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Facing Death with Love and Dignity

by Pia de Solenni 

“Love is stronger than death.”

For Christians, this fundamental tenet helps to explain how God, having become man, loved us even unto death, in order to bring us to new life. Other religions and belief systems reflect similar values. Most people don’t stop loving someone when that person has died. Most cultures reflect aspects of this in their own traditions and rituals for taking care of and remembering the dead. But this idea that love is stronger than death falls short when we fail to provide for the sick and see death as an escape from life.

Last week, the U.S. Bishops approved a statement on euthanasia, or doctor-assisted suicide, which reflects not only specifically Catholic teachings, but also values and beliefs shared by many who are not Catholic.

When we hear that someone has committed suicide, most of us respond with sentiments that communicate the tragedy of that decision. Even if the person’s life was incredibly difficult, one from which suicide might be said to be an escape, we still respond almost instinctively: it shouldn’t have happened; the person should have been helped to avoid such a tragic resolution.

However, when it comes to euthanasia, the lines are often blurred, especially since the practice enjoys legal protection in three U.S. states (Oregon, Washington and Montana) and has been embraced by some entire countries. But euthanasia is simply a different word for a particular type of suicide; in this case the self-inflicted death of someone who is seriously ill.

The bishops’ statement, “To Live Each Day With Dignity,” provides a much-needed synthesis of the Catholic Church’s teaching on euthanasia as well as material for reflection and discussion. The Church’s teachings have long been lampooned as a series of “no’s.” In reality, these teachings are more of a “yes,” generally to something bigger than the matter at hand.

In the case of euthanasia, it might be easy to be fooled with an immediate and narrow situation. But reality lies in the facts. Even in the most tragic circumstances, we are fortunate to have the means to provide palliative care that reduces the patient’s suffering. In some cases, the patient might be suffering serious depression which can make it seem as if life is no longer worth living. At this point, the patient deserves appropriate treatment for the depression, not a cocktail of drugs to end it all.

Ending it all is a quick way out. Not just for the patient but for society as a whole. It means that we stop doing anything to help and we simply give up. As the statement notes, in some places where euthanasia has been legalized, medical professionals now help to euthanize patients who are not even terminally ill.

Additionally, the document refers to studies which suggest that the legalization of euthanasia results in lower quality care. There’s no longer a “need” for spending resources on treating pain and providing hospice care because euthanasia provides a more cost effective and less labor intensive way to deal with a patient.

As the costs of healthcare rise, we will be forced to look more deeply at the question of euthanasia. But in this conversation, we also should be talking about how such a practice reflects on society as a whole. When some of the most privileged countries in the history of the world no longer take the time to address the needs of those who are dying and seriously ill, we have reached the depths of selfishness.

Obviously, each one of us has to die at some point. All the medicine and treatment in the world can’t keep death away. But there’s a difference between causing death to happen and allowing death to take its course.

Being close to someone who is dying isn’t always easy. It’s difficult to watch someone, especially a loved one, suffer. But euthanasia doesn’t really diminish the difficulty of facing this suffering and imminent loss. In many ways, it eliminates the natural process of death during which we are able to prepare, whether for our own death or that of someone close to us.

I have known several people as they went through the process of death. Every time, I’ve seen that the time spent in the dying process is absolutely necessary. It’s time that’s needed to work things out and to prepare. It’s time that gives people the gift of peace. If we want to rush patients through this period or not even allow them to have it, we have failed in our ability to love. Love means standing by someone even in a difficult time. It means wanting their good above our own convenience. When you strip away whatever story is used to justify euthanasia, you’re left with the reality: a lack of love.

Pia de Solenni is a moral theologian. She writes, consults, and travels for speaking engagements from Seattle, Washington.

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(The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Headline Bistro or the Knights of Columbus.)