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“On 16-17 November 2017, medical professionals, legal authorities, experts in palliative care and medical ethics, theological scholars and philosophers from over 30 countries gathered in the Aula Vecchia del Sinodo in the Vatican for the World Medical Association European Region Meeting on End-of-Life Questions.”

The World Medical Association’s stance on euthanasia is unambiguous: “Euthanasia, that is the act of deliberately ending the life of a patient, even at the patient’s own request or at the request of close relatives, ...

Prior to legalisation of “medical aid in dying” (active euthanasia), from the comfort of an abstract theoretical detachment, 48 % of doctors in the city of Laval QC said they would be willing to intentionally cause the death of a patient. Another third diplomatically gave “conditional responses”. In other words, even among the people sufficiently politicised to respond at that time, fewer than half would be willing to perform euthanasia under the present criteria.

And that was before the ...

One of the most powerful reasons why people oppose euthanasia concerns the enormous significance of taking a human life. Doctors have historically made a solemn and specific professional commitment to respect the lives of those entrusted to them. But the Hippocratic Oath is in fact somewhat redundant, because the universal code of civilized human conduct, from the beginning of history — written and oral — is founded upon a general prohibition against killing. Whether in the religious formulation, “Thou shalt ...

“Give the Devil his due”, states a familiar proverb.

And in some ways, our adversaries do deserve to be held up in example. With a small core of dedicated activists, through good years and bad, they kept up their pro-euthanasia agitation. For half a century (until the mid forties), they openly promoted euthanasia, not only as a benefit for the sick or disabled, but also as a sort of social hygiene, cutting away the dead wood, the costly dependents, the useless ...

Healing is a miracle of nature. Just as the germination of a seed is such a miracle. But these miracles require a supportive environment in which to accomplish themselves. The seed needs soil and water, warmth and light. Healing requires protection of the fragile flame of life. Manipulation of chemical balance. Artificial delivery of food and oxygen. Replication of the function of whole organ systems.

Sometimes healing is complete; a crisis is past and no further support is required. Frequently, however, ...