Catholic guilt: I should have done more

Upon opening the paper this morning, I found that Gov. Jerry Brown had signed the physician-assisted suicide bill. I was struck numb. How could this be?

At first, I was angry. It is well known that Gov. Brown spent three years preparing to become a Jesuit priest of the same Catholic order as our current Pope Francis. According to The Bee, Brown said, “but, I am steeped in the tradition of the Catholic Church and the Jesuit order.” As a Catholic, it is our belief that it is “our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.”

The American Medical Association says that this type of bill is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control and would pose serious societal risk.

After I got over my feelings of shock, embarrassment and scandal over Gov. Brown’s signing, I turned a critical eye to myself. What had I done to lend my support to those who opposed this bill on religious or humanitarian grounds? Answer: nothing.

I am ashamed of myself. I will now raise my awareness and response to other such social issues. I am now awake.

This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 6:20 AM with the headline "Catholic guilt: I should have done more."