Voices of faith: What is your faith’s view of assisted suicide?

Voices of faith: What is your faith’s view of assisted suicide?

The Rev. Pat Rush, pastor, Visitation Catholic Church, Kansas City, Mo.: Murder is condemned by the Bible from the time of the fratricide of Abel by his brother Cain. Although neither suicide nor assisted suicide is specifically forbidden in the Scriptures, the Catholic Church views suicide as self-murder and holds that the same prohibition applies to taking one’s own life as to taking the life of another. God is the creator and giver of life, and our lives, therefore, are not ours to dispose of as we wish. We are stewards, not owners of the life God has entrusted to us, and we must never directly intend to cause our own death or that of another.

Although serious psychological disturbances such as extreme anxiety, depression or fear of suffering or torture can diminish the moral guilt of one committing suicide, this same usually does not hold for the person who assists in the self-murder. Therefore, we should not despair of the eternal salvation of people who take their own lives, and the church celebrates funeral liturgies for them, but we should be concerned about the salvation of the one who assists in the suicide, whether or not it is done for profit.

Suicide, assisted or otherwise, is contrary to Christ’s commandment to love both ourselves and our neighbor. It offends the love of neighbor since it unjustly and prematurely breaks the ties of solidarity with family and society.

The Rev. Duke Tufty, pastor, Unity Temple on the Plaza, Kansas City: I don’t believe the church or its clergy should dictate or even take a position on such a deeply personal matter as assisted suicide. Rabbis, ministers and priests aren’t qualified to determine when one should go on living and when one can be set free. That can be decided only by the person who possesses the life.

Personally, I believe if a person is facing psychological challenges that have left him or her in a deep state of despair and depression but are not life-threatening, assisted suicide should not be an available option. If a person is facing physical challenges that cannot be healed, has less than six months to live, and the illness is going to be a continual source of suffering, there should be a process where the person can meet with a panel of three physicians to decide if assisted suicide is the best option, taking all things into consideration.

Suicide, assisted or otherwise, is just so final. One can end one’s own life at anytime. But, once done, it can never be taken back. For every one of us, our time will come to “cross over” that thin line between life and death. If we take our own life prematurely, we leave time on the table, our time, part of our lifetime. The big question is what might take place during that time?

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