Care at the End of Life

Archbishops Lori and Rigali write in America Magazine about "Human Dignity and the End of Life." They argue against "Euthanasia by Omission."

Euthanasia by Ommission is equated with Passive Euthanasia, which when I was studying "Death and Dying" was considered permissible under Catholic doctrine. It is abject revisionism to state otherwise. Doctrine is not to be made by press release or by public address, which is essentially the standing that recent teachings on hydration and nutrition have. Finally, the circumstances of patients who have developed PVS over time are fundamentally different from those who have been resuscitated and have never regained conciousness. The former deserve continued care. The latter have already experienced "natural death" and should be allowed to return to it.