Bishop opposes ‘death with dignity’ bill

A bishop has condemned a bill, legalizing so-called “death with dignity,” as nothing but “a euphemism for euthanasia.”

Bishop Gabriel Chang Bong-hun of Cheongju — Photo: UCAN files

Bishop Gabriel Chang Bong-hun of Cheongju said the recent case of a comatose 77-year-old woman, whose life support was removed by order of the Supreme Court but who still continues to survive without it, “clearly proves” that “death with dignity” simply means euthanasia.

The prelate is president of the Bioethics Committee of the Catholic Bishops´ Conference of Korea (CBCK).

Euthanasia, usually defined as the deliberate killing of a person to enable that person to escape suffering, is opposed by the Church.

The woman, identified only by her surname Kim, was undergoing a bronchial endoscopy in February 2008 when her heart stopped. Doctors were able to revive her, but she has been in a vegetative state since then. Following a legal battle, doctors at Protestant-run Severance Hospital removed her respirator in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling on May 21 upholding her family´s desire that the woman´s “meaningless” treatment be stopped.

In February, a member of the National Assembly tabled the “death with dignity” bill on behalf of a group calling itself the Citizens´ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ).

The CCEJ defined “death with dignity” as the removal of artificial life support from a patient in a vegetative state. Proponents of the bill claim Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan´s death “supports” their cause.

Cardinal Kim died at the age of 86 last February. Doctors at Kangnam St. Mary´s Hospital in Seoul told media the prelate had said he did not want to receive any medical treatment that would prolong his life meaninglessly. However, the local Church has denied that Cardinal Kim supported the idea of “death with dignity,” which it regards as problematic and ambiguous.

Father Remigio Lee Dong-ik, secretary of the Bioethics Committee of the CBCK, noted that the CCEJ is an NGO dealing with economic issues.

“A patient in his or her last stage of life shouldn´t be dealt with as an economic issue,” he charged. “We should consider the human dignity of such patients during their last moments.”

Kim Tae-hyun, chief of social policy at CCEJ, said she regretted the local Church’s strong opposition of the bill.

She said she feels the Supreme Court’s decision to remove the comatose woman’s life support machine “reflects social consensus on the establishment of the ‘death with dignity’ bill.”

“In this regard, I view the Church´s move negatively,” she said.

Although the Catholic Church opposes euthanasia, the “Declaration on Euthanasia” issued by the Vatican´s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1980 says that “when inevitable death is imminent in spite of the means used, it is permitted in conscience to take the decision to refuse forms of treatment that would only secure a precarious and burdensome prolongation of life, so long as the normal care due to the sick person in similar cases is not interrupted.”