Say no to suicide and drugs.’ That was the theme of an event involving the Catholic Church from the Matagaluega Apia in Samoa last weekend. Groups from Matautu and Leonē, Saint Anthony, Vaimoso and Samalage and Aiga Paia took part. They took part in a dance and singing competition. But Father Losi Numia said the Read more
At least three formal complaints have been lodged with the Ombudsman’s office over the Samoa Observer newspaper’s front page treatment of a young transgender victim of suicide. There have been mixed reactions to the paper’s more personal apology published in the Samoa Observer on Tuesdayover the signature of the editor in chief Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa. Read more
Outrage has erupted in Samoa after a newspaper published a photograph of a dead trans-gender woman. The suspected cause of death is suicide. The 20-year-old computer student was a regular at the Catholic Church of Taufusi. She was discovered in a church hall on Friday morning local time. A photograph on the front page of Read more
The suicides of two medical residents in New York City last fall have thrown a spotlight on a real problem among health care professionals, particularly physicians. Medical students, residents and practicing physicians commonly report symptoms of burnout and depression. Rates vary depending on the group, but range from 20-60%. Frank suicidal ideations (when someone has Read more
I like stories. Whether it’s a program on EWTN, or a homily, or an article, I like the saga of how some Catholic figure dealt with a challenge. It could be a story about converting the barbarians, or some primitive people, or of a modern man being thrown into prison while facing a seemingly impossible situation. Regardless, I will remember Read more
The Church of England has decided to change its rules to allow full funerals for people who died by suicide. The church’s General Synod voted overwhelmingly in favour of the change, by 262 votes to 5, with six abstentions. Church officials said the reform will bring ecclesiastical law into line with the 1961 Suicide Act Read more
New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre director John Kleinsman wonders how free Brittany Maynard really was. Maynard, a terminally ill 29 year old American ended her life last week home in Oregon, using drugs supplied legally to her under the state’s Death with Dignity Act. She worked as a volunteer advocate for the nation’s leading end-of-life choice organisation, Read more
Did Brittany Maynard die freely? This is the question that must be asked after the attractive 29-year-old woman with a brain tumour announced earlier in the week that she would probably postpone the assisted suicide she had scheduled for Saturday, November 1. “I still feel good enough, and I still have enough joy — and Read more
A Catholic priest in Italy has reportedly committed suicide after being accused of child abuse. Fr Maks Suard, 48, reportedly hanged himself after being accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl some 17 years ago. According to the Messaggero Veneto newspaper, the priest had admitted his guilt. He had asked Trieste Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi for Read more
Suicide has never looked more vivacious. In Brittany Maynard, advocates of assisted suicide have found their ideal spokeswoman. She is not an aging hippy embittered by her loss of energy. As far as one can tell, she is neither a radical individualist nor a nihilist. She is, by all appearances, a loving, life-embracing young woman. Read more