Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.
Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2277
Illinois Legislation
State senator Linda Holmes, on Feb. 9, 2024, introduced legislation to legalize physician assisted suicide into the Illinois General Assembly as Senate Bill 3499, “End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act.”
Resources
Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia – USCCB
CCI – Stop Assisted Suicide Illinois
- Recorded CCI webinar with Fathers Harmon and Trummer of the Springfield Diocese discussing SB3499 from a Catholic perspective
- Coalition Press Conference held on March 13, 2024, voicing opposition to SB3499
Patients Rights Action Fund – Fighting to end assisted suicide laws
- PRAF Legal Analysis of SB3499
Stop Assisted Suicide – Weekly Lunch and Learn Webinar
Presented by Catholic Dioceses in Illinois and the Catholic Conference of Illinois
Every Thursday, 12:30pm to 1pm, from March 14 through May 30, 2024 (or until SB 3499 is defeated)
MEETING LINK ON MS TEAMS
To join via phone: +1 779-513-8756. Phone conference ID: 391 252 163#
Action Alerts
Sign up to receive diocesan alerts on how you can help in opposing assisted suicide and share our Catholic teachings with government officials.
Definitions
Key Terms
- Active Euthanasia: Deliberate intervention to end a patient’s life, such as administering a lethal dose of medication.
- Advance Medical Directive: A legal document through which an individual may designate a specific person to make health care decisions for them should they become incapable of making decisions, and which may declare the health care treatments they would desire should incapacitation occur. Advance medical directives vary from state to state, but can be used as a way for Catholics to ensure that end-of-life treatment decisions made on their behalf are consistent with the moral teachings of the Church.
- Assisted Suicide: The act of intentionally helping someone else end his or her own life, usually by providing them with the means or information to do so.
- Autonomy: The principle that individuals have the right to make their own decisions about their own lives, including medical treatment and end-of-life choices.
- Conscientious Objection: Conscientious objection refers to the refusal to participate in specific activities or practices based on deeply held moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. Individuals who assert conscientious objection typically do so to avoid involvement in actions they perceive as conflicting with their personal convictions.
- DNR: A “do not resuscitate” order is signed by a physician and instructs health care providers not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if a patient’s heartbeat or breathing stops. An adult patient, or their surrogate, must consent to a DNR order. For Catholics, deciding about DNR involves weighing the burdens and benefits of CPR in each specific situation, determining if it is ordinary or extraordinary treatment.
- Double effect: A moral principle that provides guidance when an action or omission will have two consequences, one of which is moral and intended, and the other is evil and not intended, even though foreseen. For example, medications intended to alleviate pain that have the foreseen but unintended consequence of hastening death may be morally permissible if the benefit is proportional.
- Euthanasia: The intentional act of causing the death of a person who is suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, with the aim of relieving their pain and suffering.
- Extraordinary (disproportionate) means: Medical treatments that do not offer a reasonable hope of benefit or entail excessive burdens, including medical, financial, personal, familial and social burdens. Extraordinary treatments are morally optional because one is not required to do everything possible to preserve one’s life, and when the burdens and consequences are out of proportion to the beneficial results anticipated, one may decline the treatment. (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care)
- Hippocratic Oath: A traditional code of ethics for physicians that includes the commitment to do no harm and preserve life.
- Informed Consent: a decision freely made in the full possession of one’s mental faculties and with adequate knowledge of all relevant medical and moral consequences. The free and informed consent of the patient or the patient’s surrogate is required for medical treatments and procedures except in emergency situations where consent cannot be obtained and there is no indication the patient would refuse consent.
- Involuntary Euthanasia: Euthanasia conducted without the explicit consent of the patient.
- Medical Aid in Dying (MAID): A euphemism for physician-assisted suicide.
- Ordinary (proportionate) means: Medical treatments which offer a reasonable hope of benefit without entailing excessive burdens on the patient or others. Ordinary treatments are morally obligatory; they are considered “proportionate” to the benefits expected. For example, the benefits of insulin for an otherwise healthy person who needs it for diabetes, and who lives in the United States where it is inexpensive and convenient to obtain, are so great compared with the burdens of daily injections, that it should, barring unforeseen unusual circumstances, be considered a moral obligation.
- Other Euphemisms for Killing People:
- Aid-in-dying
- Compassionate Option
- Medical Aid in Dying Law
- Mercy Killing
- Right-to-die
- Palliative Care: Specialized medical care focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness, with the goal of improving the quality of life for the patient and their family.
- Passive Euthanasia: Allowing a patient to die by withholding or withdrawing medical treatment or life-sustaining measures.
- Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS): A form of assisted suicide in which a physician provides the necessary means or information for a patient to self-administer a lethal dose of medication.
- Quality of Life: A subjective measure of an individual’s overall well-being, taking into consideration physical health, emotional well-being, and other factors.
- Suicide: Suicide is the intentional act of taking one’s own life, involving self-inflicted harm or death, often driven by a complex interplay of psychological, social, and environmental factors. It is a tragic and serious public health concern that requires compassionate understanding and comprehensive prevention efforts.
- Terminal Illness: A medical condition with no known cure that is expected to result in the death of the patient.
- Voluntary Euthanasia: Euthanasia performed with the explicit and voluntary consent of the patient, who has expressed a desire to die.
Organization Names
Organizations For Legalizing Assisted Suicide:
- Compassion & Choices
- Death with Dignity
- Final Options Illinois
Organizations Against Legalizing Assisted Suicide:
- The Catholic Church:
- All six dioceses in Illinois
- Catholic Conference of Illinois, which represents the Illinois Catholic Bishops’ agenda at the state capitol
- Illinois Organizations:
- Stop Assisted Suicide Illinois, a coalition of diverse organizations in Illinois committed to preventing the legalization of assisted suicide in the state, including:
- Access Living
- Agudath Israel of America – Illinois chapter
- Catholic Conference of Illinois
- Illinois Catholic Health Association
- Progress Center for Independent Living
- Illinois Spina Bifida Association
- Stop Assisted Suicide Illinois, a coalition of diverse organizations in Illinois committed to preventing the legalization of assisted suicide in the state, including:
- National Organizations:
- Alzheimer’s Association
- American Association of People with Disabilities
- American Medical Association
- Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
- National Council on Disability
- National Council on Independent Living
- Not Dead Yet
- Patients Rights Action Fund
- Patients Rights Council
- The Arc of the United States