YOUCAT Question n. 379 – Part VII. What sorts of attacks on human life are forbidden by the Fifth Commandment?
(Youcat
answer - repeated) Murder and acting as an accomplice to murder are forbidden.
Killing unarmed civilians during a war is forbidden. The abortion of a human
being, from the moment of conception on, is forbidden. Suicide,
self-mutilation, and self-destructive behavior are forbidden. Euthanasia — killing the handicapped, the sick,
and the dying — is also forbidden.
A deepening through CCC
(CCC 2279)
Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person
cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the
sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be
morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an
end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable. Palliative care
is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be
encouraged.
Reflecting and meditating
(Youcat comment) Today people often try to get around the
Fifth Commandment with seemingly humane arguments. But neither euthanasia nor
abortion is a humane solution. That is why the Church is perfectly clear on
these questions. Whoever participates in an abortion, forces a woman to undergo
an abortion, or merely advises her to do so is automatically excommunicated
just as with other crimes against human life. If a psychologically ill person
commits suicide, responsibility for the act of killing is often diminished and
in many cases completely annulled.
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 2280)
Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is
God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life
gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are
stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to
dispose of.
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