Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, spokesperson for the USCCB, has a post up at the Huffington Post about the so-called "Choice to Die." Walsh correctly notes the way the word "choice" serves as a trump card in contemporary American culture. In this case, of course, it seems especially mis-used. In regard to death, none of us have a real choice - we will all die.
Most importantly, Walsh cites her own experience with hospice work to show the difference between dying with dignity and dying with a misdirected sense of one's capacity for choice. Her words evidence precisely what Pope Paul VI meant when he said the Church is, because of her ministries, an "expert in humanity." There are, indeed, many choices, many life-affirming choices, that should be extended to those who are dying. The option of choosing to end choice itself should not be on the list.
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