Oregon: archbishop argues against young woman's suicide plan
October 28, 2014
Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, has argued against the plan of a young woman to end her own life because of a diagnosis of brain cancer.
Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old cancer victim, has announced that she is moving to Oregon—where physician-assisted suicided is legal—so that she can die on her own terms. Archbishop Sample argued, in a public statement, that her plan is misguided.
"Assisted suicide offers the illusion that we can control death by putting it on our own terms,” the archbishop said. “It suggests that there is freedom in being able to choose death, but it fails to recognize the contradiction. Killing oneself eliminates the freedom enjoyed in earthly life."
The archbishop went on to say that the acceptance of suicide implies a belief that suffering and death are pointless. He said that people often come to understand the true meaning of life as they face a final illness.
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Posted by: lak321 -
Oct. 28, 2014 9:59 PM ET USA
The right to die will soon be an obligation to die, to not be a burden. God help us.
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Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Oct. 28, 2014 9:58 PM ET USA
As ordinary of the jurisdiction involved, Bp Sample sees it as his obligation to counter the culture of death when it involves his diocese. Bravo.
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Posted by: unum -
Oct. 28, 2014 6:46 PM ET USA
Archbishop Sample shows a lot of hubris and little empathy in his statement about a young woman facing death. He is no Pope Francis! The general subject of "Death with Dignity" vs. Church teaching deserves public debate. But, the impending death of an individual deserves compassion, not condemnation. As a former hospice worker and volunteer, I know Catholic chaplains have offered support that eventually results in the patient's natural death instead of resorting to assisted suicide.
