. Our lives are also theological.We are creatures of body and soul, matter and spirit. We are created out of love to be in dialogue, in a relationship with God. This relationship begins before we are conceived in the womb. It is not cancelled by illness, disability or disease. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! This is true even for the person who is no longer able to communicate. In the beautiful words of Blessed John Paul II: “The loving gaze of God the Father still falls upon them, acknowledging them as his sons and daughters, especially in need of help.”As we pray for one another this week, let us commit ourselves to helping our brothers and sisters who are sick and afraid — beginning with those in our own families.With modern palliative treatments, we can alleviate the pain they feel. We need to help them spiritually and emotionally as well. We need to let them know that they are always loved, and that we will care for them with compassion when they are no longer able to take care of themselves. Let us ask Our Blessed Virgin Mary to help us create a society of love and true mercy, where everyone lives each day with dignity. Archbishop Gomez has written a small book, “A Will to Live: Clear Answers on End of Life Issues” (Basilica Press, 2006). It is also available in Spanish: “Anhelo de Vivir” (Basilica Press, 2006). The U.S. Bishops’ new statement on euthanasia is available at: www.usccb.org/toliveeachday.Follow Archbishop Gomez at: www.facebook.com/ArchbishopGomez.-PAGE 2-
