Bishop Dave OConnell annointing the sick with a Sister and lay person in the room

Californians Pray as Assisted Suicide Becomes Law

by NR Interview
Text taken from an article on the National Review Website

 

I noticed something beautiful in my inbox in recent days: People praying. While some statements and sentiments about prayer in the face of violence and death have gotten some media criticism of late, there are people among us who put a lot of faith in prayer. And they are often the people running the maternity homes and the soup kitchens and the hospices and helping immigrants become part of the community.

 

The something beautiful I eyed was a prayer novena. Later this week California becomes a state with legal assisted suicide and, having lost the political battle, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is at prayer, encouraging a novena for “the Elderly, Disabled and Terminally Ill.”

 

So I asked Kathleen Buckley Domingo, associate director of the Office of Life, Justice and Peace at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, why they would mark the beginning of the new law on June 9 with prayer and fasting. — KJL

 

 

Kathryn Jean Lopez: You lost on assisted suicide in California, why pray now?

 

Kathleen Buckley Domingo: We did lose on assisted suicide, but we also learned a lot in the process. We learned that people are very fearful of the way we die now, and unfortunately in many instances their fears are justified. Many people in California, even with Obamacare, are uninsured or underinsured. The health-care system in California is overwhelmed and cannot serve those in need adequately. Only one-third of cancer patients on MediCal will be covered for treatment. The other two-thirds will be denied.

We learned that many Catholics have no idea what our Church teaches on end of life issues or why. Many either think we are vitalists, pushing life at all costs or else see nothing wrong with assisted suicide as a humane option. Catholics, too, are affected by the health-care system and have all but given up on the possibility of a good death, a holy death. We pray now because we need to recommit ourselves to the creation of a community that puts people first and rallies around those in need. We want to create a culture right here in Los Angeles where there is no need for assisted suicide — where health care and families work together to provide the best possible care to each peWe rail against a broken health-care system, but people need to see what good care actually looks like. We need to offer a solution, not just point to a problem. Santa Teresita is a special, sacred place. Read more

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