05 - euthanasia

8/2/2019 05 - Euthanasia

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EUTHANASIA


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Reference

John Paul II,Encyclical

Evangelium Vitae, nn. 2, 64 & 65.

GRISEZ, Germain,The Way of

Life of Jesus Christ.


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Case

You may be surprised to receive this letterfrom the Netherlands. A law studenta realCatholicwho met you last year is helpingme write it. He will send it from his

computer,

andI

hope you will be able toanswer quickly.

My husband, Pieter, is sixty-three. Fivemonths ago he had a stroke. At first it didnot seem so bad, and we hoped he wouldeven be able to walk. But three weeks laterit happened again, and the damage wasmore severe. Pieter probably will never beable to walk and can use only his left hand.Still, after six more weeks I was able to bringhim home.


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Case

With a nurse who comes for the day,I

can care for Pieter. Though he cannot

speak well, he has some words. We

understand each other, and he prayswith me. But taking care of him is not

easy. He knows it, and during the first

month or so at home he was very

sad. He was sorry to be such aburden to me and wished he had died

in the hospital.


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Case

For more than a month now Pieterhas had a cough. Dr. Klaussen hascome every week, but the cough isnot getting better. He says it is not yet

pneumonia but probably will come tothat. Yesterday the doctor asked meto step outside, and he talked abouteuthanasia. He told me one need nolonger have any qualms about it, thatit is perfectly legal. He wants to do it,and seems to want my consent. Hesaid it is the right time for us to helpPieter be released from his uselessbody.


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Case

That upset me. This morning I

went to talk about it with the

pastoral worker who bringsCommunion. I thought she was a

real Catholic, because she does

everything just as it is in the

book, and earlier sheencouraged Pieter when he was

sad.


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Case

I told the pastoral workerI do not think it would beright for me to agree with the doctor to kill Pieter. Shesaid Dr. Klaussen is a good physician, and I shouldgo along with what he thinks best. I questioned that,and she pointed out that we Catholics believe life is

changed,not ended at death

,and that

St. Paul sayswe would rather be away from the body and at home

with the Lord (2 Cor 5.8). She also asked me:Would you want to be in your husbands condition?I said no. But ifI make Pieter go on as he is, shesaid,I will be making him be as I do not want to bemyself, and that would be against the Lords word,

Do to others . . .. I wondered if we should ask Pieterwhat he wants. She said no; that would upset himuselessly and put too much of a burden on him.


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Case

I am not sure what to say to

Dr. Klaussen next week when he

comes. I still do not want to have

him kill Pieter. But neither do I

want to go against the Lords

word.


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Questions:

If you were this woman, what

would you do? Why?

What ethical principles shouldyou consider in resolving this

case?

Was the pastoral worker correct?Why or why not?


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EUTHANASIA


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Etymology

Eu + thanatos

Good + death


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What is Death?

Death is the cessation of life.


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What is Death?

Death is the disappearance of the

life principle in man.


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And what is the life principle in man?

The soul.


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What is Death?

It is the separation of body and

soul.


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What is a Good Death?


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What is a good death?

Is a good death without pain and

discomfort or could it be with pain

and discomfort?

Is a good death without your

being conscious of it or is it death

with your being conscious of it?

Is a good time to die chosen only

by God or could it be chosen by

man himself?


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How does one die a good death?

First and foremost, when one dies

as a human being.


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How does one die a good death?

Not as an animal.


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Is a good death without your

being conscious of it or is it death

with your being conscious of it?

A human being is a creature with

intellect and will. The best wayfor a human being to die is with

full command of intellect and will.


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Is a good time to die chosen onlyby God or could it be chosen byman himself?

Since we did not give ourselvesour own life, it seems that we do

not have the authority to take itaway ourselves. The best way todie is when and how ourCreatorwants it.


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Is a good death without pain anddiscomfort or could it be with painand discomfort?

It is always legitimate for man toreduce pain and discomfort. This

is especially true at the momentof death. However, it isinevitable for us to experiencepain and discomfort.


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Is a good death without pain and

discomfort or could it be with pain

and discomfort?

Pain and discomfort also have their

positive purpose: they remind usthat we are not eternal; they

remind us that we belong to God.


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With as much use of our mental

and spiritual faculties as

possible.

With a conscious effort to follow

the plan of ourCreator.

With courage to face it even if itmeans pain and discomfort.


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EUTHANASIA

What are its defining aims?


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Aims ofEuthanasia

To remove mans consciousness

at the moment of death.

To obliterate any pain ordiscomfort before and at the

moment of death.

To take charge of our own lifeand decide when we should die.


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Evangelium Vitae, n. 64

When the prevailing tendency is tovalue life only to the extent that itbrings pleasure and well-being,suffering seems like an unbearable

setback, something from which onemust be freed at all costs. Death isconsidered "senseless" if it suddenlyinterrupts a life still open to a future ofnew and interesting experiences. But

it becomes a "rightful liberation" oncelife is held to be no longer meaningfulbecause it is filled with pain andinexorably doomed to even greatersuffering.


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A disabled life

A disabled person can still love.

A disabled person can still be givenlove.

A disabled person becomes anoccasion for the practice of humansolidarity.


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A disabled life

Unfortunately, many times there

is a subliminal repugnance to

taking care of disabled person,

even of a person whom we love.


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EUTHANASIA

is the deliberate termination of a sick

persons life in order to avoid theburden of bodily pain and discomfort.


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Euthanasia

Deliberate = one consciously

chooses to end life.

Termination = the goal is thedefinitive end of life, not only a

secondary effect of a primary

curative action.

Avoid pain and discomfort = it is

a running away from this

situation.


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Situation in Todays World

Especially in developed countries, there isconstant progress of medicine and its evermore advanced techniques.

Life can now be sustained longer even insituations of extreme frailty. We canresuscitate patients who have undergonecollapse.

There are more sophisticated methods of

reducing or eliminating pain. End of life situations become a matter of

technique rather than human ethics.


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The temptation grows to have

recourse to euthanasia, that is,to

take control of death and bring it

about before its time, "gently"

ending one's own life or the life of

others. In reality, what might

seem logical and humane, whenlooked at more closely is seen to

be senseless and inhumane.


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Here we are faced with one of the morealarming symptoms of the "culture of death",which is advancing above all in prosperoussocieties, marked by an attitude ofexcessive preoccupation with efficiency andwhich sees the growing number of elderlyand disabled people as intolerable and tooburdensome. These people are very oftenisolated by their families and by society,which are organized almost exclusively on

the basis of criteria of productive efficiency,according to which a hopelessly impaired

life no longer has any value.


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Morality ofEuthanasia


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Morality ofEuthanasia

If (1) mans life possesses dignity

in itself and (2) life is a gift from

ourCreator, then Euthanasia is

immoral.

It is immoral because it is

equivalent to murder or suicide,

and both murder and suicide are

immoral.


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For a correct moral judgment on

euthanasia, in the first place a

clear definition is required.

Euthanasia in the strict sense is

understood to be an action or

omission which of itself and by

intention causes death, with thepurpose of eliminating all

suffering.


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Euthanasia must be distinguished

from the decision to forego so-called

"aggressive medical treatment", in

other words, medical procedureswhich no longer correspond to the

real situation of the patient, either

because they are by now

disproportionate to any expectedresults or because they impose an

excessive burden on the patient and

his family.


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it is not right to deprive the

dying person of consciousness

without a serious reason: as they

approach death people ought to

be able to satisfy their moral and

family duties, and above all they

ought to be able to prepare in afully conscious way for their

definitive meeting with God.

05 - euthanasia

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