FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire

WATERTOWN, MA (February 9, 2012) –Janet Benestad Interviewed on Live Talk Show of the CatholicTV® Network.

Janet Benestad, Cabinet Secretary for Faith, Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Boston, was featured on the CatholicTV Network’s nationally broadcasted live talk show; This is the Day, discussing a critical issue that may face voters in Massachusetts.

In past years, a campaign to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide has been rejected by most policymakers. Although, Oregon passed a law in 1994 allowing physicians to prescribe deadly drugs for some patients, similar proposals were rejected by legislatures and voters in all other states for many years. The claim of a constitutional right to assisted suicide was firmly rejected in 1997 by the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld state laws against the practice as legitimate safeguards for innocent human life and the ethical integrity of medicine.

But after fourteen years of defeats, the assisted suicide campaign advanced its agenda when Washington State passed a law like Oregon’s in 2008. The following year, Montana’s highest court suggested that physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients is not always against public policy. With expanded funding from wealthy donors, assisted suicide proponents have renewed their aggressive nationwide campaign through legislation, litigation, and public advertising, targeting states they see as most susceptible to their message.

Cardinal Seán O'Malley, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Boston, responded to the suicide campaign. “As Catholics we have the responsibility to defend the principle that each of us has the right to live each day until we are called to eternal life. Please know of my gratitude for all that you do to care for the sick and the dying in your parish to evangelize about this most serious threat to human dignity. Together, let us make the commitment to promote a culture of life and love in the name of our Lord”.

If the campaign is to succeed, society will undergo a radical change. Jewish and Christian moral traditions have long rejected the idea of assisting in another’s suicide. Catholic teaching views suicide as a grave offense against love of self, one that also breaks the bonds of love and solidarity with family, friends, and God. To assist another’s suicide is to take part in “an injustice which can never be excused, even if it is requested” (John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, no. 66). Most people, regardless of religious affiliation, know that suicide is a terrible tragedy, one that a compassionate society should work to prevent.

Catholics should be leaders in the effort to defend and uphold the principle that each of us has a right to live with dignity through every day of our lives, and Janet Benestad will be here to discuss what Catholics can do to help. You can find more information from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at www.usccb.org/toliveeachday and www.suicideisalwaysatradegy.com.

About the CatholicTV® Network:

Founded in 1955, CatholicTV Network is a national broadcast television network streaming a live feed 24 hours a day at CatholicTV.com. Heeding Pope Benedict XVI's call to greater utilize the power of television and new media, the CatholicTV Network features its cable TV station, Catholic web site, mobile apps and widget. Celebrate Mass online; pray The Rosary; enjoy programs on prayer, the saints, the Scriptures and the Catholic Church on America's Catholic Television Network.

Live twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m.) Father Robert Reed and Jay Fadden host this half-hour talk show with Kevin Nelson, reporting on Catholic news. The hosts discuss various topics of the week in lively discussions for today’s Catholic, and respond to viewer mail (you may also email us at thisistheday@catholictv.org). The hosts also conduct interviews with people from around the world and around the corner.

This is the Day may be seen across the US on Sky Angel, and selected carriers. This is the Day may also be seen on demand in the US via Verizon FiOS. CatholicTV has channels in New England on Charter, Comcast, Full Channel, RCN and other carriers. You can watch the CatholicTV Network 24 hours a day at www.CatholicTV.com or downloaded via iTunes.com and on your mobile device.

Contact: CatholicTV
http://www.CatholicTV.com MA, 02472 US
Shannon Muldoon- Public Relations Coordinator – 617-923-0220

Contact

The CatholicTV® Network
http://www.catholictv.com/Janet/Benestad  MA, 02471 US
Shannon Muldoon - Public Relations Coordinator, 

Keywords

Archdiocese of Boston, Suicide

Category

Apparitions