Bogotá, Colombia, Sep 19, 2008 / 11:54 am
The Archbishop of Bogota, Cardinal Pedro Rubiano, defended the right to life of the terminally ill this week in response to legislation that would regulate euthanasia, a practice that “can never be morally illicit.”
“Euthanasia is a crime and all those who participate in it carry out a homicidal act. The State has been erected to defend life, as article 11 of the Colombian Constitution maintains, ‘the right to life is inviolable’,” the cardinal said.
The cardinal’s statement came in response to the debate in the Colombian Senate to regulate euthanasia, which was legalized by the country’s Constitutional Court eleven years ago but not implemented.
“The intentional termination of another person’s life, even if by a qualified third party, always constitutes murder, as neither medical personnel nor family members can make the decision to provoke someone’s death,” the cardinal warned.