“Compassion and Choices” Essay Contest Promoted by at Least One Catholic School
For the fourth year, Compassion and Choices of Northern
California (and its other chapters around the country) has invited has invited
high school students to submit essays on the subject “Matters of Life and
Death.” The winning essayist receives a college scholarship in the amount of
$1,000. The second-place winner receives $500. Under the name “Compassion and
Choices” the organization may not be familiar
to many people. But it is quite well known under its previous name—the Hemlock
Society.
An August, 2011 press release from the "Compassion and Choices" of the state of Washington announced that year’s essay contest winners.
The title of the essay of the
first prize winner, perhaps unintentionally, provides food for thought. It was
written by 18-year old Megan Brennan, and was titled “Thinking About Death Is
Just for Old People, Right?” Whether or
not thinking about death is just for old people, encouraging young people to
reflect on suicide as a solution to life’s difficulties is unquestionably a bad
idea. According to suicide.org, drawing on statistics from the Centers for
Disease Control, while suicide as a whole has dropped from 13.2 per 100,000
persons in 1950 to 10.8 in 2003, suicide among those aged 5-14 has tripled from
0.2 to 0.6 per 100,000. In the same time period suicide among those aged 15-19
has more than tripled, rising from 2.7 per 100,000 to 7.3 per 100,000. In 2007,
the CDC reported that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for
Americans age 10-14, the third leading cause of death for Americans aged 15-24,
and the second leading cause of death for Americans aged 25-34.
The press release also
mentioned the second place winner from Washington, a young man named Davis
Kennedy from Gig Harbor. “Compassion and Choices” made their attitude to
suicide quite clear, writing that Mr. Davis “…earned $500 for his second-place
essay which was opposed to the option of Death With Dignity titled ‘Where There
Is Life, There Is Hope.’”
Catholic High Schools have been targeted as well, and at
least one is playing ball with the Hemlock Society. In its February2010, February 2011, March 2011, and May 2011 “College and Career Center” webpage,
Carondelet High School of Concord, founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of
Carondolet included a blurb for the scholarship, as well as a link to the
“Compassion and Choices” website.
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