Assisted suicide is false charity with alarming consequences, bishop warns

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 20, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

“Assisted suicide is a false charity” with alarming consequences that must be rejected, said Bishop David Malloy of Rockford, Illinois, in a pastoral letter in response to the possibility that the Illinois General Assembly could approve the practice.

The prelate referred to a Senate bill and a House bill that would legalize assisted suicide for people with terminal illnesses.

In his March 12 letter Malloy noted that proponents of both bills claim they will “end suffering at the end of life.”

However, he warned that “although well-intentioned, assisted suicide is a false charity that brings with it many alarming consequences that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to reject.”

The prelate encouraged the faithful not only to pray and fast to stop both bills but also to write or call their state elected officials and encourage them to vote no on the legislation. Malloy referred them to the Illinois Catholic Conference website or they could call 217-528-9200 to request information on how to contact their local elected officials.

Assisted suicide affects the most vulnerable

In his letter, Malloy reiterated that “assisted suicide is clearly not the compassionate solution for those suffering.”

He pointed out that where this practice has been legalized, “there are documented cases of insurance companies refusing to pay for the necessary care of the terminally ill while at the same time they will cover the small cost of the drugs resulting in the end of life.” 

He also noted that “every major national organization that represents people with disabilities is opposed to assisted suicide.”

Furthermore, “experience shows that it is especially the poor and those with disabilities who are particularly in jeopardy as they are the most vulnerable to such abuses,” he pointed out.

“There is no way to prevent the vulnerable from being coerced or intimidated to end their lives once this assisted suicide is legal. The American Medical Association (AMA) has summed up the case against assisted suicide well: ‘Physician assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would provide serious societal risks,’” Malloy noted.

Palliative care is right response to suffering

Malloy affirmed that “our Catholic faith strongly believes that no one should needlessly suffer or have to watch a loved one experience unnecessary pain and suffering.” 

Malloy recalled that the history of Catholic health care is filled with testimonies of “compassion for those who are suffering and for their loved ones. In this way we show our love and respect for the gift of human life and the dignity even of those who are ill or suffering.”

And, “thanks to the advancement of medical knowledge, there are now effective ways to make a person more comfortable at the end of life through palliative care,” he continued.

He explained that this specialty “utilizes physician-led teams to care for the whole person — physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually — to relieve the symptoms and the stress that often accompany serious illness and side effects of treatment.”

“Through palliative care, expanded access to mental health care, and stronger family and community support, providers and families are finding better ways to accompany these people compassionately that truly confers the love for, and dignity of, each human life,” Malloy emphasized.

In addition to Illinois, bills to legalize assisted suicide have also been introduced in Maryland and Delaware.

If passed, they would join California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia, which have already legalized the practice.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262847/assisted-suicide-is-false-charity-with-alarming-consequences-bishop-warns