Fr. Jonathan Morris' presence, as resident Fox clergy, is a win-win for both Roger Ailes and the Catholic Church. Morris gives his Catholic seal of approval to GOP talking points while promoting Catholic dogma on a variety of issues especially abortion and evil Obamacare covered slut pills. But along with abortion, the Church is adamantly opposed to "assisted suicide" laws and is actively lobbying against them. Recently, a young woman with terminal brain cancer, Brittany Maynard, moved to Oregon so that she could legally end her suffering at the time of her choosing. While most folks are very sympathetic, the "pro-life" movement, believe that she is a "pawn" of a liberal agenda and are trying to talk her out of it. So is it just a coincidence that official Foxpriest Fr. Jonathan Morris would appear on this morning's Fox & Friends where he did a little "pro-life" lobbying of his own?!
The piece began with a report on how Ms. Maynard has postponed the date of her death. Some of Maynard's most recent video was shown. Tucker Carlson said that it was "so hard" for him to "judge any decision that a person who is terminally ill makes" and added "but I'm interested in the idea that undergirds all of this which is we own our lives and are allowed to do with our lives whatever we want." Fr. Morris agreed that this is "an underpinning issue" and that Carlson is correct "to hesitate to talk about somebody else's decision like this publicly."
But in providing his patented qualifier, Morris then explained that he feels justified in speaking about it because Maynard has made it public and - ready for the "pro-life" talking points - "she wants to team up with organizations, activist organizations that are pushing to allow doctors to be involved in somebody's premature death." He continued his homily: "Doctors, that's my big concern here. A doctor not living up to the Hippocratic Oath, protecting and defending life and healing but rather saying if you're sad, if you're depressed, if you don't feel like continuing to live, well guess what, you own that life, like you said, Tucker, and I'm going to help you do it."
Clayton Morris tossed the little padre more fodder for Catholic talking points with this question about the pain and a doctor's role to stop the pain. Morris said that pain medication is "palliative" care and that's fine. After noting that Maynard has postponed the original day of death, Morris thanked God that "people have come around her" and that in cases of terminal illness doctors and those close to the patient should tell them that "life is worth living." As in many of the "pro-life" articles about this situation, Morris brought up Phil Johnson, a Catholic seminarian with terminal brain cancer who is encouraging Maynard to suffer to the bitter end just like he is doing because "there's such value in learning to love in a hard time."
In saying that Morris' concern is that "doctors will be put in a position to kill," Tucker Carlson advanced the "pro-life" lie that doctors are actually killing the patients when, in according with the law, the patients take (or not take) the lethal drugs which the doctor proscribes. Carlson interjected straight out anti-choice agitprop when he added "doctors already kill in committing abortion and a lot of them are already active in euthanasia already." (Note - the new "pro-life" phrase for performing an abortion is "committing" an abortion because "committing" is the verb used before "sin.") Morris validated him, "it's terrible." After explaining that Maynard moved to Oregon where "assisted suicide" is legal, Morris attacked her: "She's pushing to have that available everywhere." Morris asked about "the doctor's role" in helping somebody those who are in need of healing "and in this case she's using a doctor to help her decide, her decision to kill herself prematurely. I don't think this a way we want to go as a country."
After attacking this poor woman, Fr. Morris said he's praying for her and is "so happy" that she has postponed her death. He hopes that those around her say that they will love her "no matter how much you're suffering." After he gushed that "there's such a thing as miracles," fellow Fox Christian Heather Childers, opined that "you never know what God's plan is." (I guess God's plan is to have his own network where his Roman collared wingman spouts not only propaganda but attack a woman who is terminally ill?)
The wife of a man who died of terminal cancer says it best: "Whereas hastening an inevitable death was once regarded almost exclusively as a medical issue, we are beginning to focus on what patients want, on their right to self-determination. And people are increasingly asking why anyone — the state, the medical profession, religious leaders — would presume to tell someone else that they must continue to die by inches, against their will."
You won't here that perspective on Fox & Friends which provides a pulpit for Fr. Jonathan Morris to push an agenda which isn't exactly fair & balanced!