Concealed euthanasia, the law of a dignified death

Concealed Euthanasia, the Law of a Dignified Death
In recent days, the Permanent Commission of the Episcopal Conference condemned the open doors to euthanasia that the Spanish Government is drafting out for a to-be-approved legislative bill.
There are hidden loopholes in between the lines of the text: the door is open to certain voluntary omissions that could lead to death or that are turned to in order to accelerate death’s process. Moreover, some euthanasia practices will be legalized, e.g. inappropriate sedatives, therapeutic abandon, or omission of palliative care.
This shameful legislative bill of the Dignified Death Law does not recognize the conscientious objections that the professional health workers may come to have. Even the philosophical foundation is denounced, which seems to implicitly sustain that a human life may come to lack legally protected dignity in the moment in which the interested party, just as well as a third party, autonomously orders it.
The bishops insist that each human life is sacred, and that laws should guarantee its protection. They will also present a new framework for a vital testament, an updated version of one that was presented some years ago. Furthermore, they affirm that this law should not be obeyed, and that through all democratic means possible it should be abolished, modified or rejected. Laws that tolerate and regulate the violation of the right to life are unjust. These laws question the enjoyed legitimacy of the public officials who vote for their approval.
The Evangelium Vitae Encyclical asserts that euthanasia is a grave violation of God’s Law, since it is a morally unacceptable practice and deliberately annihilates a human life.
Some believe that euthanasia is a human right. Thought more false than reality itself! The right to life is the one that exists! Instead, the rights to kill and to die do not and should not. The so called “death culture” is a flaw of civilized society. In ours, there is only room for a “life culture”.
In conclusion, I can confidently assert that euthanasia is a personal defeat for those who theorize it, decide it, and practice it. (Translated by Gianna A. Sanchez-Moretti)
Author and journalist Clemente Ferrer has led a distinguished career in Spain in the fields of publicity and press relations. He is currently President of the European Institute of Marketing.
clementeferrer3@gmail.com