Life is Precious

Dear reader,

A few days ago I was profoundly saddened to read that Zoraya ter Beek, a young, physically healthy Dutch woman, died via assisted suicide. There are many young women like her, many whose stories we will never hear about. The legalization of assisted dying in countries like the Netherlands and Canada is extremely concerning, and stands against everything we have fought for as a civilisation over the centuries. Instead of receiving continued help for mental health issues, people like Zoraya are being told that there's nothing more to do - the only way to end their suffering is death. We can't accept this.

So, this week I want to share with you my thoughts on how to approach this controversial and deeply emotional issues. With that in mind, I'm linking here an article I wrote on the topic for the Catholic Herald. I finish my article with a call to prayer, but I want to make it clear that I'm not just speaking to Christians when I say that. If, like me, you care about human life, and think every life is precious, I invite you to pray for people seeking to end their own lives, regardless of your faith tradition (or lack thereof). Simply hold those people in your thoughts, and especially ask to be given the courage to help those in your own lives who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, or who think that their lives are no more than a burden. And if you feel able to, please consider sharing your perspective on this issue with people in your life: the first step to stopping tragedies like this is to show lawmakers and people in power that there are many more of us who value life than they think.

Read the article here:

https://catholicherald.co.uk/zoraya-ter-beek-deserved-doctors-who-cherished-her-life-as-precious/