Living Wills

[doanli]

What is the Church’s teaching on this? How should a Catholic make one? When do you withhold treatment without it being assisted suicide?

I have looked in the Search and have had all kinds of threads not having to do with this pop up!

Help me!!! Any links will be most appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[GwenL]

I attended presentations by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk, Director of Education of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, at a recent diocesan conference. He has a PhD in neuroscience and was outstanding. One of the presentations was on end of life issues. He’s been on EWTN and Catholic Answers Live as well.

I recommend that you you look at their website, ncbcenter.org. Lots of great information, and all backed and supported by the Church.

Take a look at their end-of-life guide, which explains the difference between moral obligations and optional medical treatments, and explains the moral teaching of the Church with regard to these issues. They also explain the difference between a “living will” and legal advance medical directives that incorporate Catholic teachings. ncbcenter.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=347 They also sell (cheap) a document that you can use as a template for your own advance medical directive.

 

[Bookcat]

I attended presentations by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk, Director of Education of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, at a recent diocesan conference. He has a PhD in neuroscience and was outstanding. One of the presentations was on end of life issues. He’s been on EWTN and Catholic Answers Live as well.

I recommend that you you look at their website, ncbcenter.org. Lots of great information, and all backed and supported by the Church.

Take a look at their end-of-life guide, which explains the difference between moral obligations and optional medical treatments, and explains the moral teaching of the Church with regard to these issues. They also explain the difference between a “living will” and legal advance medical directives that incorporate Catholic teachings. ncbcenter.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=347 They also sell (cheap) a document that you can use as a template for your own advance medical directive.

 

[MikeSea]

I am curious do you mean a health care proxy. Which is a legal document. A don’t know if a living will is a legal document.

I did sign a health care proxy when I underwent some rather serious surgery last year. My wife and I had serious discussion, which I highly recommend all of us should have so that there is clear understand about what we would like done in that we are incapacitated. It also makes it clear about who has decision-making authority.

As matter of fact, we filled out one for each of us and talked over what would like do if we could not make our own decisions. I have had more enjoyable dissections, but not many that were more important.

Two years ago when my brother was in the final stages of terminal cancer his children and his wife were not exactly in agreement on his treatment. My brother asked me to meet with him alone. He asked me to be his heath care proxy. I asked what he wanted me to do. All he said was “You are my brother, I trust you”. I helped him live out his final days until he died peacefully in his sleep while I held his hand.

A health care proxy does mean assisted suicide. It means important discussions take place when we can participate in them and make our whishes known.

 

[doanli]

Thanks so much for the information. You guys have been a blessing.

Will be reading the links!

 

[Jermosh]

Dignity is sometimes forgotten or misunderstood in the Church’s Pro-Life message. There is a monumental difference between denying medical services that will not increase your quality of life and suicide. JPIItG denied further assistance in his last days of his life, plus its a good thing for your family as well, relieves some hard questions from them.