Do You Wonder if Assisted Suicide Might Be a Good Thing?

Are you on the fence about assisted suicide? Do you think perhaps it is a considerate and sympathetic choice for those in pain? If so, you might want to rethink when you see the numbers.

Untreated pain is not among the top reasons for taking lethal drugs. Per official reports, in 2016, 90% of Oregon patients seeking lethal drugs said they were doing so because they were “less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable” and were “losing autonomy,” 49% cited being a “burden” on others. In Washington, only 35% cited a concern about pain.

Some polls indicate that the public is receptive to the general concept of assisted suicide. But the same polls show that when the public learns about its dangers, their views shift against the practice. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops cites several of these dangers, including

• Profit-driven health care that has denied life-sustaining treatment in favor of suicide drugs.
• The Risk of Abuse and Coercion
• No psychiatric evaluation required
• And the threat it poses to improvement of palliative care

For details on these and other dangers, see the page under the Respect Life Ministry on Opposing Assisted Suidice.