L’Osservatore Romano gives the green light to some “camouflaged euthanasia” legislation in France.
Pastor’s Corner for Sunday, May 10
“A balanced response" (L’Osservatore Romano, March 19, quoting the French Prime Minister); “The End of Life, French-Style… Camouflaged Euthanasia” (Avvenire). These and many others are the news titles being given to this proposition of law passed in the Lower Chamber of Deputies in France only weeks ago.
It came as no surprise since this was one of the promises of Socialist President Hollande. Despite the grass root rejection of such revision, the President decided to go ahead with changing the law in vigor (2005) which penalized active euthanasia and opposed therapeutic tenacity, in the name of a “culture of palliative care”. Denys Pellerin, former President of Medicine said:
The National Academy of Medicine has always been extremely vigilant on bioethical questions and professional deontology (ethics)… I share the fears of those who are talking about camouflaged euthanasia."
Daniele Zappala of Avvenire emphasized the opposition:
More than ever, we are surprised by the profound hiatus between the clear approbation of the Chamber and a large chorus of voices from society who for some time have shown skepticism or who are totally opposed to the law in question, including the French Episcopal Conference, as well as Jewish and Islamic representatives.”
Cecile Edel of Choosing Life wrote:
A wind of death has blown in the past few days in the National Assembly... On Tuesday, the Claeys-Leonetti bill was adopted, creating thus the right to a 'deep and continuous sedation up unto death', that is, a right to an euthanasia that dares not say its name.”
This becomes serious especially as feeding and hydration are considered as medical “treatment”, removed by the will of the medical establishment.
All serious Catholic organizations in France are adamantly opposed to a bill that opens the gates for euthanasia—even worse, for a euthanasia that dares not say its name. Their only move would be to request to a kind of hidden euthanasia on purpose with the use of sedatives (which the current text approved by the lower National Assembly allows) be removed.
The worse however is that the L'Osservatore Romano agrees with the text.
The French legislators looked at reality with lucidity and courage and, after careful reflection, drew up a text that doesn't distort the spirit of one of the most developed laws on the end of life argument."
Now the law "must be known and applied. Polemics are of little use regarding all this."
But now, we are really confused. How is it possible that the pope's own newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, supports it in the name of "avoiding controversy"? And how will any counter-reaction be operative if the message coming from Rome is to stop all disputes and give up their weaponry?
