Stopping Medical Care

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Maria_Monte

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If a person needs medical care in order to continue living, does discontinuing that care with the intent of stopping one’s mortal life qualify as suicide and a mortal sin, according to the Church?

I am specifically referring to taking certain medications, e.g. insulin for a diabetic. I am not referring to a person with no brain function and a DNR order.

Can anyone direct me to official Church teaching on this topic?
 
Maria_Monte said:
If a person needs medical care in order to continue living, does discontinuing that care with the intent of stopping one’s mortal life qualify as suicide and a mortal sin, according to the Church?

I am specifically referring to taking certain medications, e.g. insulin for a diabetic. I am not referring to a person with no brain function and a DNR order.

Can anyone direct me to official Church teaching on this topic?
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I’m pretty sure insulin would qualify as ordinary medical care.
 
Maria_Monte said:
If a person needs medical care in order to continue living, does discontinuing that care with the intent of stopping one’s mortal life qualify as suicide and a mortal sin, according to the Church?

I am specifically referring to taking certain medications, e.g. insulin for a diabetic. I am not referring to a person with no brain function and a DNR order.

Can anyone direct me to official Church teaching on this topic?
Click to expand...
You can morally stop medical care for a proportionate reason. For example, if the treatment is causing other medical problems or if the treatment is expensive causing a financial burden to you and your family. But you would be on shaky moral ground to stop a common medical treatment without a proportionate reason and it would be immoral to stop the treatment if you* intent *is to hasten your death.
 
Thank you all for your responses. You gave me exactly the information I needed. I’m sorry it took me a few days to get back - for some reason, CAF doesn’t want to let me post sometimes.

God bless you all. 🙂
 
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