The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
"DYING A SACRED MOMENT" Fr. D. Bourbonnais, omi, St. Ann's Roman Catholic Parish The Catholic Church believes that the moment of death is a sacred moment. It must not be prolonged nor must it be expedited. We must not try to prolong life at all cost nor reject all human suffering as without value. Our present Canadian government will in the near future try to push through a bill that will legalize assisted suicide. This is not good government. It will not help the terminally ill nor the frail and weak aged citizens. The Church rejects any act of euthanasia which intentionally brings about a patient's death to end his or her suffering. Death is not an evil that should be feared. However, unnecessarily prolonging death, clinging at all cost to this life, can be an attempt to reject what our faith boldly proclaims: "Death has no power over Christ", also the inability to accept that suffering is redemptive, or the inclination to immediately end the pain of those who are suffering, reveals that we have not yet accepted the way for us to live the fullness of our humanity. In making end-of-life decisions - decisions that are always moral, as well as scientific - patients or their chosen legal surrogates must consult with "those who practise the medical arts." We must not enact laws that would intentionally or unintentionally allow for the direct termination of a human life. Despite advances in medical technology, the precise time of death can be difficult to ascertain. Both ethical and medical criteria should be applied, often in dialogue with those with special training. Patients or proper surrogates should make any decision, fully informed of the teaching of the Church.
