Catholic Church Views On Suicide

As I was reading through the different views on the causes of suicide, I thought that the sociocultural view made most sense for me. It made sense due to the claim that a person’s connections with social groups, religions, and communities can determine suicide probability (Comer, 2014). I imagine a sliding spectrum where people who are very invested in everything around them are on one end and on the other are people who don’t care about society. The two ends are the high suicide probability areas. Altruistic suicides where lives are sacrificed would fall on the invested end of the spectrum while the egoistic suicides which society has no control over a person and anomic suicides where a person’s social environment fails to provide structure

The church just like many people are still against physician assisted suicide, but it is not killing someone as it sometimes is viewed as. It is giving them the option to end their life in a less

Throughout history, there have been many wars that were fought. When thinking of combats, many citizens associate battles with the thought of physical wars, but many don't think of the mental battles that might occur within a person. Teen suicide, which is known as the second leading cause of death globally, is frequently overlooked and underestimated as a problem when confronted about it. The poem, Romeo and Juliet by the famous author William Shakespeare, uses literature to profoundly go into the concept of how suicide can affect everyone. The community of Orland Park has taken their part to inform the society, by setting up basic services for people to learn or get help about suicide prevention. While resources are available in our

The thoughts of assisted suicide are very mixed. Some people believe that it is a great way to put terminally-ill patients out of the their pain and suffering. They see it as a way for a person to die with dignity after suffering from a painful disease. Others think it is beyond morally wrong for a doctor to intentionally end a patient’s life. They feel that a doctor should not have unnecessary deaths riding, on their shoulders the rest of their career. Assisted suicide goes way beyond the beliefs of medicine and is morally wrong in so many ways.

People commit suicide on a daily basis, not only in the United States of America, but all over the entire world. Dying by suicide or losing someone from suicide can be incredibly traumatic for families, loved ones, and the victim. Also, dying from suicide by hanging, shooting, or harming oneself is not the utmost, moral, or ethical way to die, due to the physical pain. Furthermore, there are a

According to Humphry physician-assisted suicide is giving a patient a legal drug to help them die. (2) When patients give up on life because of intense pain and not wanting their family to see them go through so much suffering, and lose hope in God, they turn to self-murder with assistance. Humphry also states, "assisting in dying means being present during the happening and giving love and moral support to the act."(19) Christians whether relatives, church members or friends, use their faith and trust in God to comfort people in time of sorrow and grief. In spite of

The Catholic Church has addressed the issue of euthanasia, and is strongly against the practice. This is evident in the teachings of the church, and through the Catechisms of the Catholic Church. They define euthanasia as, “an act or omission which, of itself or by

Again, in the words of Girsh; “It should be as much of a crime to make someone live who with justification does not wish to continue as it is to take life without consent” (Girsh). In response to this argument, and perhaps the best reason for Catholics to support the church, is the fact that physician assisted suicide is a slippery slope to legalized murder — that the intent to kill is of utmost importance in the matter, and the moral repercussions of killing someone are irreversible (Harriss). In other words, physician assisted suicide inevitably leads to a culture of death. This claim is supported by the current state of healthcare in the Netherlands, where “Studies show that hospice-style palliative care 'is virtually unknown’” (Smith). Additionally, as a final note, it may be important to note that one of the problem with physician assisted suicide for Catholics is one of control; people want to end their own lives to be in control, but in reality, that control is supposed to be left to

Assisting in taking a life is unmoral. There are so many people just so broken and hurting that they think suicide is the answer. It’s not easy to overcome either. It’s like an anchor that pulls you into the darkness, and just keeps pulling you deeper and deeper. No matter how much you fight, pull, scream, and cry, you can’t get free. It’s a feeling of total emptiness and worthlessness. Even once you’re over it, the thought still pops up, and it’s a continuous fight. But, with love and hope, suicide can be overcome, for, in the bible it says that, through Christ we are over-comers, and his love is above all else.

The first side is that Aided Suicide is immoral. One reason for this comes to religion. People that are religious believe that a person is committing sin if they commit suicide. While these methods, not traditionally considered suicide, are viewed as similar. With suicide comes mental illness, the senior, not showing signs of depression or mental issues, is still thought of sinful. Another thought is that, if a person is in pain, where they are should have ways to make sure the patient is comfortable. A facility should have resources that could allow for better outlooks on life or better pain management. Facilities such as hospices are built around sustaining life, but even those can cause pain. For example, someone who is close to passing may show signs of near death, but still, know what they want to do. They may not eat anymore or have interest in any activities, but they know that they are ready to go on and pain-free at

The French philosopher Voltaire argued suicide was a personal choice and a rational option in some circumstances (Dudley 10). Government should have no control over individual freedoms (Top 10 Pros and Cons 1). It is not able to truly force people to stay alive, however, it can only prevent individuals from being with family when the person does decide to die (Leone 74). Religion, like the government, cannot force their beliefs on people who do not believe in that way(Top 10 Pros and Cons 1). An early and pain free death is not “denigrating the sanctity of life”, but is showing life more respect (Walker

     This essay is dedicated to the expression of the various official views of religious bodies within our nation. Most major denominations are represented. These religions have long been the custodians of the truth, serving to check the erratic and unpredictable tendencies of political, judicial and social bodies which would have Americans killing off their elderly and handicapped.

Whatever a religion may offer as it's belief about suicide, the followers of that religion do not always uphold that belief. At Masada, for example, a sect of fervently religious Jews known as Zealots held off Roman invaders for two years. When it became apparent that defeat was inevitable, their leader convinced the remaining nine hundred and sixty of them to commit suicide (Flanders 5). And Michel de Montaigne, a Christian writer living in France in the mid sixteenth century wrote five essays arguing that suicide is a matter of personal choice, and it is a viable option under some circumstances (OCRT 1).

Suicide does not show up in the Bible but there are a few cases of people who committed suicide like Judas. Scriptural writers neither denounce nor adulate those whom they recorded as having taken their own lives (Gearing et al. 2009). The perspective of suicide as a sin rules current Christian states of mind over the different denominations like Catholics, Baptists, and Protestants. The sin of suicide is likened with different types of taking life, for example, abortion and murder (Maris et al. 2000). When a person dies, he/she aces judgement by

Suicide is currently the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury, 2017). On average, 121 Americans complete suicide each day (CDC Fatal Injuries Report 2015, 2015). The American people are living longer with advances to medical care and technology, yet suicide rates continue to rise. According to the CDC, suicide rates have increased by 24% from the year 1999 to 2014 (Curtain, Warner & Hedegaard, 2016). Consequently, the suicide epidemic continues to grow with no clear path to prevention. This literature review was conducted using the Robert Morris University Library online databases. Databases accessed include PubMed…………., from the years 2000 to 2017. Overall, most the articles obtained are