In 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, legislation was filed in the Maryland General Assembly that would allow doctors to legally prescribe a lethal dose of medicine at the request of a patient who has been deemed mentally competent and who has received a terminal diagnosis — we call this physician-assisted suicide or PAS. These bills were ultimately withdrawn from consideration after successful advocacy by our coalition and other allies because they are unnecessary and dangerous for Maryland’s residents.

In the current legal and ethical climate, a certain irony prevails. At the same time that assisted-suicide advocates are promoting their agenda in the name of “personal choice,” many “ethicists” and “experts” are attempting to limit medical treatment or care – even if the patient or patient’s decision-maker requests it. That is why it is so important to be informed.

The Mission of The National Catholic Bioethics Center is to provide education, guidance, and resources to the Church and society to uphold the dignity of the human person in health care and biomedical research, thereby sharing in the ministry of Jesus Christ and his Church.