Letters

Debating euthanasia with facts

Rebecca Soares

Contents - May 2007 - Buy a copy now Editorial: AD2000: accentuating the positive - Michael Gilchrist Documents: Benedict XVI's new document on the Eucharist - Sacramentum Caritatis - Michael Gilchrist Education: How to fix Australia's Catholic schools and colleges - Br Barry Coldrey News: The Church Around the World Catechesis: Sydney RCIA conference in June on forming new adult Catholics - Joanne Zwaans Cinema: New movie offers an authentic representation of monastic life - Rosina Gordon (reviewer) Vocations: New religious communities flourishing in the United States - Fr James Lloyd Culture survey shows moral divisions in the US The importance of 'holy things' for one's Christian faith - Andrew Kania Letters: Teachers' conference - Ron Munro Letters: Marital fidelity - Br Con Moloney Letters: Conscience - Msgr F. Hickey PE Letters: Priest shortage - Dr Frank Mobbs Letters: Ecumenical councils - Peter D. Howard Letters: Debating euthanasia with facts - Rebecca Soares Letters: Scourge of euthanasia - Brian Harris Letters: Thank you from India - Fr. A. Joseph Letters: Capital Punishment - with Apology - John Gallagher Books: The Catholic Church and the Counter-Faith, by Philip Trower - John Morrissey (reviewer) Books: The Heresy Of Formlessness: The Roman Liturgy and Its Enemy, by Martin Mosebach - Tim Cannon (reviewer) Books: Liturgy, Life of the Church; The Modern Rite; Pope and Council on Sacred Liturgy - Michael Daniel (reviewer) DOES YOUR PARISH STOCK AD2000? Books: AD2000 Books Reflection: Teaching children about the Eucharist - Audrey English

I want a real debate on euthanasia. Let us debate, just so long as the following facts are not ignored.

* Legalised euthanasia creates a dangerous imbalance in the doctor-patient relationship where the doctor can end the life of a patient.

* Patients can be misdiagnosed, mistakenly denied rightful treatment, and even subjected to unethical practice or wrong treatments at the hands of medical professionals.

* In a culture where euthanasia is legal, patients have the unnecessary and unhealthy psychological burden of having to consider whether they should go on living.

* Legalised euthanasia says in effect to society that suicide is all right if you are in pain, yet this is the exact opposite message to that which governments, educators, therapists and youth workers are trying to reinforce in society.

REBECCA SOARES,
Year 10, Our Lady of Mercy
Heidelberg, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 20 No 4 (May 2007), p. 15