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Talevita
Guest
Do Catholics believe people should be kept alive in comas? Do you? I promise, I’m not trying to start a debate.
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tjm190
Guest
I believe the church’s position is any “ordinary means” must be employed to keep a person alive (i.e. food and water). If a person requires extraordinary means (such as dialysis or something) the church would allow the discontinuation of said service.Do Catholics believe people should be kept alive in comas? Do you? I promise, I’m not trying to start a debate.
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Victorious
Guest
Dialysis is an extraordinary means?I believe the church’s position is any “ordinary means” must be employed to keep a person alive (i.e. food and water). If a person requires extraordinary means (such as dialysis or something) the church would allow the discontinuation of said service.
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JimG
Guest
Sometimes what is ordinary or extraordinary means, depends on the circumstances of an individual case.
A ventilator in most instances is routine. When used on a patient in the end stages of dying, it may be an extraordinary means. Dialysis is most often an ordinary means of treatment, but in circumstances where death is imminent, it may become an extraordinary means. Medical judgment as well as common sense is used in making individual decisions.
A ventilator in most instances is routine. When used on a patient in the end stages of dying, it may be an extraordinary means. Dialysis is most often an ordinary means of treatment, but in circumstances where death is imminent, it may become an extraordinary means. Medical judgment as well as common sense is used in making individual decisions.
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tjm190
Guest
… An external kidney seems extreme to me- but the example may not line up with church teaching, but to me it epitomized the situation.Dialysis is an extraordinary means?
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Victorious
Guest
Not that my wishes will matter in the Brave New Post-Terri-Sciavo World, but I would just like to state now and for the record that I want every to be kept alive at all costs. If I’m ever in a “persistent vegetative state,” go ahead and hook me up to the machines. I want to make as much trouble as I can, for as long as I can. I never want to be in that situation, but if I am, God give me the grace to endure the suffering, and preserve me from the temptation to just end it all. Preserve others from the temptation to just end it all for me.
Life was a lot easier back when we just simply erred on the side of – life.
Life was a lot easier back when we just simply erred on the side of – life.
R
roveau
Guest
It really does depend on the state of the person being kept in a coma. These days if there is a good chance that he/she will recover then certainly that person should be kept ‘on support’.
As an aside, some people who are badly injured are put in an induced coma as a recovery therapy.
If you are at the end stages of your life for whatever reason and your organs are shutting down, or you are brain dead after an accident or stroke then to me it would be wrong to keep such people artificially alive.
Now I’m wondering if I understood the question correctly.
Rove
As an aside, some people who are badly injured are put in an induced coma as a recovery therapy.
If you are at the end stages of your life for whatever reason and your organs are shutting down, or you are brain dead after an accident or stroke then to me it would be wrong to keep such people artificially alive.
Now I’m wondering if I understood the question correctly.
Rove
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Br.Rich_SFO
Guest
A Comotose person is still a human person, it is not permitted to intentionally kill (directly or indirectly) or intentionally hasten the death of any person.Do Catholics believe people should be kept alive in comas? Do you? I promise, I’m not trying to start a debate.
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Br.Rich_SFO
Guest
Dialysis is a common procedure today, and would be considered reasonable. Sometimes it also is not a permanent process, but is used to “give the persons kidneys a rest”. However if the person does not wish to go on dialysis, and makes that known that is a decision they can be morally permitted to make.Dialysis is an extraordinary means?
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DebChris
Guest
Death with dignity, as accepted by Catholics, could be seen in the Karen Ann Quinlan case.
This case made national news in the early 1970s when the parents wanted to withdraw life support. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents. Life support was withdrawn. Karen Ann Quinlan died quietly 14 years later. She never came out of her coma.
CCC2278 Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of “over-zealous” treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected.
CCC2279 Evenn if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferins of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as possible. Pallative care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged.
This case made national news in the early 1970s when the parents wanted to withdraw life support. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents. Life support was withdrawn. Karen Ann Quinlan died quietly 14 years later. She never came out of her coma.
CCC2278 Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of “over-zealous” treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected.
CCC2279 Evenn if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferins of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as possible. Pallative care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged.
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kage_ar
Guest
It might be good to define what state you mean when you say coma. Unlike the movies, coma is a loose term and can be applied to people in a broad spectrum of response. Should you want to get really sticky, each of is goes into a type of coma every day - we call it sleep.
Ordinary means are always required by moral law, extrordinary means will vary from situation to situation.
Ordinary means are always required by moral law, extrordinary means will vary from situation to situation.
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DailyBread
Guest
The situation is hard to assess because things vary from patient to patient, how long they have been in the coma, why they maybe in a coma (ie trauma vs drug overdose). Sometimes there is a good likelihood of a person coming out of a coma (ie drug overdose). Other times like in head trauma where all measure have been done to help wake the person up, but they are not and say they are brain dead, then in theory you could withdraw mechanical ventilation which is extra-ordinary care. When deciding if care that is extra-ordinary care items such as that or dialysis, you have to determine the likelihood of helping the patient vs simply pro-longing suffering of a dying person and the fact that such interventions do pose their own risks (such as burdens of being on ventilation and risk for infection or injury). If death is likely close, then comfort care such as food (though sometimes food can be burdensome when someone is near death), water, pain relief (even if it can hasten death, but that effect is not intended), and hygiene are always required. The other interventions must be weighed for burdens of the procedure and likelihood to help improve or stabilize the patients condition. DNI/DNR orders can be appropriate for individuals with terminal conditions or some eldery. A young otherwise healthy person, it would not be at all.
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