RIGHT TO DIE

[HairOfTheDog]

You die naturally, not before. Or else it's murder/suicide.

I wonder what Pope Francis thinks about that. I'm actually kinda curious now that I've thought of it. He's not exactly opposed to birth control and said as much and I think he may view needless suffering in much the same way.

The Pope is very strongly opposed to euthanasia and right-to-die laws.

“How great a lie,” he wrote, “lurks behind certain phrases which so insist on the importance of ‘quality of life’ that they make people think that lives affected by grave illness are not worth living.”

I understand his point. And, I agree that people should not view those who are suffering and chronically ill as having worthless lives.

I just think it should be the choice of the terminally ill person to decide if they want to die sooner than later.

But then, I don't believe it's a sin to choose one's own check-out date rather than waiting for one's body to completely shut down.

I'd oppose forced euthanasia or anything that took away rights from the sick and dying. But, I don't oppose laws that extend their rights over their own bodies.

Anyway, Catholics and very religious folks probably wouldn't exercise the right to die on one's own terms anyway. But terminally ill people who don't believe in God, or don't believe in a God who would consider suicide a sin, should be able to die compassionately under medical care rather than being forced to O.D., or shoot themselves, or hang themselves, etc...

That's my opinion. But, I understand the 'cons' as well.