He's said it before, but Pope Francis continues to insist that "discarding" the elderly is already in itself a certain type of euthanasia.
Recently, the Pope made the point again through his official X (formerly Twitter) account.
In 2023, the Pope spelled this out a little more clearly, denouncing "a hidden and progressive euthanasia" that consists of depriving the elderly of the treatments they need, in order to "save money." He said this in a speech to the members of the Italian Religious Association of Social and Health Institutes (ARIS), whom he received on April 13, 2023, at the Vatican.
His concern about the economic factors that are behind the euthanasia push is something he doesn't hide.
In 2019, he noted:
The practice of euthanasia, which has already become legal in several states, only seemingly aims to encourage personal freedom; in reality it is based on a utilitarian view of the person, who becomes useless or can be equated to a cost, if from the medical point of view he or she has no hope of improvement or can no longer avoid pain.
For the Holy Father, the right outlook on euthanasia is relatively simple: "Let's leave killing to the beasts."
