Catholic Wisdom on Suffering, Dying and Death vs. MAiD, Medical Aid in Dying

Since the time of Hippocrates (500 BC) until very recently, the medical profession has rejected the notion that doctors could participate in deliberately ending the lives of their patients. Every year in the Rhode Island State House, the Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act is introduced. This Bill, which has not yet been passed into law, would guarantee a terminal patient’s right to choose to hasten the end of their lives under certain conditions. The original Hippocratic Oath expressly rejected this. The Catholic Church also rejects this. Why? Are we in our times more enlightened, or is there wisdom from the past that we have forgotten?

While taking into account the reasons given in favor of legalizing Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), this seminar will approach the topic from the Catholic perspective with the goal of explaining the underlying reasons for the Catholic view in an understandable and inspiring way.

Peter J. Colosi, Ph.D., is associate professor of philosophy at Salve Regina University. He previously served as associate professor of moral theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Pennsylvania and taught for Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Peter holds a doctorate in philosophy from the International Academy of Philosophy in the Principality of Liechtenstein and a master’s degree in Franciscan studies from St. Bonaventure University. He is a frequent speaker and author on the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, focusing on the underlying philosophical reasons behind those teachings.