Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Darksheare
You are right. Thanks for the correction.

Deliberately causing death is something you must never do, whether by action or by omission, in every instance. Comatose persons, per se, are not dying (unless there's something else going on.) To remove the ventilator with the intention of causing death, is morally wrong (euthansia).

There are morally relevant differences between assisted breathing and assisted nutrition, though. Here's something to consider:

Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, Sixth Edition

56A person has a moral obligation to use ordinary or proportionate means of preserving his or her life. Proportionate means are those that in the judgment of the patient offer a reasonable hope of benefit and do not entail an excessive burden or impose excessive expense on the family or t he community.

57 A person may forgo extraordinary or disproportionate means of preserving life. Disproportionate means are those that in the patient’s judgment do not offer a reasonable hope of benefit or entail an excessive burden, or impose excessive expe nse on the family or the community.

58 In principle, there is an obligation to provide patients with food and water, including medically assisted nutrition and hydration for those who cannot take food orally. This obligation extends to patients in chronic and presumably irreversible conditions (e.g., the “persistent vegetative state”) who can reasonably be expected to live indefinitely if given such care.

59 Medically assisted nutrition and hydration become morally optional when they cannot reasonably be expect ed to prolong life or when they would be “excessively burdensome for the patient or [would] cause significant physical discomfort, for example resulting from complications in the use of the means employed.”

59 For instance, as a patient draws close to inev itable death from an underlying progressive and fatal condition, certain measures to provide nutrition and hydration may become excessively burdensome and therefore not obligatory in light of their very limited ability to prolong life or provide comfort.

61 The free and informed judgment made by a competent adult patient concerning the use or withdrawal of life - sustaining procedures should always be respected and normally complied with, unless it is contrary to Catholic moral teaching.

62 Euthanasia is an action or omission that of itself or by intention causes death in order to alleviate suffering. Catholic health care institutions may never condone or participate in euthanasia or assisted suicide in any way. Dying patients who request euthanasia should receive loving care, psychological and spiritual support, and appropriate remedies for pain and other symptoms so that they can live with dignity until the time of natural death.


The two goals are both to avoid futile, burdensome, unwanted over-treatment, and to avoid involuntary euthanasia by under-treatment (including starvation/dehydration.)

Best advice:

A "document on file" is not going to save you from torturous futile over-treatment on the one hand, or starvation/dehydration medical murder on the other. You have to have a live advocate who is devoted to you and knows what you want.

This is so essential. Nothing can take the place of a personal advocate/proxy who is of one mind with you and whom you can gladly trust.

78 posted on 06/29/2018 10:33:58 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (What does the LORD require of you: to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies ]


To: Mrs. Don-o

What frightens and sickens me are the people perfectly okay with the deliberately causing death part, some of them in the medical profession.


81 posted on 06/29/2018 10:40:57 AM PDT by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson