Euthanasia: The murderous intentions in legal form- Fr Conrad Saldanha

Euthanasia is a widely discussed topic in India today. Thanks to the Aruna Shanbag case in our country.  The whole nation was caught up in an animated debate on this subject and there must have been many among us who may have wondered about the Church’s stand on this subject. The Church has always stood for promoting human dignity and life. It has been the voice and conscience of the masses on this subject. In his encyclical Evangelium vitae (Ev.) Pope John Paul II stated: "In harmony with the Magisterium of my predecessors and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written law of God and is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium" (EV. 65).

Consequently, it could be contrary to the right to life and to equity to permit the killing by euthanasia of the sick, dying or disabled, even in the case of voluntary euthanasia (Catechism. 2273, 2237; Ev. 71-72). Human life is a gift from God who remains its sovereign; man has no right to deliberately destroy what belongs to God (Catechism of the Catholic Church.  2277, 2260, 2258, and 2280). Moreover, the deliberate killing of an innocent person attacks the dignity and right to life that everyone has as an image of God and as a sacred being set apart by the Creator from all earthly creatures (Gen 1:26-28, 2:19-20).

According to Pope John Paul, these truths about why murder is wrong are revealed by our faith, but they are also discernible by human reason. Murder is prohibited by both revealed law (accessible to faith) and by natural law (accessible to reason) (Ev.  57).

Ethically, assisted suicide is completely against the law of God because the person giving the victim a lethal drug or device is implicitly accepting the victim's immoral decision to commit suicide (see Ev.  66). According to Catholic teaching, suicide or self-murder is gravely immoral for basically the same reasons that murder is wrong (ibid.).

What could be the reason for seeking Euthanasia: The proponents of Euthanasia have their own reasons for vociferously advocating this cause. Here are some of the reasons and the Christian response to such arguments.

1) Choice: a personal decision which cannot be imposed by others. In our era of freedom, ‘choice’ is the new byword for existential living.  Hence you have the pro-choice who would want to decide; with them as the centre of decision making.  We are not here in this world by choice nor do we opt for parents and economic situation and nations and languages, etc. by choice. There are some things in life we have no option. The beauty of life is to seek to conquer these obstacles of life rather than running away from it. Our education seeks to ingrain in us the value of overcoming and striving in the face of failure. We cannot have one standard for the physically and mentally growing child and another standard for the comatose or those voluntarily seeking one’s end. The beauty of life is in prodding the other to seek what is good and noble in life rather than being a pessimist. We cannot have two standards; one for the growing and the other for those who think that life is a full stop with no sign of further evolvement. The human quality to self exceed and motivate others to self exceed in the face of handicap brings joy and a sense of self fulfillment to both.

The aim of legislation is to check the human frailty to selfish activity and wrongs. Leaving certain things to doctors or courts or human beings is fine but when it comes to those  elements of life which has to do with human life and dignity than there has to be the submission to an objective universal law;  respect human life and do not tamper with it.   Certain laws cannot be left for human interpretation; do not kill. No human being has the right to kill except for self defense. Yet one must remember that even the right to self defense flows from inordinate self love.  For the Church human life is sacred right from the moment of conception.

The spectacle of life is made beautiful when the strong becomes the protector of the weak. Who does not marvel and appreciates this rule of life. It gives one a special joy whether in movies or in sports arena to see the weak triumph over the strong and still more if the weak triumphs over the wicked strong.  Life is a constant action where the strong seeks to promote life by education and training especially on survival and sustenance; let’s grow and let others grow. The secret of growth is this: especially when human beings fail to see growth there could be growth in life.

2) Economic factors: The expensiveness of medicines especially for the poor is mentioned as reason for demanding euthanasia. The problem arises when the ones capable of affording considers it as unaffordable. Is the value of money more important than life? Here the argumentative factor is this:  whether a given medical means should be omitted?  The focus should be on whether the treatment is futile or burdensome and never should it be a question of deciding whether the person's life is burdensome or futile. No material value can be attached to human life.

3) Freedom from Suffering and pain: An athlete or even a student is well appreciated when they overcome the obstacles of life through great struggle and pain in order to achieve. The ones who have risen above the pains of life to face it have inspired others not to give up easily in the face of life.

For a Christian this inspiration first of all comes from the life of Christ. The ‘innocent one’ who suffered great hardship and pain; there was never a human being in the history of the human race who underwent such great agony. He has taught us the true value and meaning of suffering. With Faith in Him, suffering gains a new meaning and value because there is hope in Him. Suffering then becomes purification; forms character and make us more human and compassionate.  Yet this is not the end of our teaching on the value of suffering because this hope is also based on the eternity of our calling. Therefore suffering has a salvific value both for us and for others. In other words we can offer our sufferings which may many a time be on account of our own misdeeds and sinfulness but now united to Christ’s suffering is sanctified and acceptable to God for the salvation of others and for our own selves.

