Thou  Shalt  Not  Kill

Euthanasia

         Euthanasia  has been a hot topic recently in the Canadian News.

  In a landmark judgment, Canada’s Supreme Court on Friday February 6 2015, struck down laws prohibiting doctor-assisted suicide for patients with “grievous and irremediable medical conditions,” ruling that doctors may now help such patients to end their lives through medications. In other words, Canadian doctors will soon be permitted to murder their patients. This is a very, very slippery slope that Canada is heading down. We have seen this before, in places like Belgium and Holland as of late. First it is for those who have “grievous and irremediable medical conditions,” than it is for those who are depressed, or have treatable cancer, or recently had their heart broken … the list goes on. In Belgium, their are child euthanasia laws. From what I understand, their were 600 children euthanized, actually murdered last year (2014) in Belgium. Can you imagine? Child euthanasia ? A child can request from the doctor whether he or she wants to live or die? The door that has been opened in Canada regarding euthanasia ( murder) ,will be ripped off its hinges in no time if we as Canadians allow this to take place. This is Gods law we are talking about here, natural law is being violated. We all know killing is wrong, or don’t we? Scary times we live in, when we hear killing and mercy used in the same sentence. They use clever catch phrases such as ” dying with dignity ” or ” compassionate care “. Suicide and murder, nothing dignified about that. These phrases, no matter how they package them, all lead to either, murder or suicide, or both.

The reason why I am writing about this topic is because of its gravity. When I say that the doors will be ripped off the hinges if we let this evil into our country, I am deadly serious. Before we know it, the doctors will be deciding who deserves to live and who doesn’t. Maybe, the insurance companies will chime in, I am sure this will happen. OHIP may begin to look at cost analysis for instance. Is it cheaper to euthanize Mr smith ,who has cancer ? Or, should we spend two million dollars treating him over the next three years, knowing that he may  still die. I would not want to be Mr Smith. First it was adult euthanasia in Belgium, now it is the children. This evil will come here once that door is opened. Before we know it, very few of us will have a right to live according to the state. If we have any condition whatsoever, asthma, diabetes, alcoholism, depression…. the state will be able to euthanize/murder us. That is where this law will take us if we allow it to happen. Their is still time to fight this, if we write to our local MP’s and scream bloody murder, literally. Please write your local MP in Canada, don’t just sign petitions, write personal letters. Petitions are good, but personal letters with petitions are even better.

Ok, so what does the Catholic Church teach on this matter. Euthanasia, which means ” good death ” is simply murder. It is a willful violation of the Fifth Commandment  ” Thou shalt not kill “. We read in Genesis Chapter 9 verse”[6] Whosoever shall shed man’ s blood, his blood shall be shed: for man was made to the image of God.”  We, as Catholics are to exercise charity and justice, by respecting the true dignity of each and every person from conception to natural death.

Let us take a look at what Pope St John Paul II has to say in Evangelium Vitae  15 ” As well as for reasons of a misguided pity at the sight of the patient’s suffering, euthanasia is sometimes justified by the utilitarian motive of avoiding costs which bring no return and which weigh heavily on society. Thus it is proposed to eliminate malformed babies, the severely handicapped, the disabled, the elderly, especially when they are not self-sufficient, and the terminally ill. Nor can we remain silent in the face of other more furtive, but no less serious and real, forms of euthanasia. These could occur for example when, in order to increase the availability of organs for transplants, organs are removed without respecting objective and adequate criteria which verify the death of the donor. ”

Euthanasia in many cases is given as an option to relieve a persons suffering. Suffering is never easy, for many, it reaches the point of being almost unbearable. As followers of Jesus Christ, we look to Him and His most Immaculate Mother, for help in these instances. We are called to unite our suffering with His. We do not have to waste our suffering. Our suffering can truly purify us, and help to prepare for our entry into eternal life. Saints such as St Therese of Liseux and Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity suffered tremendously. They never wasted one moment of their suffering, they actually embraced it, like our Lord did. They could not of embraced their suffering and died with true dignity without the supernatural aid of the Sacraments and Gods amazing grace. You can read about these Saints and their last days here and here. They are amazing Saints and still very active today, I ask and pray for their intercession regularly!

til next time   may Almighty God protect us from the world, the devil, and ourselves !

 

In  JM+JT,

Lee   @     www.canadiancatechist.com