euthanasia Archives - Catholic Herald

euthanasia

The fiery death of self-immolation: a martyr’s moral clarity or misguided calumny?

March 25, 2024

As we enter Holy Week and commemorate the exemplary martyrdom, it seems that martyrdom in general – or a misplaced understanding of it – is reasserting itself. Last month, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old US airman, doused himself with liquid and set himself on fire outside Israel’s embassy in Washington, DC. In a livestream of the event, he

Can prayer and fasting actually make any difference when it comes to abortion?

March 21, 2024

Are we facing our own “1967 moment”? The upcoming threat of total decriminalisation of abortion alongside attempts to legalise euthanasia hovering on the horizon can appear to represent a present-day reiteration of the seismic decision to legalise abortion here in the UK back in 1967. The constant threats to life at its beginning, end and

Euthanasia deaths in Belgium reach record high

March 06, 2024

Deaths by euthanasia in Belgium have hit a record high, new government figures have revealed. The number of people dying by a lethal injection at the hands of their doctors has also nearly doubled in the space of just 10 years, according to the Federal Commission for the Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia. Statistics show that in

Death of Catholic former Dutch prime minister highlights ‘duo euthanasia’ trend in Netherlands

February 21, 2024

At the start of February both Dries van Agt, a Catholic former Dutch prime minister, and his wife chose to die together through euthanasia. Married for 70 years, both Van Agt and his wife, Eugenie, were ill and 93 years old at the time of theirs deaths that are part of a small but growing

Virginia bishops urge laity demand lawmakers ‘reject’ assisted suicide

February 09, 2024

NEW YORK – Virginia’s Catholic bishops have raised concerns that assisted suicide could soon become legal in the state after legislation promoting the practice recently advanced in both the state House and Senate, with debate in each chamber expected in the coming weeks. In a 5 Feb. message, Bishops Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Barry

Irish Church criticises ‘radical’ ethical changes and risks of new medical guide

January 24, 2024

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – A new ethics guide of the Irish Medical Council contains “numerous defects”, according to the chairperson of the Council for Life of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The most serious one is the removal of a line barring medical staff from taking part in the deliberate killing of a patient (which

As with the Sexual Revolution, we must heed ‘slippery slope’ warnings about assisted suicide

January 16, 2024

There are determined moves to make assisted suicide legal in both the UK and in Ireland. In advance of any legal decision, the Irish Medical Council has removed the ban on participating in the “deliberate killing” of patients from its medical guidelines. In the UK, the Parliamentary Health and Social Care Committee has been taking

Irish Medical Council endorses ‘fundamental shift’ in medical ethics paving way for government euthanasia push

January 10, 2024

The Irish Medical Council has updated its ethical guidelines for doctors. The standout change—and a disturbing change, especially given the supposedly ethical focus—is the removal of the very explicit direction: “You must not take part in the deliberate killing of a patient.” The amendment to the 2024 Guide to Professional Conduct & Ethics for Registered