On November 4th, voters in the state of Washington will be voting on Initiative 1000, the so-called “Death with Dignity” initiative. It is not about death with dignity. It is in fact about justifying suicide and displacing what belongs to God alone, that is, the gift of life and the moment of death. This is contrary to what we call “dignity”. As Catholic Christians we believe that we are made in Imago Dei, the image of God. As God alone made us, God alone takes us home. The Catechism states:

Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.  (2280)

This makes suicide an objectively grave sin. I say objectively because one cannot judge the subjective nature of sin. Often, or perhaps always, a person who commits suicide is suffering extreme hardship, fear, and psychological disturbance. God alone is their judge. In fact, the Catechism goes on to say that “We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.” (2283)

Nevertheless, we should not encourage it or participate in it by making suicide legal and involving doctors in this crime against humanity. We have as citizens both the right and the duty to “impose” our values on others. All law is an imposition of values on the rest of society. The speed limit out in front of Meeker School is an imposition of values that protects the lives of children. The arguments used by anti-Christian moralists, that one should be free to do whatever they please, regardless of their effect on individuals, is false. As Cain so blithely stated in Genesis after killing his brother Abel, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The obvious answer should help us vote appropriately on I-1000.

Sin can also be committed by contributing to someone else’s sin. Doctors are not free from grave sin when they contribute to the death of a patient; no matter how ‘merciful’ they think it is. The Catechism states, “Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.” Accomplices to bank robbery don’t get off easy who claim to only have provided the gun or only driven the getaway car. The state of Oregon claims to have built-in safeguards to its suicide law, but doctors are not required to report assisted suicides as such. If the patient gives cancer as the reason for taking their life, then cancer is listed on the death certificate. While the doctor must offer psychological counseling for the depressed patient, the patient isn’t obligated to pursue it. The state of Oregon recommends a private place for the act of suicide, but has no control over the patient committing their suicide in public. Is this what we want for our state?

Our late Archbishop Murphy said as he was dying of cancer, “…assisted suicide is not compassion. True compassion is willingness to share the pain of others, be present and learn from them.” (2/11/1997, World Day for the Sick)

Fr. Ed White
August 27, 2008

Urgent need for volunteers on assisted suicide issue:

The Coalition Against Assisted Suicide (CAAS) needs volunteers to help distribute literature at public events, doorbell, and assist in coordinating volunteers.

If you can help, please contact Marie at CAAS: (206) 337-2091. 

This is the most pressing issue facing our State this year.

Thank you to those of you who are already volunteering for the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide. For those who have not yet stepped forward, please consider doing so now.

Any amount of time and effort you can give will be appreciated.

August 26, 2008

In May, Father Robert Spitzer, S.J., President of Gonzaga University, made a thought-provoking case against assisted suicide at a Marian conference in Spokane.  The audio from his presentation can be heard here.  Please share Father's presentation with family and friends.

Please note that the 2009 March for Life in Olympia will be Tuesday, January 20, not January 22 as originally stated. The organizers' message is to have a great March on the 20th and then encourage everyone to be more visible with a week of activity, volunteering at Crisis Pregnancy centers or other pro-life charities and witnessing in prayer at abortion clinics on January 21, 22, and 23.

August 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At the same time that the National Right to Life Committee has unearthed documents proving that Barack Obama repeatedly voted against a bill that would have protected children born alive after an attempted abortion, Illuminati Pictures has released a video of an interview with a nurse who witnessed the very practice that Obama protected while in the Illinois senate.

Jill Stanek was a nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois in 1999 when she discovered that babies born alive after failed abortions purposely were being left to die in the "soiled utility room," which, says Stanek, is a room where biohazard materials and soiled linens are disposed of.  Read more...

August 14, 2008

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