Bishops Vow to Fight Assisted Suicide as Much as Abortion

Stepping up their campaign against euthanasia, the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops have served notice that they will fight doctor-assisted suicide as intensely as they have abortion.

The declaration by Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston comes a week after a major federal appeals court decision that held that a mentally competent, terminally ill adult has a constitutional right to utilize a doctor’s assistance to hasten death.

Supporters of assisted suicide hailed the decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco as an act of compassion that allows the terminally ill to die without prolonged pain and suffering.

But Law called the decision “a harbinger of terrible consequences,” and said it should become a major issue in this year’s presidential campaign.

Not only will the nation’s bishops step up their teaching in the church against euthanasia, Law told a telephone news conference, but they will enlist political support from hospitals, doctors and other religious groups.

“Our involvement in public policy arenas both at the national and state level will undoubtedly intensify. The need is present,” said Law, chairman of the Pro-Life Activities Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

But Law was short on specifics. He said he did not know how much the church would spend on the new campaign, although $80,000 was budgeted before the court ruling. Nor did he know precisely how the public policy campaign would unfold. He did say the bishops would file a legal brief if the 9th Circuit decision is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A year ago, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles announced the formation of a nonprofit group to fight euthanasia measures on the West Coast. The organization is governed by Catholic archbishops in the states of Washington, Oregon and California.

But an official of the California Catholic Conference, headquartered in Sacramento, said this week that so far no funds have been raised to underwrite the nonprofit group’s campaign.

“We were searching for some funding. I don’t know that anything came through. Each bishop is engaged in education [against euthanasia], but it’s sort of piecemeal at this point,” said David Pollard, the California conference’s associate director for public policy.

Until now there has been no great sense of urgency to the campaign, Pollard said. Californians defeated a euthanasia ballot measure in 1992 and efforts in the state Legislature to put a euthanasia law on the books have fallen flat.

However, Law said the federal appeals court decision has thrust doctor-assisted suicide high on the agenda.

Law, when asked, left no doubt he considers the issue so important that it should become part of the presidential election debate.

“It’s a very significant issue. The 9th Circuit Court itself in its wording indicates that the far-reaching effects of this are going to make it one of the most significant decisions to come down the pike,” Law said. “So while the [court] might have said that positively, I would agree--in horror--that [they’re] right. I don’t see any way in which we can avoid full public discussion, including the political arena.”