open access
Withdrawing and withholding life-sustaining treatment according to the moral teaching of the Catholic Church
open access
Abstract
Withdrawing and withholding life-sustaining treatment, especially mechanical ventilation, when it will result inevitable death of the patient, raises disputes and emotions in contemporary moral discourse. The Catholic Church over the centuries has developed specific guidance for ethically problematic situations related to the health and life issues. There are significant number of statements done by Catholic theologians and Church authorities, which are focused on practical solutions associated to the termination of treatment, including removal of respirator.
Abstract
Withdrawing and withholding life-sustaining treatment, especially mechanical ventilation, when it will result inevitable death of the patient, raises disputes and emotions in contemporary moral discourse. The Catholic Church over the centuries has developed specific guidance for ethically problematic situations related to the health and life issues. There are significant number of statements done by Catholic theologians and Church authorities, which are focused on practical solutions associated to the termination of treatment, including removal of respirator.
Keywords
Catholic Church, Pius XII, ordinary and extraordinary means, moral theology, medical futility, ethics, bioethics
About this articleTitle
Withdrawing and withholding life-sustaining treatment according to the moral teaching of the Catholic Church
Journal
Palliative Medicine in Practice
Issue
Article type
Review paper
Pages
66-70
Published online
2016-06-14
Bibliographic record
Medycyna Paliatywna w Praktyce 2015;9(2):66-70.
Keywords
Catholic Church
Pius XII
ordinary and extraordinary means
moral theology
medical futility
ethics
bioethics
Authors
Piotr Aszyk