Ethics & Medics

Acceptance of Physician-Assisted Suicide has been on the rise, especially in recent years. However, it is the position of the Catholic church that this practice denies the inherent dignity of all human beings from the point of conception to natural death. The Art of Dying, a classic Catholic text recently translated into English, provides a more compassionate, faithful, and dignified approach to end-of-life care that recognizes the rights of the dying, as well as their loved ones, while remaining faithful to the teachings of the Church.

The ethical teachings of the Catholic church are often difficult to accept and understand, particularly for those with limited education in Catholic theology. Further, especially for in school or parochial situations, there is often little time to explain these positions deeply. In this essay, Cara Buskmiller, MD, proposes a simple way of quickly explaining different teachings using the concept of adding to or subtracting from the beauty of God’s plans for us.