Pope Francis spoke against the “throwaway culture” that promotes abortion and euthanasia for those with disabilities during a meeting in the Vatican last week.
Speaking to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences during a conference on disability inclusion, the pontiff decried “those who presume to be able to establish, on the basis of utilitarian and functional criteria, when a life has value and is worth being lived,” — especially when such presumption leads to abortion or euthanasia.
“In the end, ‘persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected, especially when they are poor and disabled, ‘not yet useful’ – like the unborn, or ‘no longer needed’ – like the elderly.’ This is so important: the two extremes of life: the unborn with disabilities are aborted, and the elderly close to the end are administered an ‘easy death,’ euthanasia, a euthanasia in disguise, but euthanasia all the same,” Pope Francis said.
“Every human being has the right to live with dignity and to develop integrally. Even if they are unproductive, or were born with or develop limitations, this does not detract from their great dignity as human persons, a dignity based not on circumstances but on the intrinsic worth of their being,” he added.
The Pope called for the “culture of inclusion” to combat the “throwaway culture.”
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“The primary agents of such solidarity are those who, out of a sense of responsibility for the good of each individual, work for greater social justice and for the removal of the barriers that prevent many people from exercising their basic rights and freedoms,” he explained.
“What is needed, then, is the development of a culture of integral inclusion. The bonds of belonging become even stronger when persons with disabilities are not simply passive receivers, but take an active part in the life of society as agents of change. Subsidiarity and participation are the two pillars of effective inclusion. In this regard, we can appreciate the importance of associations and movements of disabled persons that work to promote their participation in society.”
He also noted that we can look to Jesus as an example of how to treat those with disabilities.
“Jesus not only relates to disabled persons; he also changes the meaning of their experience,” he said. “In fact, he showed a new approach to the condition of persons with disabilities, both in society and before God.”
“In Jesus’ eyes, every human condition, including those marked by grave limitations, is an invitation to a unique relationship with God that enables people to flourish.”
