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Activists from all eight dioceses in New York State gathered Nov. 7 at St. Pius X parish in Loudonville to learn how to stop assisted suicide from becoming legal in the state.

Legislation to legalize physician-assisted suicide has been already introduced in New York: Senate bill 3685, the End-of-Life Options Act, is in the Senate Health Committee. It would add a section of the Public Health Law to allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medication for the purpose of ending a patient's life. The bill is modeled after similar legislation in Oregon.

"Help Stop Assisted Suicide: A Training Conference for Catholics" featured talks on morality, spirituality, law and compassion. The session was sponsored by the New York State Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state's bishops.

The day opened with a welcome by Kathleen Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the Catholic Conference, and a blessing by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger.

"Unfortunately, we live in a world that is not focusing on the past or the future," said Bishop Scharfenberger, speaking about the damage and irresponsibility of that mindset.

God forgive us
"That image of a human being as the individual is very isolating," the Bishop continued, noting that a life with God is never a lonely one. He asked "for forgiveness for the lack of trust and confidence" that we have in God.

Dr. John O'Brien, president of Syracuse guild of the Catholic Medical Association, talked about assisted suicide from a doctor's perspective. Death is a part of life, he said, but physicians must "kill the pain, not the patient."

Many insurance companies, the doctor noted, do not cover proper treatment for terminal illnesses -- but do cover the means for physician-assisted suicide. This can make life seem like an almost impossible option. Administering assisted suicide, Dr. O'Brien said, would undermine the trust and respect doctors must have from all their patients.

"I help my patients to die a dignified death through natural causes," the doctor stated. If he were forced to administer assisted-suicide drugs, he said, his credibility would be lost even in situations where he could help patients survive.

Palliative, not punitive
Dr. O'Brien also noted that legalization of physician-assisted suicide leads to higher suicide rates overall. By making suicide a social norm, he said, it makes that option more appealing to people who are suffering depression or mental illness. This has been seen in Washington state, where suicide rates are 10 percent higher than the national average. Physician-assisted suicide has been legal in Washington since 2005.

Sister M. Peter Lillian, a Carmelite Sister for the Aged and Infirm from Germantown, is director of the Avila Institute of Gerontology, which teaches people about palliative care and end-of-life issues.

She said the only way to combat physician-assisted suicide is by understanding the meaning of palliative care: "Palliative care seeks to provide relief from the five domains of pain [physical, spiritual, emotional, mental and familial] that all persons experience when faced with a debilitating diagnosis. Palliative care allows each person to receive the appropriate treatment that brings him or her comfort and the best possible care. Palliative care is not the same as hospice care or end-of-life care, which is reserved for those who are imminently dying."

The sister said society's "respect for life is being attacked in many ways," and compassion and dignity must be emphasized to stop physician-assisted suicide from being seen as a choice.

JJ's story
The guest of honor at the conference was James "JJ" Hanson, who is in remission after battling stage four glioblastoma multiform, one of the most deadly forms of brain cancer. This is the same form of cancer that Brittany Maynard had. Mrs. Maynard became a national advocate for physician-assisted suicide and took her own life in 2014 using prescribed, legal drugs under Oregon's assisted-suicide law.

Mr. Hanson, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who leans heavily on his faith, stated that he could relate to Mrs. Maynard in many ways. Before his diagnosis, he said, he was living the "American dream" with his wife and young son.

"Every single day is a gift and you can't let that go," he told conference participants, chronicling his journey through the disease. After being told he had four to 12 months to live, he underwent brain surgery in 2014, but "continued to fight.

"It was difficult," he admitted. "I can tell you with 100-percent certainty [that] I considered finding an easier path."

Mr. Hanson highlighted the fact that physician-assisted suicide and "dying with dignity" is the same practice that Dr. Jack Kevorkian established in the late 20th century; "it's just been rebranded. This bill has failed over 120 times in the United States. It didn't start to pass until rebranding happened and Brittany Maynard came around with a beautiful story."

Conference attendee Christine Marro of St. Augustine parish in Troy told The Evangelist that her mother and brother-in-law both died of glioblastoma, so Mr. Hanson's story hit close to home.

Mrs. Marro said she had never thought of "the marketing part of it. That never occurred to me. It's very enlightening."

Mrs. Gallagher noted after the training session that she was pleased with the turnout; attendees included lawyers, doctors, nurses and medical students, among others. "This is a very knowledgeable audience," Mrs. Gallagher stated.[[In-content Ad]]

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