Guest Column / Richard Etienne

When caring for someone, human dignity is not a ‘concept’ but a decision

I have thought a great deal about and studied the concept of human dignity throughout my lifetime.

But I was recently immersed in a situation where the concept of human dignity came face-to-face with reality.

My life was settled into a fairly steady routine when in October 2024, my wife and I received a disturbing call. Our special needs son Eric had passed out unexpectedly and fallen.

After two fairly brief stays at an IU medical center, we were advised to put Eric on a “do not resuscitate” list and to begin a period of hospice in our home.

Eric lived with us for over two months as the pancreatic cancer continued to progress in his abdomen. He never indicated that there was a great deal of pain, and he seemed quite happy nearly all of the time. And, by the grace of God, we were able to surround him with a predictable environment that respected his human dignity until his last breath.

We will never be able to fully thank the family members who assisted us with his care, or those friends and family who brought so many meals to our home during this time.

The best that most of us can hope for in many situations is opportunities to “pay it forward” to others when given a chance.

To this point, you may remember that Jesus told a parable about the Good Samaritan, when he was asked the simple question, “Who is my neighbor?” (Lk 10:29)

Will you one day have to decide how to act in the care of a loved one? How will you respond? Will you trust that God will give you everything necessary to complete the task? How will you monitor your own needs so that you will have the long-term energy needed to care for another when you don’t even know the timeline?

These are not easy questions, but they become critical when you are one of the key caregivers for a loved one whose health is failing.

The point that I am trying to make is that human dignity is not a “concept”—it is a decision. It is a way of life that determines how we will act in a situation of caring for someone—from embryo to that last breath.

This is, as they say, where the metaphorical “rubber meets the road.”
 

(Richard Etienne has a degree in theology from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad and resides in Newburgh, Ind.) †