Massachusetts
Catholics in Massachusetts, New York urged to oppose assisted suicide bills
The bill also could become a “slippery slope,” MCFL said, adding that “it invites a broader acceptance of euthanasia, eroding moral and legal boundaries.”
MCFL said the bill has “inadequate safeguards” that could lead to abuse and added that the legislation could impact “vulnerable populations” such as the disabled and those with limited health care access.
“The bill clashes with cultural, religious, and philosophical beliefs against intentionally ending human life,” the email said.
The legislation was the subject of a bicameral legislative hearing in October 2023 but never reached the floor for a vote.
The bishops of Massachusetts, who have opposed the bill since it was first introduced in 2021, again raised their voices against the legislation ahead of the hearing last year.
“When it’s a topic of discussion amongst legislators, the Church needs to make loud and clear that our voice is heard on the issue,” Massachusetts Catholic Conference President Jim Driscoll told the Boston Pilot at the time.
“The bishops are always going to be on the side of life, including in the precious times that life is ending,” he added.
A statement put out by the conference called the bills “deeply troubling” and added that “the Catholic bishops of Massachusetts stand united in our strong opposition to physician assisted suicide.”
“It is an affront to life and a dangerous precedent for determining end-of-life issues. Physicians are trained to care for the ill, not to hasten death,” the statement said.
At the annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, archbishop of Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley said: “A society that allows parents to kill their children will eventually allow children to kill their parents,” according to OSV News.
“The situation in Canada is alarming. There are proposals to promote euthanasia for the mentally ill. Once human life is no longer sacred and the government can continuously move the goalposts, more and more people are in danger,” he said.
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