Articles

Articles

To Live Each Day with Dignity (Download PDF)
an editorial by Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez introducing the U.S. Bishops' June 2011 statement, "To Live Each Day with Dignity."

To live in a manner worthy of our human dignity, and to spend our final days on this earth in peace and comfort, surrounded by loved ones—that is the hope of each of us. In particular, Christian hope sees these final days as a time to prepare for our eternal destiny. "To Live Each Day with Dignity"

FACT Sheets to accompany the U.S. Bishops' statement, "To Live Each Day with Dignity"

Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: Beyond Terminal Illness
Advocates for physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia often claim these practices will only affect a narrow class of terminally ill patients who are expected to die soon in any case. But there is ample evidence of a "slippery slope" toward ending the lives of patients with chronic illnesses or disabilities, or even those who are vulnerable or marginalized in other ways. To read more, download the "fact sheet" compiled by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Catholic Conference.
Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: From Voluntary to Involuntary
While promoted an initially practices in the name of personal autonomy, physician-assisted suicide (providing lethal drugs so patients can take their own lives) and euthanasia (direct killing patients by doctors) do not remain limited to cases in which the victim gave his or her voluntary consent. To read more, download the "fact sheet" compiled by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Catholic Conference.
Oregon's Assisted Suicide Law: What Safeguards?
Oregon's law allowing doctors to prescribe lethal overdoses for some patients' suicides was first approved in 1994; after a court challenge it took legal effect in 1997. Supporters later closely modeled Washington's new law on the law in Oregon, saying that its "safeguards" are operating well and have prevented abuse. The facts suggest otherwise. To read more, download the "fact sheet" compiled by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Catholic Conference.
Physician-Assisted Suicide: Threat to Improved Palliative Care
Advocates for assisted suicide claim that the practice can simply be added to the "palliative care" options now available to patients. There is good reason to conclude that the opposition is true that legalizing assisted suicide undermines efforts to maintain and improve good care for patients nearing the end of life, including patients who never wanted assisted suicide. To read more, download the "fact sheet" compiled by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Catholic Conference.
Suicide and Assisted Suicide: The Role of Depression
Many people assume that a large percentage of terminally ill patients come to a fixed and "rational" decision for suicide, to be taken at face value as an expression of their free choice. The reality is very different. To read more, download the "fact sheet" on depression compiled by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Catholic Conference.
Assisted Suicide: What is at Stake?
Why shouldn't assisted suicide be legalized? How does cost enter into this issue? What are the related issues, such as withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment? How is the practice of giving dying patients pain medication different from assisted suicide? These and other questions are answered in this "fact sheet" compiled by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Catholic Conference.

Suicide and Assisted Suicide: The Role of Depression

Many people assume that a large percentage of terminally ill patients come to a fixed and "rational" decision for suicide, to be taken at face value as an expression of their free choice. The reality is very different. To read more, download the "fact sheet" on depression compiled by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Catholic Conference.

Caring for Each Other, Even Unto Death

Many families are unsure about moral options for the care of their loved ones. Fortunately, the popes and bishops of the Catholic Church have provided invaluable guidance concerning end-of-life decisions, including issues of pain control and consciousness, the provision of food and water to dying or unconscious patients, the right to refuse certain treatments, and the duty to care, even when a cure is no longer possible.
To read more, download the four-fold pamphlet, written by Dr. Marie Hilliard, director of bioethics and public policy for the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and published by the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

(En Español) Cuidar al prójimo, incluso hasta la muerte

Muchas familias no saben cuáles son las opciones morales para cuidar de sus seres queridos. Gracias a Dios, los Papas y obispos de la Iglesia Católica han ofrecido consejos valiosos sobre las decisiones del final de las vida, incluyendo el control del dolor y las conciencia, el suministro de alimentos y agua a los pacientes que agonizan o están inconscientes, el derecho a negarse a recibir ciertos tratamientos y la obligación de cuidar del enfermo, incluso cuando la enfermedad es incurable.
Para obtener más información, descargue el folleto, escrito por la Dra. Marie Hilliard, director de la bioética y las política pública en el National Catholic Bioethics Center y publicado por la Secretaría de la Asociación por las actividades de los Estados Unidos Conferencia de Obispos Católicos.

Dying with Dignity

Our society is aging, and soaring numbers of chronically ill people live among us—the result of decades of medical progress—They are family members, neighbors, and friends. We have the collective responsibility to care for them with skill and deep respect. We have the opportunity to care for them with tenderness and love.
To read more, download the article, written by Dr. Ira Byock, director of the Palliative Care Service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Professor at Dartmouth Medical School, and published in the Hastings Center Report.

Assisted Suicide: Death by "Choice"?
by Rita L Marker, Esq

Hospice Care Helped Daughter Cope With Her Mother's Death
by Denise MacLachlan

Perinatal Hospice: A Place to Turn When a Newborn is Fated to Die
by Neela Banerjee

The Mystery of Suffering: How Should I Respond?
by Kenneth R. Overberg, SJ

End-of-Life Ethics
by Kenneth R. Overberg, SJ

Why the Church Opposes Assisted Suicide
Wilton D Gregory, SLD

The Symbolic Language of the Dying
Ron Wooten-Green

Healthier Communities Through Parish Nursing
Carol DeSchepper, RN

Healing Body and Soul
Bob Zyskowski

Elderly Seek Longer Life, Regardless
S Gilbert

Spirituality and Healing
Laurie Skokan, PhD, & Sr. Diana Bader, OP, PhD

When the Community Cares
Reverend William Beers, PhD