032471 Official scores 'right to die' notions

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (NQ - A Catholic health official here rapped some current "right to die" ideas, saying they are "loaded" with meanings that are nonChristian.

There is a real need to develop a Christian attitude about death, said Dominican Father Kevin D. O'Rourke, director of medico-moral affairs for the U.S. Catholic Hospital Association.

Speaking to some 230 persons from I I states attending the Southeastern Catholic Health Assembly here, Father O'Rourke said the terms "right to die" and "death with dignity" are being used by those promoting euthanasia legislation in some states, who are saying that medical means should not be used to sustain life when death appears imminent.

This argument implies not only "the right to get rid" of elderly people who are ill but also the right of society to stop supporting the life of the retarded or of other persons who are judged to be "not useful to society," he said.

The proper Christian attitude toward the right to die means distinguishing between ordinary and extraordinary means of sustaining life and involving the person who is about to die in the decision of whether to remove artificial means of sustaining his life, commented the priest-theologian.

He explained that ordinary means and extraordinary means must be judged according to each case. "The best answer as to what is ordinary and what is
extraordinary is good Christian people - what do good Christian people say should be done," he said.

Another speaker on a panel discussing "Death and the Theology of Hope" told the representatives of Catholic hospitals and health facilities that there are some people today who believe the right to life of one person is greater than that of another.

Sister Hanna Klaus, a physician who teaches at St. Louis University, responded to this by saying, "everyone's life must be supported to the end of our resources." She added that placing different values on life applies not only to abortion and mercy killing but also involves the "powerful against the powerless."

Father O'Rourke added that "our (Catholic) position" on the value of life is "very critical" today because the "forces that would judge life on convenience" are gaining support in the country. "We must speak out and try to lead," he asserted.

Asked if there is any real chance euthanasia legislation would be enacted, Father O'Rourke added, "I would say, yes, unless Christians understand what's involved" and "unless we work against" such legislation.

He noted that euthanasia bills have been introduced in some state legislatures and each time they are introduced they gain more support. "We, as members of the health apostolate" must take an "active role" in combating such legislation and in educating people, he added.