Our culture goes so far as to actually paint evil as pleasing to God, such as in the case of state-sanctioned, physician-assisted suicide being held up as merciful. That is the very reasoning Governor Kathy Hochul gave on December 17th, when she announced that New York will become the thirteenth state to legalize it with the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
In her op-ed in the Times Union, Hochul pointed to inspiration during a Catholic Funeral Mass where the priest spoke of the welcome home to eternal life. “I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate, and so must we be,” she wrote. Hochul has confused following God with playing God.
She reflected on her mother’s death from ALS, feeling powerless to stop the suffering. So now she’s wielding her power as governor to allow others to legally hasten death. Despite identifying as a Catholic, Hochul rejects Catholic teaching on this.
The New York State Catholic bishops, including Cardinal Timothy Dolan, stated that they are “extraordinarily troubled” by this legislation. They explained that human life is a gift from God, its value is intrinsic and does not depend on an individual’s quality of life or utility, and that suffering should be met with compassion and support, not the hastening of death.
The Church wants us to accept death but not to intentionally cause it. We are only required to seek ordinary care, not overzealous extra-ordinary care, and at the same time, the Church advocates for quality palliative and hospice care to manage pain.
The loss of life to the body and to the soul from assisted suicide is a stark contrast to the life of Servant of God Michelle Duppong, whose biography I recently wrote. Michelle lived a life of hope and value, accepting God’s plan until she died on Christmas 2015 at the age of 31. She has left us lessons for living and lessons for suffering and dying.
With inspiration from the life of Michelle, here are 10 reasons that a life with suffering is still worth living and how the reverse—assisted suicide—kills both body and soul.
- Governor Hochel said she is putting “guardrails” in place as protections for assisted suicide. God already gave us guardrails—the Ten Commandments. Hochel has no authority to override “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”
- End of life brings blessings beyond our knowing. There is often reconciliation, conversion, and time to prepare to meet God. When Michelle entered hospice care, the family doctor asked her mother, Mary Ann, if it was worth putting Michelle through all the medical procedures and pain to gain another ten months. “You have no idea of how many lives she touched that last year,” Mary Ann responded. “Not only was Michelle a great witness of her deep faith, but she also used that time to offer her suffering for others. There were over 230,000 hits on her CaringBridge site, including strangers from across the country. How do you measure the good from that?”
- Legalized physician-assisted suicide is a sin that spreads—staining physicians and everyone furthering the rejection of God’s plan.
- People who lovingly care for the dying grow in holiness. Michelle’s sister, Renae, who became her primary caregiver, shared that the year of cancer with Michelle was “so awful and also so beautiful and life changing.” The sorrow, uncertainty, and exhaustion were awful, she said, but noted that it was also so beautiful seeing Michelle no longer living for herself. “One could not accompany Michelle through this and not be touched by it themselves,” she explained.
- Humility. We humble ourselves before God when we accept impending death. It becomes a time to let go of this world including dying to our pride and ego to clear the hurdles that keep us from God.
- Rejecting God’s authority is rejecting God. “I will not serve!” was Lucifer’s defiant declaration signifying rebellion and refusal to submit to God. He had hell to pay. God has a plan for our life right up until the end.
- There are misdiagnoses, miracles, wrong predictions, and the ability to fight to extend our lives. Michelle was given 2 months to live and lasted 10. We’ve all heard of people given a terminal diagnosis who astounded everyone by being healed or living years beyond the original prediction.
- Life is a gift, not a possession. Suffering does not devalue this gift but increases its value. The chapter in the book on redemptive suffering explains that offering it up in union with the suffering of Christ gives it value and power that can be applied to our intentions and to our own holiness. Even Jesus suffering in the Garden of Gethsemanes prayed, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” It was the suffering of Christ, not His miracles, that ultimately saved us.
- Physician-assisted suicide is opposed to the physician’s role as healer and life-saver. In the Church’s view, the medical profession should focus on healing and alleviating pain, not intentionally ending life.
- It is a slippery slope. In places where it’s been legalized, the right to die often becomes the duty to die, and “guardrails” become slack, even allowing children or those with non-terminal illnesses (such as mental illness) to receive help in dying. The poor, elderly, and disabled are at risk as life is devalued, especially when the bottom line for suicide over expensive medical treatment becomes financially attractive.
The human scheduling of death endangers us all by killing the very soul of society. Comfort care and surrendering to God’s plan is the most beautiful way to prepare to meet Him. It may not always seem to be the easiest, but given Church teaching, it is not going to be easy to meet God in the next life after rejecting His authority in this one.
Author’s Note: For more on the extraordinary life and witness of Servant of God Michelle Duppong, check out Patti Armstrong’s new release, Michelle Duppong: Hope in the Depths of Suffering, available from Sophia Institute Press.
Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash
