Assisted suicide ‘gravely sinful’ say bishops
THE country’s Catholic bishops have said that euthanasia and assisted suicide are “always gravely sinful” and that once they are accepted in principle, it becomes “very difficult to draw a line”.
On Wednesday evening, TDs voted by 81 to 71 to progress the Dying with Dignity Bill to committee stage, bringing the option of assisted dying or euthanasia for the terminally ill a step closer.
Following the Dáil debate, the bishops issued a statement titled ‘Care at the End of Life’. They said assisted suicide is often presented as something that would be rare and exceptional but that many countries, which began by legalising assisted suicide on a very limited basis, have moved on to significantly widen the scope of that legislation.
“We hope to be a voice for those who, in a time of vulnerability, feel that they have no voice,” they said and asked people to consider the manner in which assisted suicide and euthanasia undermine the “whole ethos of healthcare”.
“Doctors and nurses are
Assisted suicide undermines the ‘ethos of healthcare’
called to be advocates for life and should never be required to assist in any way in the deliberate ending of life,” they stated, before adding that in the context of terminal illness, the dignity of the person is affirmed in hospice care.
On the use of pain relief, they said that in order to maintain and enhance the quality of life, it is an important aspect of palliative care.
“Palliative care should not be confused with euthanasia or assisted suicide, which involves the specific intention to end a human life. This is always gravely sinful.”
Palliative care upholds “absolute respect for human life” as well as acknowledging and accepting the reality of approaching death, they added.
Separately, the leaders of the Church of Ireland called for sensitivity in the public debate around euthanasia and assisted suicide. In a joint statement, Archbishop John McDowell of Armagh and Archbishop Michael Jackson of Dublin affirmed the “sacredness of human life, in its totality from beginning to end”.