Euthanasia: California and Catholicism

Josiah

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California Governor Jerry Brown (D) - a former Catholic seminarian and self described faithful Catholic - just signed into law among the most liberal, radical "right to kill" laws in the world.

The issue has come up in California many times before... in propositions voted by the people (always resoundingly to reject) and in the legislature (always defeated until earlier this year). Brown has had it on his desk for as long as he could. The news reported that he had spoken to several Catholic representatives, including his own parish priest. He finally signed it - making it law.

The bill was modeled after a similar law in Oregon, which in turn is patterned after a law in the Netherlands. In Oregon, about 100 such murders are done under the law there each year.

In California, suicide was decriminalized a long time ago, so this has nothing whatsoever to do with suicide. It has to do with legalizing the killing of certain people. This used to be called "assisted SUICIDE" (note the "assisted" part) but now that suicide is generally legal, the issue is clearly murder - although often by the granting of a lethal dose of drugs (the same way executions are performed in most states).

Because Governor Brown often expresses his Catholicism, many in California hoped he'd veto the bill (and there is not enough votes in the legislature to override that) or at least let it die (sic) by not signing it. But Brown often "caves" to his liberal base on social issues (he is, after all, a Democrat).


Comments? Especially from Catholics?



- Josiah (a resident of the People's Republic of California)
 

MoreCoffee

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California Governor Jerry Brown (D) - a former Catholic seminarian and self described faithful Catholic - just signed into law among the most liberal, radical "right to kill" laws in the world.

The issue has come up in California many times before... in propositions voted by the people (always resoundingly to reject) and in the legislature (always defeated until earlier this year). Brown has had it on his desk for as long as he could. The news reported that he had spoken to several Catholic representatives, including his own parish priest. He finally signed it - making it law.

The bill was modeled after a similar law in Oregon, which in turn is patterned after a law in the Netherlands. In Oregon, about 100 such murders are done under the law there each year.

In California, suicide was decriminalized a long time ago, so this has nothing whatsoever to do with suicide. It has to do with legalizing the killing of certain people. This used to be called "assisted SUICIDE" (note the "assisted" part) but now that suicide is generally legal, the issue is clearly murder - although often by the granting of a lethal dose of drugs (the same way executions are performed in most states).

Because Governor Brown often expresses his Catholicism, many in California hoped he'd veto the bill (and there is not enough votes in the legislature to override that) or at least let it die (sic) by not signing it. But Brown often "caves" to his liberal base on social issues (he is, after all, a Democrat).

Comments? Especially from Catholics?

- Josiah (a resident of the People's Republic of California)
If signing it violates his conscience before God then he ought not to have signed it. The trouble with an "if" argument is that only the man and his God can give a final answer and both will on the last day when every man and woman will answer to God for the things done in the flesh.
 

Josiah

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If signing it violates his conscience before God then he ought not to have signed it. The trouble with an "if" argument is that only the man and his God can give a final answer and both will on the last day when every man and woman will answer to God for the things done in the flesh.

Do you think his Bishop should excommunicate him?
 

MoreCoffee

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Do you think his Bishop should excommunicate him?

I do not know nearly enough about what this law is, what his role in it is, what his bishop knows, or any number of other considerations that normally come into a decision about formal excommunication. If his act is done in bad conscience it looks like an action that might self-excommunicate.
 
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