Bishops urge state residents to oppose physician-assisted suicide

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

This weekend’s parish bulletins are to include an insert from the Massachusetts Catholic bishops, urging state residents to tell their legislators they oppose physician-assisted suicide.

The bishops ask this through their public policy office, the Massachusetts Catholic Conference.

The MCC bulletin insert says the Massachusetts legislature has “only six more weeks to consider legislation” that would legalize physician-assisted suicide – Senate Bill 1331, called “An act relative to end of life options.”

“Working together, we can join health care professionals, disability groups, senior citizens, the infirmed and countless individuals in saying no to assisted suicide ... and stop the legislation from moving forward this session,” the insert says.

The senate and house have identical bills, and the senate bill has advanced further than in other years, said James F. Driscoll, MCC executive director. He said Tuesday that the senate bill was in the Senate Ways and Means Committee and might go to the whole senate for a vote. If the senate passes it, it will go to a house committee.

If the senate and house do not pass a bill before the end of this legislative session July 31, a new bill could not be filed until January, when the next session begins, he said. If they do pass a bill, Gov. Maura Healey has up to 10 days after July 31 to sign or veto it.

Asked why parishes are being asked to include the insert in their bulletins this weekend, Mr. Driscoll noted that the session is close to the end. This time between the Father’s Day and July 4 holidays seemed like good time to get this information to people who want to help the bishops with this concern, he said.

The insert asks that people call or email their state senator and state representative and “voice your opposition,” since “they represent you and should know your views on this topic.”

The insert suggests considering the following before contacting legislators.
“The bill would allow a physician to provide a ... drug mixture to an individual diagnosed with less than six months to live, that, when consumed, would cause death.” But, the insert maintains, “Countless individuals have outlived that six-month diagnosis and enjoyed many more precious months and years with family and friends.”

Another concern is that someone who is disabled, depressed, or fears being a “burden” might be unduly influenced by other people, especially those who would benefit financially, to take the lethal drug mixture.

The insert says elected officials “should be dedicated to legislation providing quality health care, mental health care and palliative care to the sick and dying – particularly in the underserved, poor and minority communities that suffer the most at the time of need.”

It is “very important that the parishes make their parishioners aware of the importance of contacting their legislators on this issue,” said Allison LeDoux, director of the diocesan Respect Life Office.

She offered her office’s services however they are needed and said she can give talks explaining Church teaching about end-of-life issues to parishes and other groups.

Opponents of physician-assisted suicide were successful in keeping it from being legalized by a Massachusetts ballot initiative in 2012 because “educational [presentations] were offered and people turned out for them,” and clergy preached about the issue, she said.

Since then, bills to legalize the practice have not passed in Massachusetts, but have in some other states, she noted.

“I urge everybody to contact their state senator” and oppose this bill, said Kristine Correira, a member of Christ the King Parish in Worcester who has long fought against the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. She has a master’s degree in theology with a concentration in bioethics and a doctoral degree in physician assistant studies, works in family medicine and created an online newsletter and blog, Nature and Dignity, about physician-assisted suicide.

The bill’s safeguards are not safe “because they leave doctors to police themselves ... there’s no oversight” and there are minimal reporting requirements, she said. She said doctors prescribing lethal medication would not have to know what happens to it or to the patients. And if a doctor denied the medication to patients he judges to be depressed, those patients could simply go to another doctor.

Physician Assistant Correira also raised concerns about the bill requiring doctors who oppose physician-assisted suicide to participate in it. She said the bill does that by requiring them to document patients’ requests for lethal drugs, which is part of the process for obtaining them, and by requiring doctors who will not prescribe such drugs to have a mechanism for referring these patients to another doctor.

“If all the Catholics notified their legislators that they oppose this bill, it would not pass,” she maintained.
 
– Editor’s note: Those seeking more information or educational opportunities can contact Allison LeDoux at aledoux@worcesterdiocese.org or 508-929-4311.