Killing oneself ever acceptable?

[PePPaR]

Consider this situation – which was from an episode of the TV show ‘24’.

There are many people in a hotel; probably around 200 or more who are simply sleeping and minding their own business. In the mean time, a terrorist cell decided to release a virus into the hotel which would ultimately affect every individual once they inhale the toxic gas. Later, the result was that the terrorists were successful and everyone in the hotel was infected with the virus. From that point, around 90% of the people would die. As soon as the symptoms were seen, then that person would unquestionably die and there was absolutely nothing he/she could do. The death is slow, painful, and inevitable. All the people were also cut off from leaving the hotel.

Later the government began providing death pills which would allow an individual to take the pill and their body would painlessly shut down and die. These pills were provided for people as a choice to avoid the excruciating pain the virus would make them go through before they die.

Note: There were many elderly women, children and families in the hotel.

Now my question is whether it would be morally right; and whether the Church would accept people to take a death pill in a given situation as stated above.

 

[Christy_Beth]

I have a hard time with this one. Maybe it would end needless suffering. But it would still come down to murder because it would still be at the hands of another. Now, if a person was so depressed that the saw no other way out of suffering, I think it’s somewhat understandable. At least for me. Severe depression can do that to a person. But to take a death pill to hasten death… that seems a bit harsh. Of course, in the situation you give, one might say it’s ok. But there is usually means to help a person ease suffering and die more naturally.

 

[Coming_Home_1]

Was being crucified on the Cross not excruciating pain, God gave us life and we should preserve it. Would being burned at the stake as St. Polycarp was painful, and he was given many chances to prevent the pain, but held to his Faith in Christ and knew that he was to soon be with Him. Just as it is unnacceptable to kill an unborn child with a pill, it is just as grave a sin to euthanize yourself or anybody else.

 

[Newbie2]

Agreed. Although some would argue that Christ’s suffering “only” lasted for hours, especially when they’re arguing the pro-euthanasia side. Clearly, they ignore his taking on the sin of the world in addition to his physical suffering. But that is a different topic.

The other option, in the scenario, would be to provide the people with an option for very heavy sedation…to the point of unconsciousness…that would not be the cause of their demise.

That’s what many people face in the real world every day in hospice care, and should be the focus of the Catholic position on end-of-life issues; how to make the dying comfortable and as pain-free as possible without directly hastening their death.

 

[chris_molter]

Newbie and Coming Home are correct. Taking that pill would be morally illicit. The best thing that could have been done would be to provide hospice care. And prayer, obviously.

Or let Jack Bauer torture someone until he gets the cure. (kidding, kidding!)

 

[puzzleannie]

the moral choice in the example given would be to isolate oneself to avoid spreading the virus and accept death when it comes, and use the time to prepare oneself for a holy death.

what would be morally acceptable is an action whose primary intent is stop someone from killing another person, which might secondarily bring the actor in danger of death. the actions of the passengers on the United flight who decided to stop the terrorists from their goal and so save countless lives, had the secondary but unintended result of killing all on board. The action of soldier who jumps on a grenade to save others is another such example. If the primary intent is one’s own death, the action is morally wrong; if my death is the unintended second result of an otherwise morally good and necessary action of equal gravity–literally a matter of life and death–it is morally acceptable. This is the example in moral theology of the double effect.

 

[Matthias123]

Suicide is NEVER acceptable under any situation.

I can guarantee you that the pain of the virus would be nowhere close to the pain of hellfire.

 

[vz71]

Suicide is NEVER acceptable under any situation.

I can guarantee you that the pain of the virus would be nowhere close to the pain of hellfire.

I’m not sure I would be comfortable with such a hard line position.
Only God can judge the heart of the individual, given the circumstances provided, there may well be some mitigation of culpability. Not complete, as we are ultimately responsible for our own actions, but certainly enough to keep us from claiming hellfire as a certainty.

In fact, I would wager that suicide is such an extreme action that what I described may well be the case in most instances.