“For it is not as if we had a high priest
who was incapable of feeling our weakness with us;
but we have one who has been tempted in every way
that we are, though he is without sin.”
(Hebrews 4:15)
As disciples of Jesus, the Suffering Servant, we oppose the medicalization of human suffering and death in 2015 Supreme Court of Canada decision decriminalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide. Bill C-14, which regulated the decision, promised protection of the vulnerable and limited eligibility to those with a “reasonably foreseeable natural death.” A Quebec challenge to this safeguard has been unanswered and it will be eliminated by March 11, 2020. Other procedural safeguards included centrality of consent, regulations for practitioners regarding eligibility and vulnerability, a ten- day reflection period between patient request and death, optimum medical treatment, and reporting and review of MAID deaths.
The Church teaches that, in the presence of an unjust law, we can and should “…licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and a lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality.” (Evangelium Vitae 73) Supporting safeguards is necessary to limit the profound harms of MAID.
As you prayerfully reflect on the questionnaire please consider that:
- persons rarely request MAID for pain and other physical symptoms, especially when supported by palliative care, but for feelings of loss of dignity, dependence, loss of control, guilt at being a burden, isolation, uncertainty regarding care needs, fear of abandonment, and hopelessness. These are issues of human suffering and they occur in all areas of human life. They demand our care and accompaniment and advocacy for effective and accessible care for all health needs and research into difficult dying.
- the fragility of truly informed choice, which requires freedom from undue fear, influence and coercion, in the context of pain, suffering, dependence and social marginalization.
- the complexity of assessing vulnerability particularly in the pressured and busy world of medicine and economic pressures.
- MAID has become the new normal for a good death and for the relief of all our suffering.
We need to accept the Archbishop’s call and raise our voices in prophetic resistance to this technical response to the spiritual and communal challenges.
Canadians are being invited to share their views (online or PDF) by the close of the consultation period on Monday, 27 January 2020, at 11:59 p.m. (PST).
Online English
Online French
PDF English
PDF French
