Euphemisms like "euthanasia," "mercy killing," "death with dignity," "the right to die," make it all sound so reasonable. But what exactly is reasonable about self-destruction? How can choosing death be rational, human, or compassionate?

There are several other questions we ought to be asking, too. Here are a few of them.

If it's assisted, how can it be suicide?

What is the risk that undiagnosed depression could end up being terminal?

Given that most health care costs are incurred at the end of life, what pressures could be placed on those who are old or sick to end their lives?

Remember the slippery slope people in previous decades said doesn't exist?

Who benefits financially when someone chooses to die?

How can we trust a health care system in which doctors save some lives and end others?

I wish I could say these questions are new, but they aren't. Sixteen years ago, our now second-year law school student daughter testified at public hearings held at the Massachusetts State House against euthanasia. It was something Nadja, at 10 years old, felt very strongly about. So we took her to Beacon Hill in her Catholic school uniform to read the statement she had written. Looking back, that experience may well have been the beginning of her legal career.

I think our daughter was keenly aware of the issue at the time because we were a four generation household. My mother and grandmother both lived with us. At 98, my grandmother now lives in a nursing home. My mother's heroic efforts to ensure she is getting the best of care, to keep her as engaged as possible in our family life, is beautiful. I hope she knows that as she herself ages, she can expect nothing less from me.

When health deteriorates, love -- not death -- is the answer. Pain can be managed. Fears can be calmed. Serious illness can help us rediscover our priorities, and suffering can lead us to one another and into the heart of Jesus. As Catholics, our faith offers hope beyond the limits of this world. We believe in the power of Christ's Resurrection, a power flows through all that is signified by his cross. We cannot defeat death here, but the Son of God already has. As St. Paul reminds us, "The last enemy to be conquered, is death." (1 Cor. 15:26) Vote NO on Question #2.

Jaymie Stuart Wolfe is a wife and mother of eight children, and a disciple of the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales. She is an inspirational author, speaker, musician and serves as an Associate Children's Editor at Pauline Books and Media.