Today I went to visit a dying parishioner. She's a wonderful, faithful Catholic lady. When she was better she had been for a long time a sacristan, a Minister of Holy Communion, and a lector. She wants to do nothing against God's will. After talking with 3 different priests, she finally made her decision to let nature take its course. A very tough decision, supported by all three priests.
About every organ in her body (except for her clear mind and good hearing) is failing. She's been on dialysis for quite some time; her breathing is failing; her heart is filling up with congestive heart failure; and on and on. If she were living in a third world country she'd be dead already. Modern medicine is keeping her alive beyond her time. As the dialysis is no longer as effective as it had been, the time has come and she has decided to cease the dialysis treatments. Her last such treatment will be on Saturday. I asked her, "How long will you have?" "About 10 days," she said.
The moral issue here is what can be done, morally, and what cannot be done? According to Catholic moral theology, a person can do nothing to take his own or her own life. And no one can do anything to take another person's life. Dialysis, however, is an issue that needs to be looked at within the context of the patient's prognosis. Is the patient doing OK? If so, continue the dialysis. If the patient is surely dying, and the process of dying naturally is prolonged by dialysis, then the treatments need not be continued. So also with a breathing tube; but that's a whole other discussion.
So, let's say a prayer for Gwen and for all persons in such circumstances.
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