We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.— Romans 12:5

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. — Romans 14:7-8

...[T]he Episcopal Church should continue to oppose physician-assisted suicide near the end-of-life because suicide is never just a private, self-regarding act. It is an act that affects those with whom we are in relation within the community, denying them the sense of meaning and purpose to be derived from caring for us as we die. Moreover, it threatens to erode our trust in physicians, who are pledged to an ethic of healing. Finally, it denies our relationship of love and trust in God and sets us up as gods in the place of God.
— Report of the End-of-Life Task Force, affirmed by the 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church, July 2000

An ancient and sacred teaching of our Christian faith, handed down through
the ages, is the duty of all Christians to engage in Works of Mercy. Works of Mercy are offered, not only for the succour given to others, but — more importantly — for our own soul’s health. One such merciful work is the care of those who are dying. This is a work of the deepest mercy, for this work asks us to open our hearts to the reality of our own death. We cannot offer the gift of ourselves to a dying person without being drawn into a truth-embracing process of transformation within our own souls.

I remember the first time I was called to be with someone for whom death was near. I felt all the impulses which surge within us when we are terrified. I thought of feigning illness and just leaving a note for the gathered family. I thought of calling in someone who had experience in this ministry, so I could turn it all over to an expert. I thought of flowery reassurances and pious pronouncements which I could make from a safe distance. I am so glad that I stayed, fearful as I was. I learned then that death is awful and awe-ful. It is a great and majestic mystery. It is an essential part of the life we live in this mortal sojourn, on our way to the ultimate victory which is beyond all that we can know.

The people of Maine are presently in conversation about what end-of-life care might look like. This current public attentiveness invites us, as the Church, to advocate passionately for the kind of end-of-life care which makes physician-assisted suicide a moot question. The issue should not be one of choice between a horrible, painful death or a lethal dose which brings it all to a deliberate end. The issue is really a choice between making available good palliative/hospice care to everyone who needs it OR seeking the escape from inadequate medical care delivery which drives people to consider and seek assisted suicide.

The teaching of the Church acknowledges that intent is an important element in evaluating all moral questions. To administer a dose of medication with the express intent of causing death is very different from the compassionate use of medical intervention to relieve suffering, even if that intervention may, as a secondary effect, bring death closer. This may indeed be a fine line, but the line of intent is significant. We need to educate ourselves about the kinds of care which foster death with genuine dignity. Medical means are available to bring end-of-life comfort to people, and these means must be accessible to all. We need to insist on the availability of hospice care and palliative care to everyone, whatever their social or economic circumstances. This advocacy is the Work of Mercy to which all people of faith are called, whether or not we are called to be at the bedside. Let us be about this work of transforming the social order so that death with real dignity becomes a fundamental right for all people. Before we think of assisted suicide as the only avenue for the relief of suffering, let us pause to attend to the ancient wisdom of our faith, and engage in Works of Mercy, both public and private...for the good of all people, and for our own souls’ health.

As we consider the public policies we are called to shape, as citizens in a free and pluralistic society, let us inform ourselves about the deeper issues which lie before us as we consider end-of-life issues. Let us learn
together. Good material is available to guide our learning about matters of life and death. None of this is easy, but the most important things in life rarely are easy. I invite us all to learn about end-of-life issues, and make informed decisions about those vital and holy concerns: to share those decisions with our loved ones, and in community with one another. Tell me about your questions, your concerns, your different views as you read what I write here. I look forward to hearing from you.

It would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do inside the voting booth. But, it would be irresponsible of me to avoid sharing with you, as your Bishop and Chief Pastor, the received wisdom of our tradition which calls us to be Workers of Mercy, in both the church and the public sphere.

The choices we make are not made in an isolated vacuum. Every life, every story, every decision touches us all, for we are all members one of another, the very Body of Christ. And in that membership, we have the responsibility to probe life-and-death questions with utter seriousness, trusting that the guidance of the Holy Spirit will lead us always into paths of mercy and truth. And that the Lord of Life is with us, no matter how confused or fearful we may be.

With my love in Christ,