Editorial

End of life:
As views change, Catholic Church provides helpful advice

Several years ago, it seemed as if proponents of assisted suicide and euthanasia were gaining ground. Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the Hemlock Society promised people an easy, painless death.

In 1998, Oregon passed a "Death with Dignity Act" permitting physician-assisted suicide. It was seen as a model for the nation by pro-euthanasia forces. But so far, other states have resisted efforts to enact such laws. This year such measures died in Arizona, Hawaii, and Vermont.

Oregon law in jeopardy. Oregon's law may be in jeopardy. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft ruled that it violates the federal Controlled Substances Act, which regulates the use of barbiturates used in all assisted suicide.

Catholic News Service (CNS) reported that, if upheld, the Ashcroft decision would authorize agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration to pull physicians' licenses to prescribe federally controlled drugs if they participate in assisted suicides. The Appeals Court panel is expected to make its ruling this summer.

Opinions changing. Recent opinion polls also show fewer Americans believe doctor-assisted suicide is morally acceptable. A 2003 Gallup poll reported a drop from 50 to 45 percent in support for assisted suicide.

The poll also revealed only 14 percent of Americans believe suicide in general was acceptable; 81 percent believe it is morally wrong.

Catholic teaching. As people in our society look for advice on dealing with these issues, we suggest they check into Catholic teaching. In the area of death and dying, our church offers excellent resources to help us.

Recently, I was able to draw comfort and strength from church teaching in dealing with the illness and death of my 86-year-old mother. Her hospitalization with a heart attack had our family dealing with the blessings - and complications - of advances in technology in health care.

One excellent resource is the Wisconsin Catholic bishops' pastoral letter, "Now and at the Hour of Our Death," issued in April of 2002, based in part on Bishop William H. Bullock's own document, "Health Care, Death and Dying."

Church teaching emphasizes that all life is sacred, that we must never allow anyone to feel or believe that his or her life is without dignity or value. We should care for the dying with sensitivity and love. Yet, Catholic teaching also says that when death is imminent and there is no reasonable hope of sustaining life, decisions may be made by the patients and their families on whether to prolong life.

Sometimes a quick, painless death is not the best answer. A dying person may need time to talk with family and friends, seek reconciliation, and obtain spiritual guidance. The Wisconsin bishops' document also encourages persons to communicate their wishes ahead of time with their family, friends, and medical personnel. Preparing an advance directive is an effective way to communicate.

Positive solutions. We hope our society will continue to look for positive ways to deal with dying and death, rather than seek "quick fixes" such as those advocated by Dr. Kevorkian and the Hemlock Society. I encourage our readers to obtain a copy of the state bishops' document from the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, phone 608-257-0004 or on the Web at www.wisconsincatholic.org. Read it, discuss it with your family members, and use it as a resource for public policy decisions that may arise in the future.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

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To the editor:

The good Samaritan! We have all heard his story many times read from the pulpit in a church. I wonder where all the good Samaritans are today?

In 1973 the United States Supreme Court passed a law that made it legal to murder unborn babies in the United States. For the past 30 years this date in January has been remembered as the anniversary of death - not a date to be celebrated, but a date to pray for an end to an atrocious procedure that is killing off our younger generation at the rate of over 4,000 per day.

Should the leadership of our local churches take lead in directing their flock to more involvement in bringing an end to child murder? If so, should they speak on this subject once or twice a year, or more often? How important is this subject to the human race? Would it be easy or hard today to find a new pastor for your church? If hard to find, is it because he or she was aborted since 1973?

If not church leaders, then who? Where are the good Samaritans in society today? There could never be a better time than this one for all good Christians to say enough is enough. Join an organization that is working to end abortion. Pray daily for our leadership in Madison and Washington, D.C., to vote for the dignity of all human lives.

Then, above all, vote, but know whom you are voting for. Let the world know that you take candidates' positions on abortion and other life issues seriously and that you will vote first and foremost for candidates who are pro-life.

James E. Van Lanen Sr., Two Rivers

To the editor:

Every day during the war in Iraq Chaldean Catholic parishioners of Sacred Heart Chaldean Parish in Detroit, Mich., met in the church to pray the rosary for the ouster of Iraq's Saddam Hussein. All the parishioners had fled Iraq to avoid persecutions and executions. All had had one or more relatives or friends who had been executed or disappeared by orders for Saddam Hussein.

Fr. Jacob Yasso, pastor of Sacred Heart, has counseled all the refugees who joined his church as well as others. Father Yasso said, "Families were forced to watch their loved ones being executed by hanging in front of city hall in Telkaipe, which is near Baghdad. Parents, brothers, and sisters were ordered to clap their hands while the men were dying."

It is difficult to comprehend those individuals who defend the reign of Saddam Hussein.

Charles J. Sippel, Waterloo