Pope John Paul Ii wrote and encyclical letter that was issued at the Vatican in March 1995. Pope John Paul II shared his views on the topics of euthanasia, contraception and abortion in this very opinionated statement. The Catholic Church feels that it is wrong for people to believe that they can control the beginning and end of their lives. According to the Church , "the temptation becomes all the greater to resolve the problem of suffering by eliminating it at the root, by hastening death so that it occurs at the moment considered most suitable. (Population and Development Review, 691). The Church also holds the belief that there is value to suffering and we, as human beings, should realize that suffering is a very important part of our religious life. Also, we, as Christians, should remember that beyond this life there remains the triumph of heaven. But these dogmas do not take away the pain and suffering related to a fatal illness nor do they make the pain any less real or manageable. .
On the medical front, there is always the question of ethics and morals for the physicians involved in euthanasia. Is it ethical to take a person's life even if they have repeatedly asked you to do so? A doctor has taken the Hippocratic Oath and has sworn to work to his best ability for the good of the patient. The question is, is the good of the fatally ill patient a release from the suffering or the continued attempt to help that individual during their time on earth? In his article "A problem for the idea of voluntary euthanasia", Neil Campbell explores the question of voluntary and involuntary euthanasia as well as the ethical and moral constraints of assisted suicide. Campbell believes that voluntary euthanasia may not really exist. "When a person asks to die under such conditions there is good reason to think that the decision to die is compelled by the pain and hence not freely chosen" (Campbell, 242).