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Culture of Love and Life- Life issues |
QUESTIONS / ANSWERS ON DEATH AND DYING
by
Joan Crown
Respect Life
Office, Archdiocese of Miami
As
a Catholic, what care / treatment am I morally bound to?
Catholics must always employ ordinary means of preserving life, but
not means that are deemed extraordinary.
What exactly is considered ordinary and what would be
extraordinary means of preserving life?
Ordinary means: The Church uses the word proportionate,
meaning that it offers a reasonable hope of benefit and does not
entail an excessive burden to the patient.
Extraordinary means: The Church uses the word
disproportionate, meaning that in the patient’s judgment it does not
offer a reasonable hope of benefit or it entails an excessive burden
or excessive expense to the patient. Declaration on
Euthanasia, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 5/5/80
Would food and water, including a feeding tube, always be
considered ordinary care?
“Food and water, even when provided by artificial means, always
represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act . .
. (and) should be considered . . . ordinary and proportionate”.
Pope John Paul II, 3/20/04
“ . . . we are called to provide basic means of sustenance such as
food and water unless they are doing more harm than good (body is
not able to assimilate) to the patient, or are useless because the
patient’s death is imminent”. (Florida Bishops, 2/28/05) (Evangelium
Vitae #65, John Paul II)
What does the Church teach in regards to the use / removal of a
ventilator / respirator?
If a person is said to be brain-dead, can all life support be
removed so the body can shut down?
1980 Uniform Determination of Death Act - model by which states
could adopt their own definitions of death stated, “brain death” is
defined as the “irreversible cessation of all functions of the
entire brain, including the brain stem.” After death, there is no
life to support.
Dr. Paul Byrne: “A lot of people think that brain death means flat
brain waves and a signal to stop the ventilator...however, brainwave
recordings only monitor the outer 1-2 centimeters of the brain; the
inner part of the brain isn’t evaluated.”
Mrs. Joan Crown is the Associate Director,
Archdiocese of Miami Respect Life Office -Directs the operation of 6 crisis
pregnancy centers; Coordinates the “Project Rachel” post-abortion healing
program; Coordinator of annual lobby trip to Tallahassee “Catholic Days at the
Capito; Supervises the pro-life educational efforts in 14 Catholic high schools
and 118 parishes in the Archdiocese and is Editor of the pro-life educational
newsletter “The Beginning”.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
