Chilean Cardinal Chomalรญ Voices โคStrong Oppositionโข to Euthanasia Bill, Advocates for Palliativeโ Care
Santiago,โ chile – Cardinal Ricardo Eyzaguirre Chomalรญ has sharply criticized a Chilean bill legalizing euthanasia, reaffirming teh Catholic Church’s unwavering stance againstโ the practice.Speakingโ alongside โขBernardo,Juan Ignacio Gonzรกlez,a member of the Permanent Committee โคof the Episcopal Conference of Chile,the Cardinal arguedโ that the legislation risks devaluing human life and disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations.
“Behind the idea ofโ ‘dignified death’ frequently enough hidesโฃ the claim to have the life of the โweakest and most sick, rather of accompanying them in the final stretch ofโค their existence,” Cardinal Chomalรญ stated, emphasizing theโข Church’s beliefโข inโค the inviolable value โฃofโฃ life.
The Cardinal specificallyโ took issue with the bill’s use of the term “medical assistance” to describe what he considers a deliberate act of ending life. “Medicine has othre specific purposes: cure, prevent, accompany. It has noโฃ vocation to end a human โขlife,” heโข stressed.
Chomalรญ warned that legalizing euthanasia could create โขa two-tiered system, where those lacking โฃfinancial resources and strong support โnetworks are pressured into choosing death. “The poorest could be pushed to this option due toโฃ abandonment and lack of networks,” he cautioned, suggesting economic disparity could influence access to -โ and perception โof – end-of-life โchoices.
Instead of euthanasia,Cardinal Chomalรญ passionately advocatedโข forโค bolstering palliative care and strengthening public policies focused on the well-beingโฃ of the elderly,notably inโ healthcareโ and pension systems. He firmly stated, “With euthanasia nothing isโ relieved, it endsโ with a life.” โHe also cautionedโ against “therapeutic teaching,” describing it as an inappropriate medical practice.The Cardinal called for โincreased university-level training in palliative care and its widespread implementation in hospitals and clinics,โ stating, “we are in that. What we must encourage is a true treatiseโฃ of palliative care at the university and hospitable level.”
Beyond medical considerations, Cardinal Chomalรญ urged legislators โคto consider the broader cultural implications, arguing that a society’s โworth is measured by its treatment of the most vulnerable. “The โmoodโ of a society is not measured only by its economic or technologicalโ indices, but by how it treats the weakest and homeless,” heโ remarked.
Concluding his remarks, Cardinal Chomalรญ reiterated the Church’s appeal to postpone the bill and prioritize the advancement โof comprehensive palliative care policies, reaffirming his โopposition to intentionally ending aโ life, “under any point of view.”