Norway: Bishops ‘troubled’ by growing support for euthanasia

The growing acceptance of euthanasia in Norway represents a troubling trend that threatens the protection of human life and dignity from conception to natural death, Norwegian bishops said.

In a pastoral letter published Aug. 30, the bishops said that “no person — whether an unborn child, the incurably ill, a newly arrived refugee, or a victim of violence or human trafficking — may be set aside or counted of lesser worth than the rich, the powerful or the famous.”

“We are troubled by the apparent growth of support for euthanasia in our country and among our politicians,” the bishops wrote. “All who suffer from pain or illness should receive every form of care we can offer, as should their families and those who look after them. To ‘help’ someone die helps no one.”

The letter, which was released ahead of the Sept. 8 parliamentary elections, was signed on behalf of the Norwegian Catholic Bishops’ Council by Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, who also serves as president of the Scandinavian bishops’ conference, and Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo. Bishop Hansen is a former faculty member at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park.

The country’s bishops said the purpose of the pastoral letter was to share several considerations before the elections rooted in the Catholic Church’s social teaching, “which is grounded in our holy faith and in reason, and which concerns the human person and life in society.”

However, the bishops noted, “it is not our role as bishops to tell you for whom to vote.”

“Our hope is rather that the basic principles we outline here will aid your own discernment about which party to support. As we seek God’s guidance, we should also take counsel from the Church’s teaching,” the letter stated.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide remain illegal in Norway. However, public opinion on the practice has grown more favorable in recent years.

A 2023 survey conducted by the University of Oslo showed that while there was less support for euthanasia — the practice in which a physician or another person administers a lethal substance to end a patient’s life — more people were favorable toward physician-assisted suicide, in which a doctor prescribes lethal medication to a patient who then self-administers the drug.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly condemns the practice of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide as “morally unacceptable” and a violation of the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.”

An “act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator,” the catechism states.

In their letter, the bishops of Norway stated that, although there are few Catholics in the country, “we may not disclaim our shared responsibility, either for society or for the well-being of our neighbor.”

By making use of their vote and weighing “their choices carefully before election day,” Catholics in Norway can “contribute to society’s authentic development” through “responsible, creative political engagement.”

The bishops also highlighted the importance of shared responsibility “for our neighbor,” which “does not end at Norway’s borders.” As war, fear, and uncertainty mount around the world, they added, Norwegians “must beware of becoming self-satisfied and turned in on ourselves.”

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