Free Will and Death

Free Will. We use it to marry and have children, to accept or reject employment, even to elect public officials. Our life is a series of choices determined by the use of our Free Will. But should that same Free Will decide our death?
Since the appearance of “Dr. Death” Jack Kevorkian in the 1980s, the chorus of those supporting doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia has grown markedly. Below is a definition of the two terms:
· Doctor-assisted suicide: The voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. Physician-assisted suicide is the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life. (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32841)

· Euthanasia: “The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.
The difference between the two is determined by who is the person administering the death act. If it is the patient, it is assisted-suicide; if it is by someone other than the patient, it is euthanasia.

Many argue that if we have Free Will in all other aspects of our lives, shouldn’t we also have it with respect to our deaths. In their view suffering is inhuman and an insult to the dignity of Man. “I shouldn’t have to suffer; nor should any of my loved ones have to suffer.”
The Church’s response to this plea for control over death is a resounding “No”.

A few days ago Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in Lourdes to honor the 150 year anniversary of Mary’s apparitions to a 14-year-old girl and future saint, Bernadette Soubirous. The Mass was well-attended by the infirmed, who hoped to be cured by the site’s miraculous healing waters. During the Mass the Pope took the opportunity to speak out against assisted-suicide and euthanasia, making it clear that death can only come at “the hour chosen by God”. (http://www.kansascity.com/news/world/story/798631.html) Many will accuse the pontiff and the Catholic Church of insensitivity. The Church will be labeled antiquated and will be accused of ignoring Man’s pain. Nothing could be further from the Truth.

Man’s plight in this fallen state is one of suffering. We are racked by Sin and are confronted with daily crosses and trials. On most days we want to raise our fist to God and scream, “You don’t know what I’m going through.” But we can’t because we are Christians. Unlike any other religion that has existed on this earth, Christianity teaches the Incarnation. God became Man to live as a man. He experienced all the sufferings, temptations, and trials we undergo daily. And ultimately, he suffered the greatest indignity an individual can undergo: torture and abuse followed by murder at the hands of evil people. Yes, a Jew or a Muslim can accuse God of ignorance of Man’s condition, but we Christians cannot. Christ’s life, and most importantly his death, proves that our Lord understands our suffering first hand.

Perhaps nobody better understood how we imitate Christ most when we suffer than did Pope John Paul II. The final years of his life were spent battling Parkinson’s syndrome. With each day it became more difficult to control his movements and constant shaking. Nevertheless, he continued to travel, to meet the flock, and to be filmed by the media. Many cringed at the sight of the stricken pontiff, openly questioning whether he had any dignity. “Isn’t he embarrassed” they would ask?

No. He wasn’t. And he was teaching us that we shouldn’t be embarrassed either. Suffering is a part of the human condition, and as Pope Benedict XVI noted in his Lourdes Mass, “Dignity never abandons the sick person.” If suffering were de-humanizing then Christ would never have accepted crucifixion. His acceptance not only freed us from Sin, but provided us with an example of how we must accept suffering as redemptive. Yes, it is painful to suffer and to watch others suffer, but we must always remember: we did not give ourselves life; therefore, we cannot decide when that life should end. Only He who is responsible for life can decide the hour of death.

Donald Tremblay

Dignity and Death

The Houston Chronicle today (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5850176.html) reports on Washington State ’s right-to-die initiative (I-1000). According to the Chronicle, “The initiative would let a doctor prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill patients who are believed to have less than six months to live.”

Before I go any further let me make it clear that I am not minimizing the pain suffered by many people. In fact, I am often shocked at the amount of sadness and pain there is in the world. Clearly those victims of it need compassion and assistance; the question is how does one define “compassion” and “assistance”?

Perhaps what I will remember most about Pope John Paul II is the way he faced the final years of his life as his body deteriorated from Parkinson’s disease. I can visualize him standing by open windows, uncontrollably shaking, waving to the flock. John Paul understood suffering and dignity . . . and that is why he insisted that others see him in that broken state. Our Lord suffered the greatest of indignities and the most painful of deaths, and the Polish Pontiff wanted us all to understand that suffering, when embraced, is redemptive and not de-humanizing. When we suffer we walk in the shoes of Christ. One of the wonders and beauties of Christianity is that our Lord doesn’t ask us to accept anything that he himself didn’t also face. We can shake our fists and cry out in anguish to God for our suffering, but we cannot accuse of Him “of not knowing what this pain is like.”

It is often argued by right-to-die advocates that “it is my life, so I should be able to end it as I choose”. No, it is not your life. As The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear, “We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of” (Catechism 2280). Herein lies the fallacy of the right-to-die movement. Only those who have brought about their own lives have the right to dispose of it. Since none of us have created ourselves, we do not have the moral right to eliminate ourselves.

Besides the spiritual arguments there are other problems with assisted suicide. First off is the contention that this initiative will only apply to those who are terminally ill. How does one define “terminal”? Chris Carlson, who was press secretary to former Idaho Gov. Cecil D. Andrus, is spearheading the coalition against the Washington State initiative. In 2005, Carlson was diagnosed with cancer and was declared terminal, and yet three years later his illness is dormant: “’That points to a major flaw in this initiative. Doctors can, with some authority, tell someone they have six months or less to live,’ Carlson said. ‘I was supposed to be dead two years ago, but I'm still here.’"

Add to that the question of whether the sufferer is clear-minded enough to know that ending their life is what they truly desire. Individuals go through stages before they accept their impending death. Anger and depression are normal psychological states that precede acceptance of terminal illness. The sufferer’s desire for immediate death may be a manifestation of these temporary states of mind.

No, suicide is not the answer. The time and money being spent to pass this right-to-die measure would be better spent on research for better pain medications or on initiatives that provide terminally ill patients with psychological care equivalent to the medical attention they receive.

Donald Tremblay