Denver Catholic

2 FEBRUARY 7-13, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Vatican Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the fi rst weeks of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. Denver Catholic is printed by Signature Oœ set in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. EDITORIAL: 303-715-3215 or denvercatholic@archden.org | ADVERTISING: 303-715-3253 or denvercatholicads@archden.org CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or circulation@archden.org General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila O n Tuesday, Jan. 27, lawmakers took the fi rst step toward legaliz- ing physician-assisted suicide in Colorado when they introduced House Bill 1135. At a press conference organized by supporters of the bill, Julie Selsberg spoke about the case of her father, Char- lie Selsberg, who was su ering from Lou Gehrig 's Disease (ALS) and decided to starve himself to death. Charlie needed the best medical care and he needed people who understood the dying pro- cess and could help compassionately him with his struggles. But legalizing physician-assisted suicide won't give people like Charlie any of those things, despite the rheto- ric being used to describe it as "death with dignity." What it will do is hamper e orts to create better care for the ter- minally ill and vulnerable. The reality is that Colorado already has a suicide problem, and legalizing physician-assisted suicide will only make giving in to despair and coercion easier. In 2012, for example, there were 1,052 people who committed suicide, 457 people who died in motor vehicle accidents, and 205 people who were homicide victims. We need to discour- age suicide, not promote it. Making it legal for health care pro- viders and pharmacists to intentionally give something harmful to a patient will also corrupt one of the essential princi- ples of medicine—"do no harm." Every doctor swears to apply this principle when he takes the Hippocratic Oath, but making assisted suicide legal would make a mockery of their oath. Finally, Coloradans must oppose HB 1135 because it attacks life and makes it easier for people who stand to gain from coercing the mentally ill or those who are vulnerable into asking for death. That this legislation is contrary to the Catholic faith is obvious, given our belief that the dignity of life should be respected at every stage. HB 1135 should be dismissed because it discourages truly compassionate medical care, it will make Colorado's suicide problem worse, it will undermine the ethical foundations of medicine, and it will open an avenue for taking advantage of the vulnerable. On Friday, Feb. 6, the assisted-sui- cide bill was heard in the House Public Health Care and Human Services Committee. I urge all of you to contact the members of that committee, your local state representatives and to write letters to the editor. I thank those who attended the meeting—especially the laity—and let the committee see that many people oppose assisted suicide. When St. John Paul II arrived at Denver International Airport in 1993 he reminded us that "the ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless ones." I pray that you will join me in making sure that Colorado becomes a state where ethical medicine is upheld, where the despairing fi nd hope, where the vulnerable are protected, and where the culture of life is promoted. For more information on HB 1135, please visit www.cocatholicconference. org. ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE Feb. 8: Mass, World Day for Consecrated Life, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver (10:30 a.m.) Feb. 8: Speaker, Annual Family Celebration Dinner, Centro San Juan Diego, Denver (6 p.m.) PHOTO OF THE WEEK Archbishop Samuel Aquila distributes Communion during a Mass Jan. 27 at St. Joseph Church celebrating the Missionaries of Charity's 25 years of service to Denver's poor and needy. Sisters from the order founded by Mother Teresa have cared for AIDS patients and now minister to homeless women, needy families, the elderly and imprisoned in the Archdiocese of Denver. The Mass was attended by the four missionary sisters serving in Archdiocese of Denver and local faithful. Photo by Andrew Wright/Denver Catholic ACT NOW 1 Contact your representatives and ask them to oppose House Bill 1135 and the push for legalized physician-assisted suicide. Visit www.cocatholic conference.org for details. 2 Become informed by reading a FAQ fl ier in your parish bulletin or at www.archden.org. 3 Write a letter to the editor of a local publication. 4 Talk to family and friends about the danger it poses to Coloradans. Assisted suicide bill is bad medicine Denver Catholic File Photo

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