On the other hand it may so happen that those who support the cause of Euthanasia, there can be no guaranteeing that they would not face the trauma and pain of guilt for having assisted in the death of one’s beloved . And those who refuse to acknowledge such sickness communicate a hardened heart, a conscience which refuses to see the value of human life as a gift of God; what you have not created or given you have no right to take it away.

It is not the patient who may be in much pain whereby one would demand euthanasia but the ones who demand. Their arguments may seem cogent but the pain is more in them than in the suffering patient. I consider it a psychological disorder in which a person has not learnt to handle his own traumatic past and begins to empathize with the sufferer in such a way that the empathizer is in greater agony and pain than the sufferer.

4) Another reason given to legalize euthanasia is that if doctors have the liberty to create life, why not of ending it. Nowadays doctors have the ability and are allowed to bring forth human life artificially in labs. Who gave them that right? The government did. Therefore, doctors should also be allowed to end life, especially when the person desires it. This is a poor argument: the Doctors as being the ones who bring forth life. These may even cite new research and test tube babies as example.  The Church has always condemned the tampering of human life.  Just as in life one lie leads to another and then a greater lie to cover up so also the practice of justification of one kind of evil leads to another. For example; In Holland where Euthanasia is legalized it began with the legalization of voluntary euthanasia after some years lead to the legalization of even involuntary form of euthanasia.

5) A better quality of life. “There is no life after death and hence no better quality of life except in life”. Yet the truth is that life is nobler in sacrificial giving. Our pride our arrogance makes us believes that we are the ones giving. Very rarely does one talk about the beauty of receiving from the ones who cannot give. The ones who cannot give are the ones who give too. Their giving which is without giving. It is like the giving of the Sun which does not give us Vitamin D but yet gives because in us there is an ability to convert the rays of the sun into Vitamin D. Similarly the giving of the comatose and the so called useless and the suffering. If only we could recognize the giving of these less fortunate brothers and sisters of ours by listening to the testimonies of those in willing service. They may not be able to express the subtle nature of such influence.   Jean Vanier in his book “Community and Growth” has this to say; “I am struck by how sharing our weakness and difficulties is more nourishing to others than sharing our qualities and successes." It is this visible weakness which silently works among humanity and animates its many action as if God working through and shining though our human weakness. For a Christian this is all the more a reality. I presume that besides the mandate of Christ this is the key reason for the ongoing joy and service to the rejects and unwanted of society.

The court in India has adopted what is known as passive euthanasia. The treading into an area where human life cannot be snuffed out by any human individual or institution is dangerous. There could be a situation where the human being is totally brain dead but may be kept alive on totally artificial means and this could be criminal. But in case of persons where life can still survive even after removing artificial means then one has to discern the means to adopt on the basis of various parameters.  The New Catholic Encyclopedia provides us with a parameter based on the four conditions of the principle of double effect:

1. The act itself must be morally good or at least indifferent.
2. The agent may not positively will the bad effect but may permit it. If he could attain the good effect without the bad effect he should do so. The bad effect is sometimes said to be indirectly voluntary.
3. The good effect must flow from the action at least as immediately (in the order of causality, though not necessarily in the order of time) as the bad effect. In other words the good effect must be produced directly by the action, not by the bad effect. Otherwise the agent would be using a bad means to a good end, which is never allowed.
4. The good effect must be sufficiently desirable to compensate for the allowing of the bad effect“ (p. 1021).

The ordinary means is always valid but the problem arises when extraordinary means are used to keep a person alive. For example; when a person who has a heart problem has to travel regularly to the USA for treatment, that would mean ‘extraordinary means’, when the same could be achieved here in India-ordinary means.  The principle has its limitation and one of the great dangers would be to go by the principles, even to the extent of being pharisaical in our approach to the problem. The danger of confusion post action, doubting our intentions and attitudes when dealing with the problem may surface. Instead our predicament should lead us to depend on the living God who speaks to us and guides us. All principles and laws without a sound ongoing relationship with the living God can lead to pharisaical futility and may even harm the order of things.

Finally, For Pope John Paul II, so flagrantly inhuman and unjust is euthanasia, so detrimental to the common good, that its legalization can never be morally justified, even by appeal to majority will within a democratic system (Ev. 68-71). And a law authorizing euthanasia or abortion, he says, is completely lacking in binding moral force and must be resisted (Ev. 72, 73).

Prayer:- Holy Spirit, creator of all life. We cry out to you as a people, who have sinned by being unconcerned and at times even supportive of programs to end life.

As we repent , pour into us, as a nation, a new revelation, to honor this gift and support life , until you ordained to take it away. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen