Fr. Shenan J. Boquet: Making Death Easier Than Life in Canada

Our vulnerability forms the basis for an ethics of care, especially in the medical field, which is expressed in concern, dedication, shared participation and responsibility towards the women and men entrusted to us for material and spiritual assistance in their hour of need. ― Samaritanus bonus, §1

In July of 2020, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued a document strongly reiterating the Church’s teaching condemning assisted suicide and euthanasia. Entitled Samaritanus bonus, the letter called for a humane and principled approach to addressing suffering and sickness, based upon the example of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:30-37).

In the letter, the CDF strongly warned of the grave problems that occur when states legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia. “The ethical and legal boundaries that protect the self-determination of the sick person are transgressed by such legislation,” they wrote, “and, to a worrying degree, the value of human life during times of illness, the meaning of suffering, and the significance of the interval preceding death are eclipsed.” ….

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