Pope Francis denounced the right to die movement on Saturday, saying that euthanasia is a sin against God and creation.
The Latin American pontiff said it was a “false sense of compassion” to consider euthanasia as an act of dignity.
Earlier this month, the Vatican’s top bioethics official condemned as “reprehensible” the death by assisted suicide of a 29-year-old American woman, Brittany Maynard, who was suffering terminal brain cancer and said she wanted to die with dignity.
“This woman (took her own life) thinking she would die with dignity, but this is the error,” said Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
The self-righteous arrogance is beyond staggering. Maynard took her own life knowing that she was dying and decided to go with a bit of dignity while she had some control over the matter. To state that this is “wrong” is itself wrong, it is also inhumane. Hanging on until the bitter end in agony and suffering is not “living” it is dying painfully, for death is but a short step away. This is not the sanctity of life it is the antithesis. I wouldn’t treat my cats like this, let alone another human being. But, no, so steeped in its repugnant bronze-age dogma is the church that compassion and humanity passes it by in favour of some ignorant bollocks about a sin against the creator. These people really are utter scumbags. A pox on them all – and the right to die movement? Yes, it is – or should be – up to us to decide to shuffle off the mortal coil at a time of our choosing if we see fit, and anyone who helps us should not be facing criminal charges. So, sure, build in safeguards to stop those who want to bump off granny for the inheritance, but let those of sound mind make up their own minds and the church can go to hell, where it belongs.
Bit torn about this….On the one hand I take your point about someone terminal making a decision while they still can, but I have a sneaking feeling that this is the thin end of a very large wedge where someone else suddenly comes up with the right for THEM to decide whether YOU are worth the time, effort and MONEY to fix.
Suddenly we have human shit deciding whats best…Liverpool Pathway anyone?
It’s not unachievable, though, is it? Assisted suicide for a terminally ill person who wants to have some control over the manner of their ending is vastly different to bumping someone off because they are inconvenient. The latter is murder and we already have perfectly good law to cover it.
The reason we don’t already have it in place with suitable safeguards is because the religious all life is sacred stuff still lurks in the background. Whether it is sacred is for the individual to decide – not the Church not the state. To force someone to suffer to the bitter end against their wishes is unbelievably cruel.
It’s strange how Christians bang on endlessly about how their god is “all-loving”, while also being omnipresent, omniscient and—get this!—omnipotent.
By their own logic, their god cannot possibly exist.
What kind of arsehole god stands by and *forces* people to go through a slow, agonising and painful death? Remember: this tosser’s supposed to be omnipresent, as well as omniscient and omnipotent, so while you’re lying there, gasping for breath after painful breath after yet another massive coughing fit, *this scumbag god is right there, watching you suffer.* That’s what “omnipresence” means. Even if you discount that feature, there’s still omniscience, which means this god still _knows_ what you’re going through. And he’s doing absolutely sod all about it, despite that whole “omnipotence” thing the same religious nutters keep blethering on about.
This god can, by definition, literally do *anything*. Including—and this is the key point—*making his actions appear to be perfectly natural*.
If you could help someone out of their suffering without anyone even noticing your intervention, or thinking it unusual, why *wouldn’t* you?
Not doing so is *sadism*, not compassion, and certainly not “love”. I don’t know who Pope Francis thinks he’s representing here on Earth, but why would anyone ever _want_ to worship such a complete and utter bastard of a god?
Quite.
Oddly, the Hippocratic Oath says (IIRC)
Thou shalt do no harm”
And, is keeping someone alive, for an extra 6-18 months in appalling pain (as most cancer sufferers are, esp with “chemotherapy”) “causing harm” or not?
I know what I think on this one.
But then, you can’t REALLY expect bishop Georgie Gigolo, a.k.a Greasy little Dago-Pope do utter anything sensible, are you?