Maltese Bishops Condemn Voluntary Assisted Euthanasia

(Countries are falling like dominoes in the face of the culture of death. First, it was abortion – now it’s euthanasia, death-by-doctor. First legalized in the Netherlands, now it’s rampant, and it’s come for the small Catholic nation of Malta. They withstood the Muslims – may they withstand this specious form of murder. Ad vitam!)

On Saturday, 31st May, the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth, the Bishops of Malta issued a pastoral letter regarding the present public consultation about the so-called Voluntary Assisted Euthanasia. As the Pastoral letter itself put it, it is being proposed that patients will be legally permitted to end their own lives with the assistance of medical professionals, either in hospital or at home, if they meet the following conditions: they are over 18, suffering from a terminal illness, and they have been told by doctors they have less than six months to live.

In the face of such a challenging issue which goes against God’s commandment and the natural law itself, “Thou shall not kill,” the Church felt duty bound to enlighten the conscience of Catholics, Christians and people of good will concerning this delicate issue. What is interesting is that this pastoral letter of our bishops is giving us hints that will help us weigh the government’s White Paper and then giving our singular contribution in the public consultation underway.

 Let us never forget this foundational principle: every human life is precious. As a matter of fact, the Bishops boldly affirm that no one should feel worthless. What this means is that someone considering ending his or her life should not receive from the State the assistance to commit suicide, but rather, they should receive the support to live with dignity, surrounded by love and care. God’s commandment “You shall not kill”, a principle engraved in our hearts and at the core of our society, always continues to guide us in life. Therefore, the Bishops encourage the flock and people of good will: We must never be complicit in killing. They strengthen their argument on the fact that many doctors recognise their responsibility to remain faithful to the oath they took to save life and not to help end it.

The second insight the pastoral letter gives is that of always going towards the best possible care. What the Church is proposing is to strengthen, through all the investment necessary, palliative care for all who need it — and we emphasise for all — so that we can offer the best possible care until the final moments of life. In practice, this does not merely mean to say no to providing opportunities for assisted suicide but also to say yes with facts for holistic care that greatly reduces suffering. It is not just medical care to relieve pain, but also psychological, social and spiritual support. It is a genuine form of compassion.

The Maltese Bishops quote Pope Francis who spoke on palliative care: Palliative care, while seeking to alleviate the burden of pain as much as possible, is above all a concrete sign of closeness and solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering. At the same time, this kind of care can help patients and their loved ones to accept the vulnerability, frailty and finitude that mark human life in this world. Within this context, the Bishops greatly encourage an investment to use medicine to ease the suffering of those in critical condition, and to administer this not with the intention of causing death, but to relieve pain, even if, as a consequence, life may be shortened. We believe a patient also has the right to refuse extraordinary medical treatment and to decline disproportionate treatment that causes unbearable suffering and offers no hope. That right is unfettered.

The Bishops made their own the strong affirmation, with Francis, that euthanasia is a “a failure of love, a reflection of a ‘throwaway culture’” in which “persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected” (encyclical Fratelli Tutti, 18). Hence, euthanasia can never be compassion. This is so since real compassion means ‘to suffer with’, does not involve ending a life intentionally, but rather the willingness to share in the suffering of those who are facing the final stages of their journey on this earth. Let us show closeness, support and compassion through our empathy, closeness, great care, support and the necessary palliative care. Let us not accompany those who are suffering with love, not abandon them, and give them all the help they need in the difficult and trying circumstances in which they find themselves.

Let us pray that this pastoral letter helps foster a culture of life and never of death in Malta as well as throughout the whole world.