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abbycat
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| Joined: | Thu Jan 17th, 2008 |
| Location: | Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 147 |
| First Name: | abby | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Non-Denomational Charismatic, Lutheran |
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Posted: Mon Jun 16th, 2008 02:19 am |
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Hi all ....
After I read and responded to the post about contraception and the non-Catholic community, I wondered about these topics ... living wills, medical directives, and organ donations. What is the Catholic teaching on these issues?
Thanks much ....
abby
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Mon Jun 16th, 2008 11:51 am |
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The Church encourages organ donation. From the Catechism:
2296 Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as a expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally admissible to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons.
Living wills and medical directives are also permitted, provided they do not contradict Catholic teaching. For example, it is not permitted to withhold ordinary care such as nutrition and hydration as long as the body gains benefit from them. May state bishop's conferences have issued sample Living Wills that meet the laws of their particular states.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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abbycat
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| Joined: | Thu Jan 17th, 2008 |
| Location: | Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 147 |
| First Name: | abby | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Non-Denomational Charismatic, Lutheran |
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Posted: Mon Jun 16th, 2008 01:54 pm |
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Hi Rick ... thanks for responding. Now, I have another question ... "as long as the body gains benefit from them." Let me give you an example ... suppose a patient was lying in a nursing home, at the end of the Alzheimer's road .... totally unable to eat, drink, entire back full of MRSA from massive bedsores which had been treated for months to no avail, on morphine for pain and completely unconscious. If one gives this person hydration or tube feeding, it most certainly will benefit the body by prolonging the person's life, but is it right to do? This is where I run into trouble. What would the church say about a situation like this?
I know some of these questions of mine probably sound picky, and I don't mean them to, but I do have a Living Trust, along with medical directive and living will, so that my children will not have to make those difficult decisions. For me it says something to the effect that "if there is no reasonable expectation of recovery" before food and water is withheld....that meaning IV and tube feeding.
Thanks for all your help.
abby
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Mon Jun 16th, 2008 03:43 pm |
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abbycat wrote: If one gives this person hydration or tube feeding, it most certainly will benefit the body by prolonging the person's life, but is it right to do?
The Church tells us we are required to provide all physical comforts and necessities (warmth, clean clothing, nutrition, hydration, etc.) by "ordinary means" but not by "extraordinary means". It is left to us to determine what is "ordinary" and what is "extraordinary", and the circumstances in different areas and for different people will cause different responses. And financial circumstances definitely come into play. The answer will be different for an uninsured individual and a family threatened with bankruptcy to cover the medical bills, and an individual who is fully insured and entitled to the finest health care available.
David can give a much more personal response than I can. I have not had personal experience with Alzheimer's in my family, but as a hospice chaplain I encountered and advised dozens of such patients. I have to admit that the circumstances you describe were extremely rare. I can't think of a single case that met your criteria (bed sores, medicated into unconsciousness, etc.). In every case I encountered there was some quality of life even to the final stages, which usually lasted a few days or weeks. And the ability to take at least some food by mouth was one of the last things to go, and gave them great pleasure.
The general interpretation I encountered among priests is that once tube feeding is begun, it must be continued as long as it is beneficial to the body. In the final stages of life, the body will cease to process food and it will flow through unchanged. As the kidneys fail, fluid will build up in the body causing undue suffering. At this point, nutrition and hydration should be discontinued as they are causing more harm than good. To allow someone to die in such a state is actually the merciful thing to do. The person you describe would most likely be in such a state.
But what if that person had months or even years remaining? In that case, nutrition and hydration should be provided, even if done by tube and IV. As long as quality of life remains, we are required to maintain it.
However, we are not required to artificially extend life longer than necessary, especially if a person is suffering or unconscious, and there is no possibility of improvement.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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abbycat
Member
| Joined: | Thu Jan 17th, 2008 |
| Location: | Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 147 |
| First Name: | abby | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Non-Denomational Charismatic, Lutheran |
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Posted: Mon Jun 16th, 2008 08:18 pm |
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Thank you again ... that helps clarify things a bit.
The incident I was referring to was actually my Dad who died 8 years ago from Alzheimer's in the exact situation I described to you. As an only child, it was all mine to deal with, decide, and to work through. It was awful and horribly painful. That is why I have those things done, so that my kids never have to go through that ... I always felt like I was "playing God" ... even though my father's true life and spirit had long left him.
Thanks again, abby
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
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Posted: Mon Jun 16th, 2008 11:55 pm |
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abbycat wrote: The incident I was referring to was actually my Dad who died 8 years ago from Alzheimer's in the exact situation I described to you.
I suspected it was an actual case, and that makes it even more tragic. The few hundred patients I dealt with were far from representative. For one thing, as hospice patients, they had an extra advocate to make sure they were never placed in the condition of your father. There is also newer technology such as matress pads which inflate and deflate by zone to help prevent bed sores, and we carefully monitored such conditions as MRSA and fought them agressively when they occurred. In addition, those nursing homes that allowed us to care for their patients were the ones that didn't have anything to hide.
Hospice care is misunderstood by most people. It is an incredible gift to those who are at the end of their lives. Physically and spiritually, it is a real blessing. I hope that someday God will give me the opportunity to return to that ministry.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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