Available only in electronic format.
To be printed and freely and widely distributed for noncommercial purposes.

For the past several years, the issue of euthanasia and assisted suicide has regularly resurfaced in Canadian society. Each time, as in other countries, ours is confronted by a public debate on the legalization of these disturbing practices.

Called to be salt and light of the world, Catholics have the responsibility of formulating an enlightened opinion on this subject. It is our conscience that communicates to us the values written by God on our hearts. The teachings of the Church confirm these truths which God has made known to us, while our reason discerns what must be done to live together in a free, just and peaceful society.

We know that the right to life underpins all our other rights. We also know that respect for life and for the inherent and inalienable dignity and worth of each human person, from conception to natural death, is a fundamental element of our Christian faith. This respect is essential for living in society. An important challenge now awaits each of us: to propose our Gospel vision of things to our fellow citizens – in our families, among friends, at work, and in political life.

This guide will be useful in organizing workshops in various environments, including parishes, schools, universities, hospitals, faith-sharing groups, retreats, youth groups, lecture and study groups, local lay organizations, ministry formation programs, the conferences of national associations, or even within families and among friends. The workshop is formulated for those who are at least 15 years old.

The workshop guide aims to contribute to the reflection on:

• Respect for human life, which is a gift from God, until its very final moments;
• The true meaning of “dying with dignity;”
• The importance of accompanying the suffering and the dying, and of establishing services appropriate to their condition, that they may die with true dignity;
• The personal responsibility of each baptized person to get involved in the public debate;
• The need for challenging our elected officials so that their legislation will respect human life, and;
• The urgency of promoting our fundamental human and Christian values.