Letter from Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Dewane to the House on Assisted Suicide (2017)

Letter from Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Bishop Frank J. Dewane, Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development to the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to oppose the practice of assisted suicide, September 27, 2017.

In a September 27, 2017 letter to members of Congress, Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Frank Dewane urge support for H. Con. Res. 80, a bipartisan resolution opposing assisted suicide and encouraging access to high-quality end-of-life care.

Their letter urges Congress to support H. Con. Res. 80 as a statement against assisted suicide. It presents assisted suicide as discriminatory, coercive, and inconsistent with compassionate healthcare, advocating instead for stronger palliative care, suicide prevention, and support for vulnerable individuals facing serious illness.

Key points

• Bipartisan opposition to assisted suicide: The bishops highlight that the resolution is supported by lawmakers across the political spectrum, as well as disability-rights advocates, because of concerns about the risks associated with assisted suicide.
• Concerns about vulnerable populations: The bishops argue that assisted suicide places particular pressure on people who are elderly, disabled, poor, socially marginalized, or lacking adequate healthcare, increasing the risk of coercion or abuse.
• Questioning voluntariness: The letter contends that legalizing assisted suicide can lead to deaths that are not fully voluntary and may affect individuals who are not terminally ill and could live longer with proper treatment.
• Disability and aging concerns: The bishops argue that assisted suicide reflects a negative bias toward people with disabilities, serious illnesses, and the elderly by treating death as preferable to providing care and support.
• Impact on palliative care: The bishops claim that assisted suicide undermines efforts to improve pain management and comprehensive care for terminally ill patients and their families.
• Role of physicians: The bishops maintain that assisting in a patient's death conflicts with medicine's healing mission and a physician's duty to care for patients. They argue that patients need treatment, pain relief, emotional support, and reassurance that they are not a burden.
• Equality and suicide prevention: The letter asserts that legalizing assisted suicide creates a double standard by treating some suicides as tragedies to be prevented while facilitating others through medical means. It argues that all people retain equal dignity and human rights regardless of illness or disability.

Cdl-Dolan-Ltr-for-Sense-of-Congress-against-Assisted-Suicide_09-27-17.pdf