Charles J. Chaput

The euthanasia campaigns of Nazi Germany demonstrate how compassion for the dying can be manipulated to justify mass killing, argues Charles J. Chaput in the following viewpoint. A truly merciful and compassionate response to the dying, he asserts, would be to relieve their pain and restore meaning to their lives—not assist in killing them. Permitting physician-assisted suicide would give doctors too much power and destroy trust between patients and their physicians. Chaput is the Roman Catholic archbishop of Denver, Colorado.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What example of euthanasia propaganda does Chaput describe?
2. What statement does the author make about the evils of suffering?
3. What is missing from the debate over doctor-assisted suicide, according to Chaput"

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