Denver Catholic

19 DENVER CATHOLIC | NOVEMBER 12-25, 2016 After the battle, a takeaway I t's Nov. 8, 2016, and we will know tomorrow if a cruel physician-as- sisted suicide proposition will pass here in Colorado. Whether it becomes the law in Colorado or not, I have been inspired by the witness of our priests, our parishio- ners, and Catholic ministries such as Divine Mercy Sup- portive Care who have been willing to shine the light of truth in our state and oƒ er a hand of mercy for those facing end-of-life issues. To be honest, I understand how people with good intentions may have supported measures like this here and elsewhere. The truth is not always self-evident in light of what has become a "throw away culture," and anyone who has been alive very long has had to contend with the meaning of suƒ ering in our lives. It's not easy. All the more, it reminds me how blessed we are to be formed in the Catholic faith. Through the battle, we've wit- nessed others come to better under- stand the mystery of suƒ ering and grasp the value and dignity of their whole life. Being Catholic and actively opposing this proposition has oƒ ered another dose of unexpected per- spective that I pray will remain with me long after the votes are counted. While our faith is full of profound ideas, it's the things we remember in our daily lives that seem to make all the diƒ erence. If the moments at the end of life matter and our suƒ ering has value and meaning, then guess what…so do the other moments. We've all had a grandparent share simple ideas like appreciating little things and making good use of the time we have. So I'm not sure if it's unlikely or obvious, but Proposition 106 has helped me, and those I work with, to be reminded of a diƒ erent Catholic truth with a renewed conviction. Our work, our relationships, our prayer, and even the mundane can be oƒ ered to our Lord and can play a role in the sancti- fi cation of the world. In the wake of Proposition 106, regardless of its outcome, I know that I can count on the Church to lead us to the best way we should respond. Just as important, I hope that I remember to "oƒ er up" Nov. 9… and 10… What if Proposition 106 were written better? M uch of the debate around Proposition 106 was about how the bill itself is writ- ten. Many of the arguments against it often argue f rom a standpoint that the prop- osition is written poorly. I do think that these arguments are clearly true. It is absolutely crazy that there is no spec- ifi cation as to what type of doctor is qualifi ed to make judgments about the severity of the disease that must be considered terminal within six months. The fact that there is no required psychological evaluation, unless your doctor considers you unstable in some way, leaves the door open to all sorts of problems with who this drug will be administered to (especially considering that many people who are diagnosed with a ter- minal disease fall into depression at some point during their suƒ ering and in Oregon only 3% were ever referred to a psychologist). And the simple fact that the drug is less eƒ ective at actually ending human life than many of the other more popular suicide methods around today are, is fright- ening considering that the drug which is supposed to end suƒ ering often is a cause of greater suƒ ering. But what if all of these problems were solved? What if we found some way of guessing the severity of ill- nesses with 100% accuracy? What if we developed a suicide drug that was actually painless and ended life 100% of the time it was adminis- tered? Would Assisted Suicide still be wrong? As a man who has suƒ ered deeply I say yes, absolutely. At sixteen years old I was diagnosed with stage IV (i.e. life-threatening and malignant) cancer. I underwent nine months of intense chemotherapy and radiation. During my treatment I wished I could have died. In fact the only thing that prevented me from killing myself at one time was the fact I was literally so sick that I lacked the energy neces- sary to do so. It is because I couldn't easily take my life then, that I am alive to write this today. Proposition 106 and other bills like it will give people like me the means to kill themselves quickly and easily in similar situations. This makes me furious. This tells me that my life was not worth living while I was suƒ ering. This tells me that my mother was foolish for sitting by my bedside while I suƒ ered the eƒ ects of the drugs I was on and wondered if I would survive them. This tells me that I am worthless because I was weak. Even more so I am incensed because of the men and women I met while I was in the hos- pital and those I have met since. The people who are no longer with us. Those whose lives were taken by this disease, or one of the many other horrible diseases that exist in our world. This bill tells them that the last parts of their lives were mean- ingless. This law and others like it tell countless parents that their child is better dead than alive, and countless sons and daughters that their parents are better oƒ without them. Believe me when I say that my mother would rather suƒ er alongside me forever than to have her son kill himself so as not to be a burden. The families of the many people who have died from this horrible disease and others like it would not trade those last days for anything. It will be no less painful to lose a friend to suicide just because it was a doctor that handed them the pills. We live in a world where suƒ ering is real, but not in one where it needs to be avoided at all costs. We live because we are created and we die because our time eventually comes to leave this world. It does not take a devout adherent of any religious theology to realize that we neither create ourselves nor sustain ourselves in being — why then do we feel we deserve the legal power to remove ourselves from this world? It was clear to me that I had to vote no on Proposition 106 for many reasons, but it makes me angry to think that during this election cycle I had to vote on a proposition like this. When I read the text of Proposition 106, I, and countless others like me who have suƒ ered greatly, read that our lives are only as valuable as the majority opinion; that if the 50.1 per- cent say so, the value of my life drops to an expiration date and a price tag. That if a life can't be saved, it should be ended. For those of you who don't know already, please believe that it is a fatally fl awed measure. If it weren't for my family, friends, and caretakers who told me my life is worthwhile, I would not be alive today. The lives of us who suƒ er are not meaningless. Guest Column Peter Srsich is a seminarian currently studying³at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. PETER SRSICH Guest Column Joshua Karabinos is the Director of Marketing & Services for the Archdiocese of Denver. JOSHUA KARABINOS discuss work or a minor fi ne is levied. FAMILY FIRST: As an employer, you want your people to do whatever it takes to get the job done--for the client and your colleagues. Acknowledge family accomplishments and encourage employees to attend their children's events, even if they occur during the work day. "Work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. Work to use an image, anoints us with dignity, makes us similar to God, who has worked and still works…" Pope Francis on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, May 1, 2013. The Church teaches that work is a form of participating in God's creation. Similarly, a business is more than a way to make a living: it is a way of serving people. The lives of us who su‡ er are not meaningless." PETER SRSICH "

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