Pope Leo is right — death is not care

PUBLISHED: October 5, 2026 | www.baltimoresun.com

Pope Leo XIV was 100% right in Lourdes, France. He spoke with moral clarity when he warned that causing death cannot be dressed up as compassion and reminded the world that what is legal is not necessarily moral. His message should be stated without hesitation: No government, legislature, doctor or court has the authority to decide that another person’s life should be ended. That decision belongs to God.

This is not a question on which we should equivocate. Human life is sacred not because a person is young, healthy, independent or productive, but because every person is made by God and carries an inherent dignity that no illness can erase. The old, the disabled, the depressed, the dependent and the gravely ill are not burdens to be managed. They are people to be loved, protected and cared for.

Supporters of assisted dying may describe it as choice, mercy or relief from suffering. But compassion cannot mean taking the life of the person who is suffering. Our duty is to relieve pain, accompany the vulnerable and give people reasons to keep living. When death is offered as the answer, we cross a moral line no law can make right.

Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) program shows how urgent this debate has become. In 2024, 16,499 people received MAID. That number represents lives ended through a practice the state permits. It should cause every society to ask whether we are building a culture of care or normalizing the idea that some lives are no longer worth protecting.

The story of 83-year-old Brigitte Stegemann makes those questions painfully personal. Her granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, says her grandmother had rejected MAID, still showed interest in food and life and became confused and distressed when told a procedure had been scheduled. Kranendonk says Stegemann expressed fear and, shortly before her death, said, “I made a mistake.” Her granddaughter has asked authorities to investigate whether Stegemann understood and consented. Those allegations must be examined fully. But even before an investigation concludes, the case should shake us: When a vulnerable person’s life is at stake, there must be no ambiguity about whether she freely and knowingly wants to die.

No paperwork, professional approval or legislative vote can make the taking of a life morally right. Safeguards may govern a process, but they cannot grant human beings authority that belongs to God. A person’s consent does not erase society’s duty to protect life, especially when age, illness, confusion or fear may leave that person vulnerable to pressure or misunderstanding.

The answer to suffering is not death. It is better pain relief, hospice and palliative care, faithful companionship, mental-health support and practical help for families carrying the weight of care. Pope Leo urged health professionals to care for the suffering person and called for stronger palliative-care structures. That is the path of true compassion: stay with the person, relieve what suffering we can and affirm that their life still matters.

We must also reject the quiet suggestion that dependence diminishes a person’s worth. A human being does not lose dignity when unable to work, speak clearly, live alone or make life convenient for others. If anything, vulnerability calls us to greater responsibility. The measure of a society is not how efficiently it can end a life but how faithfully it protects people when they cannot protect themselves.

Some will say this is a religious belief that should not guide public policy. But the principle at its heart is larger than any one faith: The powerful must not treat vulnerable lives as disposable. For believers, the truth is even clearer. God gives life, and God, not the state, has ultimate authority over its end.

The allegations surrounding Stegemann’s death demand a complete and transparent investigation. If safeguards failed, those responsible must be held accountable. But whatever the investigation finds, our moral position must not waver. We cannot call death care. We cannot call killing mercy. And we cannot surrender the sacred responsibility to defend life.

Pope Leo was right. There is no compromise on this truth: Every life has dignity, every suffering person deserves care and no human being has the authority to decide that another person’s life should end. That decision belongs to God alone.

Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.