June 15, 2000, NEW YORK CITY -- After
nearly two years of research, the National Council of
Churches (NCC) Committee on Disabilities has issued a study document on
“Assisted Suicide and the Quality of Life of Persons with Disabilities.”
Designed to provide information about
the issue of assisted suicide and the danger it poses for persons with disabilities, the
document is not intended as an NCC policy statement.
“We wanted to consider the
ethical, legal and medical issues and the different points of view related to assisted
suicide and to give a theological response,” said the Rev. Rosalie Norman-McNaney, of
Valley Forge, Pa., staff representative for the NCC Committee on Disabilities. She is
director of American Baptist Homes and Hospitals Association for National Ministries in
Pennsylvania, part of the American Baptist Churches (ABC/USA).
The 20-page study covers the gamut of
the controversial topic, from theological perspectives and ethical concerns to Christian
perspectives and other points of view.
The Rev. Norman-McNaney stressed the
importance and urgency of informing the public that assisted suicide is not an option for
individuals who are disabled. “Assisted suicide is in direct contradiction to the
belief that all are a part of the body of Christ-- including people with disabilities. No one is dispensable or unnecessary,” she
said.
Currently, 47 of the United States do
not differentiate between those with terminal illness and those with disabilities. In other words, if one has a disability it is
considered the same as having a terminal illness. This
document surfaces in this context to increase awareness on the rights of persons with
disabilities.
Written by John Pipe of Englewood,
Colo., a retired American Baptist clergyman who lives with a spinal cord injury, the
document encourages readers to get informed and get involved. It provides them with a wealth of
suggestions on how to do so, such as organizing a panel of doctors, nurses and pastors to
raise consciousness about the issue.
“Assisted Suicide and the Quality
of Life of Persons with Disabilities” is available from the Rev. Rosalie
Norman-McNaney, American Baptist Churches, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA, 19482-0851;
email rosalie.mcnaney@abc-usa.org; phone 610-768-2411.
It also is available on the Web at
http://www.ncccusa.org/nmu/mce/dis/suicide.html.
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