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Canadian Bishop “deeply worried” about Euthanasia Bill

Tells Canadians, “Contact your MP and make it clear you are opposed to euthanasia”

LONDON, Ontario, October 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An Ontario bishop has issued a pastoral letter warning that he is “deeply worried” about impending legislation to legalize euthanasia for Canada.

Describing euthanasia as “murder,” London Bishop Ronald Fabbro wrote, “Let me be clear: whether it is called euthanasia, or mercy-killing, or doctor-assisted suicide, the reality is that this Bill proposes to make murder legal in our country.”

Bishop Fabbro addresses the real issues that underlie euthanasia: “What we need is universal palliative and hospice care for the dying, more research and training in the field of pain control, better-funded home-care so that loved ones can be looked after in a comfortable environment as they face their final days.”

Clarifying the misconception that the so-called right to die is somehow a basic human right, Bishop Fabbro emphasized, “The concept of rights is now being used to justify all sorts of legislation which does harm to the social and moral fabric of our nation. We are forgetting that along with rights, there are duties,” he added. “In this case, we have a duty as a nation to care for the most vulnerable so that they do not come to believe that they are burdens to society or to their loved ones.”

Bishop Fabbro explained that Catholics are opposed to euthanasia because “it denies the sacredness of the human person and the dignity of each one of us. Our commitment lies in true compassion, which Pope John Paul II explained consists in suffering with and sustaining those in difficulty. Did not John Paul himself teach us how to die with dignity?”

The bishop concludes his letter by calling on the faithful to oppose the proposed Bill. “Inform yourself about its progress in the legislature,” he added. “Contact your MP and make it clear you are opposed to euthanasia. Pray that this Bill will be quickly defeated.”

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, explained that Bishop Fabbro’s letter is an important step in educating and activating people to oppose Bill C-407.

“We need a strong reaction against the legalization of euthanasia in order to defeat Bill C-407,” Schadenberg said. “Bill C-407 is a direct threat to people with disabilities and the chronically ill who may be subtly pressured into euthanasia.”

“Bill C-407 also allows anyone to euthanasize another person so long as they are assisted by a medical practitioner,” he added. “Hopefully Bishop Fabbro is leading the way, with all religious leaders in Canada following his lead.”

Canadians Find your Member of Parliament:
http://www.lifesite.net/getinvolved/politics/canada/findyourmp.html

Read Bishop Fabbro’s letter:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005_docs/bishopfabbroletter.pdf

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