Is it morally permissible to remove life support if he is brain dead?

[drmalourigo]

My father in law suffered a stroke and was brain dead according to the doctors and has no hope of recovery. He was placed on life support and upon discussion with the doctors and nurses, my mother in law agreed on pulling the plug on him. The ventilator was removed together with nutrition and hydration. Morphin was administered apparently to make him comfortable. I asked the nurses why morphin is being given when he is not in pain since he is brain dead. The nurse after a lot of other comforting words, said it will shut down the respiratory system. My mother in law who is a devout catholic, said that she didnt want to see the husband in a vegetative stage and says that my father in law’s wish would be to let him die. I did tell my mother in law not to sign the paper on “pulling the plug”
Being a prolifer, I didnt agree on what was done but I was just a daughter in law and the final decision was among mother in law and her kids, the question is, did my mothe rin law committed A MORTAL SIN by allowing the husband die by removing the life support together with the children?
What was my role in this?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

The Catholic Church accepts that brain death is an acceptable sign of death. Death occurs when the soul separates from the body. We cannot see the soul leave the body, all we can do is observe the biological signs of death. In past the only real biological signs we had were if the heart stopped beating and the lungs stopped breathing. However, modern science and technology can keep the heart and lungs working long after the brain has stopped working. If brain death has taken place and is considered irreversible then it is considered that the person has died. Any medical technology artificially keeping the heart and lungs working can be removed and organ transplants can begin.

Blessed Pope John Paul II’s Address to the 18th International Conference of Organ Transplant Specialists in August 2000:

Here it can be said that the criterion adopted in more recent times for ascertaining the fact of death, namely the *complete *and *irreversible *cessation of all brain activity, if rigorously applied, does not seem to conflict with the essential elements of a sound anthropology. Therefore a health-worker professionally responsible for ascertaining death can use these criteria in each individual case as the basis for arriving at that degree of assurance in ethical judgement which moral teaching describes as “moral certainty”. This moral certainty is considered the necessary and sufficient basis for an ethically correct course of action. Only where such certainty exists, and where informed consent has already been given by the donor or the donor’s legitimate representatives, is it morally right to initiate the technical procedures required for the removal of organs for transplant.

For more information: National Catholic Bioethics Center’s FAQ on “Brain Death”