A full body of U.S. Catholic Bishops issued a statement against assisted suicide in a report titled, To Live Each Day With Dignity.
According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, assisted suicide does not promote compassion because its focus is not on eliminating suffering but on eliminating the patient. The bishops allege that true compassion comes with meeting the patient's needs and recognizing their worth.
The report alleges that assisted suicide is contradictory and confusing because the assisted suicide is accepted for some patients and not others. The bishops argue that assisted suicide can lead to dangerous consequences, saying that the notion that choosing to end a life with dignity is false.
Doctors may ultimately use assisted suicide as an excuse to deny better health care to seriously ill patients, the religious leaders say.
The bishops conclude that, "When people are tempted to see their own lives as diminished in value or meaning, they most need the love and assistance of others to assure them of their inherent worth."
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