Do No Harm

10-03-2021Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends,

ὄμνυμι Ἀπόλλωνα ἰητρὸν καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸν καὶ Ὑγείαν καὶ Πανάκειαν καὶ θεοὺς πάντας τε καὶπάσας, ἵστορας ποιεύμενος, ἐπιτελέα ποιήσειν κατὰ δύναμιν καὶ κρίσιν ἐμὴν ὅρκον τόνδε καὶσυγγραφὴν τήνδε:

You might say, “it’s all Greek to me” and you would be right. The above are the opening lines of the Hippocratic oath, composed over 4,000 years ago. The Oath formed the basis of Western medicine by giving medicine the principle of “Do no harm”. Sadly, the Oath is mostly incomprehensible to modern medicine particularly the foundational principle that physicians have a fiduciary responsibility to heal and not harm their patients.

The Hippocratic Oath has been the foundation that upholds the principle of the dignity of all human life from the unborn to the aged and to the suffering. It has shaped the way we care for human life no matter what stage of development or decline. But in the 20th century the Oath was being tinkered with to allow physicians the power to kill both their patients and their unborn patients. And as the Oath crumbles so does the care and respect we give to the vulnerable and the suffering.

As usual the media hyperventilate on this issue and run stories about how compassionate it is to put someone out of their suffering and how there is nothing but an upside to the issue. Those of us who oppose assisted suicide are painted as medieval torture experts.

What physician assisted suicide does is make complicit in the act of killing someone, namely medical personnel, whether physician, nurse or pharmacist who is supposed to be trusted to act for the well being of their patients. It is a dangerous line that is crossed when we give another person absolute control over the life of another. Many people will wail that there are safeguards in place such as having second opinions and waiting periods but if you study places where assisted suicide is legal these safeguards are ignored regularly and with impunity.

In the debate about physician assisted suicide lines are often blurred. There is a difference between forgoing treatment and intentionally helping a person kill themselves. Advocating against assisted suicide does not mean a patient has to continue treatment that is no longer useful. However that choice should be the patient’s or their loved one when the patient is incapacitated.

Sadly we are seeing in many hospitals in the US the implementation of Futile Care Policy whereby the hospital or physician make the decision when to stop treatment and not the patient. Take that a step further with legalized medical killing and as we are seeing in places like Belgium and the Netherlands physicians often make the choice to euthanize their patient unilaterally and often against the patient’s wishes. So much for the “my body my choice” meme.

It should be noted that assisted suicide is no longer reserved for the terminally ill but to anyone who requests it because of any level of suffering. More and more the mentally ill and disabled who cannot speak for themselves, at least not with comprehension are being euthanized without their consent. The latest bioethics theory being proposed is that since mentally ill persons did not chose their illness and suffering why would we expect them to choose assisted suicide. That should be enough reason to choose it for them.

While assisted suicide is not legal in AZ, its promoters are always trying to push it through the Legislature. Therefore, we have to be prepared to argue against it. And remember the arguments against assisted suicide can be made from ethics and reason without bringing religion into it. Otherwise you will be accused of “imposing religion” on others.

First we need to make the case that Hippocratic medicine has served us well, very well in fact for thousands of years and we should not be so arrogant to think we know better then the wisdom of the ages that somehow we can control the killing. Secondly once the line is blurred between healing and killing no doctor-patient relationship will be trustworthy. Assisted suicide undermines that fundamental relationship permanently. Finally assisted suicide represents the profound abandonment of those who are most vulnerable and deserving of our care and protection. We can give them the care and love required and certainly we have medical know-how to manage pain and provide comfort. Taking care of the sick and the dying makes us a compassionate society. Assisted suicide makes us all cold technological functionaries.

We start another Respect Life October and we should encourage our medical providers to honor the Hippocratic Oath and in doing so uphold the dignity and worth of all human life. The Beatles sang, “I get by with a little help from my friends” and the proponents of assisted suicide/euthanasia turn it on its head to “I die with a little help from my friends”. As disciples of Jesus we are the people who help our friends get by and accompany them even in the hardest, most painful times of their lives.

Love, Fr. John B.

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