Pope Francis: No to euthanasia, but we should not obstinately resist death

[JimR-OCDS]

Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Catholic teaching that euthanasia “is always wrong, in that the intent of euthanasia is to end life and cause death,” but, as Pius XII taught 60 years ago, “there is no obligation to have recourse in all circumstances to every possible remedy” to keep a person alive. “In some specific cases,” the pope said, “it is permissible to refrain from their use.”

He addressed this delicate question in a message to the president of the Pontifical Academy of Life, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, on the occasion of the European Region Meeting of the World Medical Association on end-of-life issues, which is being held in the Vatican, Nov. 16 to 17.

Pope Francis: No to euthanasia, but we should not obstinately resist death | America Magazine

 

[Cruciferi]

I was given authority by my parents in their Will as to their end of life care. They’ll receive what is necessary to sustain them and keep them comfortable. However, as they’ve expressed, there’s not to be tubes and machines running through and around them. I agree with the Pope.

 

[the_coppersmith]

There are certain things we can do and certain things that are gravely sinful.

For example: food, water, and oxygen cannot be removed just because someone wants to die.

If food or a feeding tube is causing distress or the patient cannot digest food, then it can be removed. Same with water.

As far as oxygen goes, the main issue is with the machines that breathe on behalf of the lungs (ventilators?). Regular oxygen must be given as long as the lungs are functioning. But to be intubated to breathe is not required, if the lungs are failing naturally.

Other things not required by moral law (surprisingly enough) are chemoterapy and dyalisis.

The Natiional Catholic Bioethics Center is a great resource of information, and they have a hotline you can call at any time.

The main issue is not relatives, but institutions. Many claim that food or water are “extraordinary means of extending the process of death”. But as a healthy fellow, I know I’ll die if I stop drinking and eating, so the hospital is actually killing the patient if they need food and water and it is denied under the guise of “it’s extraordinary”. Unless they cannot process it or it is causing severe distress.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

My wife was a hospice nurse and I was a volunteer in hospice and there is a point in a terminally ill person, where food and water will cause them to suffer because their body is shutting down.

Even oxygen through a respirator, is an extreme form of treatment for a person, but this has to be determined by a medical professional.

The primary care giver must listen to the medical staff for the patient, not some bureaucratic board member, or a religious fanatic who has no contact with the patient whatsoever.

It’s important that a DNR order is posted in the room with the dying patient, and the DNR should have been agreed to by the patient when they first entered the hospice program, which is only good for six months in my state. After six months, if the patient is still alive, they go through the process again, But this is rare. Most patients along with their doctors, know they don’t have much time left.

So, if you’re ever in this situation, make yourself right with God and be sure to get all your ducks in order with the professionals and your family members.

Jim

 

[deacon3b]

This is true. In the case of dialysis if the individual chooses not to do dialysis it is their decision. Dying of kidney failure is dying a natural death. Water for a kidney failure patient can actually accelerate death and make the person uncomfortable. Force-feeding people is not providing care. DNR orders are simply the doctor asking the patient if they want to be resuscitated and they sign a form. It’s not really a process. It’s a quick question and a signature.