Living Will

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matebrake

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What is the Catholic teaching on signing a Living Will - specifically meaning that if you were diagnosed clinically brain-dead, you would not want to be kept on life support or any other artificial means of survival which, in their absence would otherwise result in death?
 
you may not execute a “living will” that violates end of life teaching. So, you could not ask to have ordinary means removed-- food and water for example. Yould could not OK would would be euthanasia. You can refuse extraordinary treatements disporportionate to the expected result or those that merely postpone inevitable death.

Here is a good summary of Church teaching:

ewtn.com/morals/end-of-life.htm

Here is a template from the Miami archdiocese which respects Catholic teaching:

miamiarchdiocese.org/Atimo_s/news/LifeDeathE.pdf
 
matebrake said:
What is the Catholic teaching on signing a Living Will - specifically meaning that if you were diagnosed clinically brain-dead, you would not want to be kept on life support or any other artificial means of survival which, in their absence would otherwise result in death?
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You can execute a living will or such things as a DNR (do not resuscitate). If you would not want to be kept on life support and for them to “pull the plug” then, you can make that known. Just make sure no forms of euthanasia like in the cases of doctor assisted suicide. If I may recommend, try and find a Catholic Probate attorney that can help you draft such documents.
 
I’m in the process of having my Living Will drafted with a lawyer’s office right now. I understand that hydration and nutrition must never be withdrawn, provided the body is still able to absorb these things. But then comes the tricky part…I quote from the info. on EWTN: * “Treatments that are unduly burdensome or sorrowful to a particular patient, such as amputation, or beyond the economic means of the person, or which only prolong the suffering of a dying person, are morally extraordinary, meaning they are not morally obligatory in a particular case. Medical means may be medically ordinary, but yet morally extraordinary.”*
Let’s say I’m going to die if I don’t have my leg amputated. It’s going to be burdensome to me, involving surgery, therapy, and possibly an artificial limb. But just how burdensome is burdensome? Many people have had one or even both legs amputated and gone on to live fulfilling lives. Let’s say I’m willing to go through the amputation and all that follows, but I don’t have health insurance, and it’s going to cost me (or my family) thousands of dollars I/we don’t have? Does that mean I should go ahead and die? Or should my parish have fundraisers and try to earn the money to help? Should I borrow the money? Do you see how sticky this gets?
 
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