Abortion and Euthanasia       Abortion and Euthanasia can be considered two sides of the same coin.  There are moral, philosophical, and logical, connections between these two medical procedures.       Abortion and euthanasia together take the lives of millions of innocent people in the world each year. Morally, we should never choose to kill someone just because of his or her inconvenience to us or his or her sickness and fear of suffering. God is the only one with the right to our life and death. Killing is not the only thing that abortion and euthanasia are. They are also disobedience of God’s commandment “thou shall not kill.” (Exodus 20:13)  Morally, abortion and euthanasia are outright murder.       Abortion was legalized in the United States of America in 1973 and in the year 1979, there were fifty-five million abortions performed. Abortion kills 4,000 innocent living babies every day. Philosophically we know that every person’ s life begins at the moment of conception in the womb and ends with his or her natural death. The Catholic Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “since the first century the church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.” (CCC 2271) In the bible, it we read that killing an innocent human life on purpose is a sin. “If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has man been made.” (Gen. 9:6)   Every human life is valuable, even the unborn child’s life and the physically challenged person. Abortion is legal in the United States and Euthanasia is legal under certain guises, but it is not right because God created all people in His image and likeness. In the Catechism it states that “…a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person-among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.” (CCC 2270) The Catechism tells us that ”whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.” (CCC 2277) The Catechism also tells us that  “those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible.” (CCC 2276)       There are many approaches to aborting an unborn child.  They include saline, vacuum, and partial birth.  In each case, the child is destroyed painfully.  There are two methods to euthanize a person: voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia takes place when a person is sick, dying, or in too much pain and wants to speed up their death with less pain and suffering. Involuntary euthanasia is used when there is a sick person who cannot choose whether they live or die because they are in a coma or they are paralyzed. Someone else makes that life or death choice for them.  Abortion and euthanasia are wrong in all cases because God does not approve of it. In the Bible it is written ” there are six things that the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.” (Prov. 6:16-17)  God has given everyone a life: young, old, born, unborn, healthy, sick, either productive or un-productive by society’s standards.  We are charged with the charitable task of taking care of other people’s lives and to bring more human lives into this world.  It is God’s natural law to do so.  Logically, taking the life of the pre-born or the sick and dying goes against all that God commands.       Grace comes from human suffering.  Whether the suffering is physical, as in the euthanasia candidate or in the mother bringing forth a child she had not planned on, God brings about good from those who suffer well.  Jesus suffered.  He was able to escape the pain and suffering, but chose to endure it.  Because of His suffering and death, we have been redeemed and restored into God’s grace.  Saint Gianna Molla is one of the many martyrs who suffered a painful death. She was pregnant with her fourth child when physicians diagnosed her with a large ovarian cyst, which required surgery. The surgeon suggested that she undergo an abortion in order to save her own life. Gianna’s decision was prompt and decisive: “I shall accept whatever they will do to me provided they save the child.” She underwent the surgery after having her daughter but her fate was sealed. She is now the protectress of mothers and families. Saint Therese of Lisieux suffered from tuberculosis.  She was in great pain.  Finally, when her life ended in God’s time, she showered the earth with her prayers.  Her intercession is invoked often and many miracles are attributed to her.  The Bible teaches us that suffering is a good and a joyful thing.  “Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the suffering of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. … But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer.” (1 Peter 4:12-14a,15-16a)       As Catholics, we should be completely against abortion, euthanasia, and any other kind of killing in the world. We must be obedient to the teachings of God.   God gave us the Bible to teach us, the Church and her leaders to guide us, and a perfect example in Jesus himself.  Saints give us good examples to lead us. Some things that Saint Gianna said that help to lead us were “the ways of the Lord are all beautiful, provided the end is the same: to save our soul and succeeding at taking many others to heaven to give glory to God.”  She also said “I have always been taught that the secret of happiness is living moment by moment and to thank God for everything for His goodness that He sends day after day.” Saint Theresa said, “May Jesus make me a martyr of the heart or of the body- or better, both!”  Killing is a sin against God.  Abortion and Euthanasia are legal ways to kill.  They should not be legal.  According to the catechism, “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.” (CCC 2258) We should use the examples of God’s teachings in the Bible and in the Catechism so we can understand the importance and the sanctity of all human life.       Both Abortion and Euthanasia, are two sides of a morally, philosophically, and logically wrong coin.