FāVS News News and Commentary about Religion and Ethics in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
The conscious choice to allow life to end by voluntary withdrawal of medication is a personal choice for the individual to make. I have no more right to tell someone they must continue to suffer “in hope” of a cure than I have to tell someone they should leave to make room for the rest of the population. In fact, our tradition has the same Celebration of Life Service (memorial service) for a suicide as we would for any other cause of death.
I do not judge how someone makes their transition as being good or bad; but rather celebrate what that person brought to the world during the time they were here.
The Rev. Joe Niemiec Jr. began his spiritual quest in 1986 when he walked out of a Houston jail and was struck by the realization that his life was in shambles.
He began his quest for ‘getting back on track’ with 12 step programs, followed by learning and practicing meditation with a local Redding, California, teacher.
