The Anchor, Diocese of Fall River, July 28, 2000, at 2.
FALL RIVER — "We have to hear your voice;’ said State Rep. Robert Correia (D-Fall River) at a forum entitled "Physician-Assisted Suicide: The Political, The Medical and the Theological" held at SS. Peter and Paul Parish at Holy Cross Church.
Correia was joined by pastor Father Stephen Salvador, Father Roger Landry and Dr. Patricia Tranter at the July 17 event (attended by about 44) people in the Father Femandes Conference Center.
Father Landry fresh from studies in Rome, spoke about the Catholic thinking regarding physician-assisted suicide. He said the Church opposes assisting death, but supports allowing natural death to occur through the avoidance of extraordinary means to sustain life in some circumstances.
Tranter, who authored "In Support of
Life" training materials for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, touched on the medical aspectsof physician-assisted suicide. She pointed out that psychological issues such as depression cause people to wish to end their life. Medical science now has the means to effectively relieve adying person’s pain, she said.
No legislation has been filed on Beacon Hill to legalize physician-assisted suicide, but Correia sees it as a possibility in the near future. He would oppose such a bill, but he emphasized that those
at the forum need to speak directly with their legislators on the matter."You’ve got to exert influence on people who are going
to make the decision,' Correia asserted.Representatives from various parishes in Fall River have met several times to coordinate "In Support of Life" efforts and to discuss raising awareness of issues surrounding the physician-assisted suicide question.