The Roman Catholic Church acknowledges the fact that moral decisions regarding a person's life must be made according to one's own conscience and faith.[1] Catholic tradition has said that one's concern for the suffering of another is not a sufficient reason to decide whether it is appropriate to act upon Euthanasia. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "God is the creator and author of all life." In this belief system God created human life, therefore God is the judge when to end life.[1]
Pope Francis is the current dominant figure of the Catholic Church. He affirms that death is a glorious event and should not be decided for by anyone other than God. Pope Francis insinuates that defending life means defending its sacredness[2]. The Roman Catholic Church teaches its followers that the act of Euthanasia is unacceptable because it is perceived as a sin, as it goes against the Ten Commandments, "you shall not kill." As implied by the fifth commandment, the act of assisted suicide contradicts the dignity of human life as well as the respect one has for God.
The Roman Catholic Church also recognizes the story of the Good Samaritan. It uses the story to call earnestly upon the Good Samaritan's actions and his love for his neighbor. In this tradition, the act of assisted suicide negates the respect and love we should have for our neighbors, as it mistakenly places the love God has for his followers in the hands of physicians.
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Catholicism
editThe Roman Catholic Church is a vocal opponent of physician-assisted suicide, arguing that life is precious and shouldn’t be taken into our hands. 20:04, 19 October 2016 (UTC)Joepina (talk) Joepina (talk) 02:12, 9 November 2016 (UTC)
- ^ a b Donovan, Kevin G. (1997). "Decisions at the End of Life: Catholic Tradition". Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumnical Studies in Medical Morality. 3: 188–203.
- ^ Cherry, Mark J. (2015). "Pope Francis,Weak Theology, and the Subtle Transformation of Roman Catholic Bioethics". Christian Bioethics. 21: 84–88 – via EBSCOhost.