Euthanasia & "Mitigating Circumstances"

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FatherMerrin

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I’m a Scottish Presbyterian looking into becoming a Catholic. I’ve been browsing through The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and there’s several hurdles I’m having to face in coming to terms with Catholicism, chief among them the Church’s stance on euthanasia.

The Catholic Church considers euthanasia morally wrong under any circumstance. But what if a loved one sustained brain damage that was so catastrophic, they were reduced to a vegetable? What if there really was nothing left of that person to keep alive, and doing so would mean hospital bills that grow larger every year, bringing only further stress and misery on the rest of the family? The Church believes euthanization is an affront to a human being’s dignity, but where’s the dignity in being spoon-fed porridge every morning? (Assuming you’re capable of even opening your mouth?)

Please understand I’m not trying to be confrontational. I’m only trying to get a better handle on several core rules of Catholic thought that I’m having difficulty accepting.
 
Where do you draw the line that a person is acceptable enough not to be put down like an animal?
 
FatherMerrin said:
But what if a loved one sustained brain damage that was so catastrophic, they were reduced to a vegetable?
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We are called to care for that person. We cannot kill them.
FatherMerrin said:
What if there really was nothing left of that person to keep alive, and doing so would mean hospital bills that grow larger every year, bringing only further stress and misery on the rest of the family?
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We are not required to give extraordinary care. We are required to give ordinary care. We may not kill them. Euthanasia is not letting someone die, i.e. nature taking its course, euthanasia is taking an action to kill them.
FatherMerrin said:
The Church believes euthanization is an affront to a human being’s dignity,
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Always.
FatherMerrin said:
but where’s the dignity in being spoon-fed porridge every morning?
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Every human person has dignity. The people caring for them receive the graces through the virtue of charity. The person receives graces of being cared for. The person suffering can be united with that of Christ for the good of all people.
 
FatherMerrin said:
The Catholic Church considers euthanasia morally wrong under any circumstance. But what if a loved one sustained brain damage that was so catastrophic, they were reduced to a vegetable? What if there really was nothing left of that person to keep alive, and doing so would mean hospital bills that grow larger every year, bringing only further stress and misery on the rest of the family? The Church believes euthanization is an affront to a human being’s dignity, but where’s the dignity in being spoon-fed porridge every morning? (Assuming you’re capable of even opening your mouth?)
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Extraordinary care is not required and massive medical bills sound like you’re thinking extraordinary care.

What is forbidden is to kill them or let them starve or dehydrate to my knowledge.
 
THIS. Yes. The Church does not require us to be without mercy. But may not kill anyone. We can keep them as comfortable as they can be until they pass away naturally. If you were ever in this position, a close relationship with your pastor would be of great benefit and consolation and you make those decisions for the care of your loved one in the last days.
 
I’d encourage you to read Sister Nuala Kenny’s book, “Rediscovering The Art of Dying”. It does an amazing job of explaining how euthanasia has actually moved us away from the Christian understanding of a “good death” and how, in all stages of life and death we can see how our journey comes together with Christ’s journey through His Passion.

It really is a beautiful book, and Sister Nuala is an expert in the field.
 
They’ve helped me greatly. Thank you. This is precisely what I needed to read; a calm, rational, but compassionate explanation of a very difficult topic.
 
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