Two Virginia bishops issued a letter through the Virginia Catholic Conference on Monday urging Catholics to oppose legislation in the Virginia General Assembly that would legalize physician assisted suicide within the commonwealth.
The legislation passed a second committee vote on Thursday.
Bishop Michael Burbridge of Arlington(pictured above, left) and Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond (pictured above, right) warned in their letter that bills “to legalize physician assisted suicide” are “moving rapidly” through the General Assembly. The bishops wrote, “We are alarmed and deeply saddened by this development. Human life is sacred and must never be abandoned or discarded.”
“At this critical moment, we implore the faithful across our two dioceses: Please contact your state Senator and Delegate. Urge them to reject assisted suicide legislation,” the bishops said, providing a link to the Virginia Catholic Conference’s website where constituents are aided in contacting their legislators.
Both SB 280 and HB 858, the State Senate and State House versions of what proponents call the Death with Dignity Act, have cleared committee votes and are poised for full votes by their respective legislative bodies.
In their letter, the bishops called “[e]very suicide a tragedy” and declared, “Assisted suicide facilitates tragedies and makes the most vulnerable even more vulnerable.”
They warned, “Legalizing it would place the lives of people with disabilities, people with mental illnesses, the elderly, and those unable to afford healthcare – among others – at heightened risk of deadly harm.”
Burbridge and Knestout further warn of the outcomes in states that have legalized physician assisted suicide, which they claim can involve the decision by insurance companies to stop covering care to preserve life and instead recommend drugs to end it.
“In the few states where assisted suicide is legal, this troubling reality has already taken root. For example, insurance companies have denied coverage for cancer treatment and other life-saving
procedures but offered to pay for cheaper suicide drugs instead,” The bishops added. “And in Oregon, only 3.3% of thepatients who died by assisted suicide since its legalization in 1998 were referred for psychiatric evaluation.”
They said, “Please tell the members of the Virginia General Assembly who represent you not to bring assisted suicide to our Commonwealth.”
Similar legislation to allow physician assisted suicide in the commonwealth was proposed in Virginia last year, but it was defeated in a State Senate subcommittee.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Bishop Barry Knestout” by Catholic Diocese of Richmond. Photo “Bishop Michael Burbridge” by Bishop Michael Burbridge. Background Photo “Virginia Capitol’ by Doug Kerr. CC BY-SA 2.0.
