Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

4 Non-Religious Reasons Why Euthanasia is Wrong

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / June 19, 2023 /
man despair sad black and white

You are a member of the first generation of doctors in the history of medicine to turn their backs on the oath of Hippocrates and kill millions of old useless people, unborn children, born malformed children, for the good of mankind ― and to do so without a single murmur from the august New England…

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The Fractured History of the Hemlock Society

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / April 21, 2023 /
hemlock poisonous flower

A judicial determination should be made when it is necessary to hasten the death of an individual, whether it be a demented parent, a suffering, severely disabled spouse or a child. ~ Former Hemlock Society Executive Director Faye Girsh.1   British journalist Derek Humphry had a bit of a problem on his hands in early…

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6 Types of Euthanasia: Is It Ever Justified?

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / April 15, 2023 /
active euthanasia cutting off medication

The term “euthanasia” means any action committed or omitted for the purpose of causing or hastening the death of a human being after birth. It is usually done for the alleged purpose of ending the person’s suffering.  The word is derived from two Greek words: “Eu,” meaning “easy,” and “thanos,” which means “death.” The Vatican’s Declaration…

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Catholic Bioethics and the Moral Treatment of Human Beings

By Susan Ciancio / June 25, 2021 /
young nurse caring for an elderly man

Respect, compassion, care, kindness, empathy, and love. These actions come about when people recognize the inherent dignity in every person. And nowhere is it more important to understand people’s inherent dignity than in a capacity where someone has to take care of another or provide for his well-being. This occurs most often in the medical…

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25 Bible Verses and the Problem of Euthanasia

By Susan Ciancio / June 18, 2021 /
The Holy Bible

In nine states and in Washington, DC, it is legal to decide the day of your own death should you feel that your suffering is too much to bear. Though this is defined as euthanasia—according to Merriam-Webster, “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals…in a relatively…

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The Hippocratic Oath: A Pledge to Respect Life

By Sofia Infante / April 21, 2021 /
happy elderly lady in a plaid jacket

In 400 B.C. the Greek doctor Hippocratis of Cos, regarded as the father of medicine, wrote the Hippocratic Oath. This pledge of ethics outlines proper conduct and basic principles to be observed by doctors. All graduating medical students once pledged first to “do no harm”—the most well-known and fundamental promise. However, the original Oath has…

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New Euthanasia Laws Drop Illusion of “Choice”

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet / October 26, 2020 /

“Even when not motivated by a selfish refusal to be burdened with the life of someone who is suffering, euthanasia must be called a false mercy, and indeed a disturbing ‘perversion’ of mercy. True ‘compassion’ leads to sharing another’s pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear. Moreover, the act of…

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Is Nazi Euthanasia Resurfacing in the U.S.?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / July 24, 2020 /
old man black and white

The Hippocratic Oath… is an honorable historical document, which, however, does not altogether fit present times. If it is to be applied today, the wording has to be changed very extensively, and in these reformulations a series of new oaths have been drawn up which have only a vague relationship to the ancient Hippocratic Oath….…

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Church Teachings on Euthanasia

By Brian Clowes, PhD / June 2, 2020 /
health care elderly

Once any human being becomes worthless or expendable, all are reduced from an absolute to a relative value and no two human beings would be of equal worth, thus demolishing the very foundation of moral order….By devaluing life ― the life of the unborn, the elderly, the comatose patient, the handicapped ― we are, quite…

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Human Suffering Does Have a Purpose

By Brian Clowes, PhD / May 8, 2020 /
rays of light shining through tree hope

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ― 1 Peter 1:6‑7   The Mystery…

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