Vatican Official On Brittany Maynard’s Death: ‘Suicide Is Not A Good Thing’

Brittany Maynard’s decision to end her life through an assisted suicide instead of suffering with terminal brain cancer was condemned by a top Vatican official on Tuesday.

According to Daily Mail, Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula believes that there is no dignity in assisted suicide.

When speaking to the Italian news agency Ansa, the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life opened up about his thoughts on her assisted suicide.

“This woman [took her own life] thinking she would die with dignity, but this is the error. Suicide is not a good thing. It is a bad thing… It is saying no to life and to everything it means with respect to our mission in the world and towards those around us.”

Daily Mail reports that Monsignor Carrasco de Paula even went as far as describing assisted suicide as a “reprehensible absurdity.”

“Dignity is something different to putting an end to your own life.”

From a religious standpoint, the Roman Catholic Church opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia. Based on the teachings of Roman Catholicism, life begins at conception and should only end through natural death — not assisted suicide.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix discusses the position of the Catholic Church on its official website by quoting a statement from the American Medical Association about physician-assisted suicides.

“Allowing physicians to participate in assisted suicide would cause more harm than good. Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.”

Brittany Maynard was first diagnosed with an aggressive type of Stage IV terminal brain cancer back in January of this year. The 29-year old woman was told by her doctors that she only had about six months to live back in April.

Maynard made headlines worldwide and heavily promoted the right-to-die movement by announcing her plans to end her life through Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.

Initially, Brittany Maynard planned to go through with her assisted suicide on November 1.

Before she died, Brittany Maynard posted one final message on her official Facebook page to say goodbye, according to People magazine.

“Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me…but would have taken so much more… Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Maynard passed away in her husband’s arms on Sunday while being surrounded by her close friends and family members in Portland, Oregon.